- Places covered
- Esher
- Claygate
- Cobham
- Walton-on-Thames
- Weybridge
- Chertsey
- Planning authorities
- Elmbridge Borough Council, Runnymede Borough Council
Big plots, rebuilds and basements
Esher, Claygate, Cobham, Walton-on-Thames, Weybridge and Chertsey include some of the larger houses in Surrey. Plots are generous, but houses are still often within a few metres of each other, and redevelopment is common: older houses are demolished and replaced by larger ones, and existing houses gain basements, annexes, pools and extensions.
That is a recipe for excavation, and excavation is what Section 6 is about.
Work that needs a notice in Esher
- Basements, cellars and swimming pools, which are deep excavations. See basements and underpinning.
- Demolition and rebuild, where deep new foundations go in close to a neighbour. The neighbour can ask for a schedule of condition and monitoring.
- Side extensions and annexes that come within 3 or 6 metres of a neighbour’s house, garage or outbuilding. See rear and side extensions.
- New boundary walls, including masonry walls and gate piers, which need a Section 1 notice.
- Loft conversions in the terraces and semis of Walton and Weybridge. See loft conversions.
The river and the ground
Much of this area lies in the Thames valley, where flood risk and groundwater shape what can be dug. Those are planning and building control questions, but they affect party wall awards, because a deep excavation that needs pumping or special support is one the surveyors will want to look at carefully. Trees are also a feature of the area and can mean deeper foundations.
For neighbours of big projects
If you are the neighbour of a large rebuild or basement, do not consent without advice. Ask for the engineer’s drawings and method statement and agree monitoring. The building owner normally pays for your surveyor. See help for neighbours.
Planning in Esher is separate from the Act
Esher, Claygate, Cobham, Walton and Weybridge come under Elmbridge Borough Council, and Chertsey under Runnymede Borough Council. Planning permission and building regulations approval are separate from the Act.
Party wall surveyor fees in Esher
A notice is £70, a schedule of condition is £350 and an award starts at £600, with no VAT. For larger projects we give a fixed-price quotation in writing once we have seen the drawings. Call 0800 999 1947.
Party wall services in Esher
- Party wall notice in Esher£70 fixed. We search the Land Registry, prepare the notice and follow it up.
- Schedule of condition in Esher£350 fixed. A photographed record of the neighbouring property before work starts.
- Party wall award in EsherFrom £600. We act as agreed surveyor for both owners.
- All our fixed feesNo VAT, and a written quotation before you commit.
Esher is part of our Surrey service area. See every area we cover.
Esher, Weybridge and Walton questions
My neighbour is demolishing and rebuilding next door. What should I do?
Ask whether a notice has been served, and appoint a surveyor if one has. Demolition and deep foundations near your house are the kind of work a Section 6 notice and an award deal with. The award can require a schedule of condition of your house, working hours, monitoring and a route to compensation if damage occurs. The building owner normally pays your surveyor.
Does groundwater near the river affect a basement or pool notice?
It can. Flood risk and groundwater are matters for planning and building control, but pumping groundwater out of an excavation can affect neighbouring ground, so surveyors and engineers ask about it. The award records the safeguards.
I have a detached house with a big garden. Do I need a notice?
Only if the work meets one of the Act’s tests, such as digging within 3 or 6 metres of a neighbour’s building to the depths described, or building a wall on the boundary. See does the Act apply to a detached house.