Permission for demolition alone does not approve the new home. [1] [2] [3]
Compare retention with replacement
Begin with two clearly described options: retaining and altering the existing building, or removing it and constructing a replacement. Compare their layout, relationship to neighbours, use of the plot and technical requirements. National policy supports effective use of land, including sensitive redevelopment, but the proposal must still address character and living conditions. [4]
A replacement can change more than floor area. Moving a house closer to a boundary, raising its roof or repositioning its windows can change the planning assessment even where the total accommodation looks similar. Draw the existing and proposed buildings together so these differences are explicit. [5] [6]
Establish the demolition route separately
Government guidance explains that demolition can be development and that permitted development arrangements contain exclusions and prior-approval requirements. Listed buildings and buildings in conservation areas need particular care. Do not assume a general demolition right applies merely because the replacement would be residential. [1]
The planning submission should make clear what is being retained and what is being removed. Before clearance, check whether the building or surrounding land could support protected species. Natural England's guidance identifies buildings and gardens as potential habitat and explains when surveys, avoidance measures or separate licences may be necessary. [7]
Keep demolition out of the construction programme until the relevant consents, conditions and ecological precautions have been established. Ask the council and project team to confirm the separate demolition procedures applicable to the building rather than relying on the replacement permission alone. [1] [7]
Treat the replacement as a new-home technical design
A newly built home needs building regulations approval. Its design must be coordinated across structure, fire safety, energy, ventilation and the other applicable requirements; a planning drawing is not the complete technical submission. [2]
The Future Homes Standard takes effect from 24 March 2027 for new dwellings, subject to transitional provisions, with a separate date for higher-risk building work. Planning approval before that date does not by itself secure the earlier energy rules. The building control submission and commencement conditions are what need checking. [8]
For higher-risk building work, the relevant Future Homes and Buildings Standards provisions commence on 24 September 2027, with separate application-based transitional arrangements. This is a different timetable from the general 24 March 2027 commencement. [8]
Confirm VAT before deciding what to retain
HMRC's definition of constructing a new building is more specific than calling a project a “rebuild”. Its guidance generally requires demolition to ground level, while allowing specified retained features, including certain below-ground elements, and particular façade-retention circumstances. The exact scope matters to zero rating. [3]
Do not decide to retain a wall solely on an assumed tax saving. Have the proposed retention and contractual arrangements checked before pricing the work. Separate professional services and building work can have different VAT treatment. [3]
Assemble a coordinated starting pack
Keep the demolition and replacement approvals, approved drawings, relevant survey findings, building control documents and agreed tax assumptions together. For a London site, distinguish the adopted design requirements from the replacement London Plan and small-site code, both still in draft when checked. [1] [2] [9] [10]