Buying a house to demolish

[HexBramble]

Is this allowed?

Could you by a house, then flatten it for your own purpose? Is there some sort of regulation that states that you cannot do this?

I think they would probably need planning permission - which might depend on what they want to use the site for

As long as its not grade listed, yes you can buy and flattern afaik. but to rebuild something else in its place would require planning permission.

DH are toying with the dea of one day buying his Dad's home - it's been in the family for about a century. It would need work on it, extending and remodelling etc, but a house next door to it (both detached) has just been out up for auction and I have this dream of buying it, flattening it, and having more space to do what I would like to do to. The most we would build on it would be a garage ( it's a bungalow and seperate garage at the moment) and the rest would be land and a driveway.

I've just done some googling and found this on the government planning portal:

In most cases you will not need to apply for planning permission to knock down a building, unless the council has made an article 4 direction restricting the permitted development rights that apply to demolition.

If you decide to demolish a building, even one which has suffered fire or storm damage, it does not automatically follow that you will get planning permission to build any replacement structure or to change the use of the site.

Where demolition of any kind of building is proposed, the council may wish to agree the details of how you intend to carry out the demolition and how you propose to restore the site afterwards.

You will need to apply for a formal decision on whether the council wishes to approve these details before you start demolition. This is what is called a "prior approval application" and your council will be able to explain what it involves.

Don't know if this is relevant but near me, a house has been virtually demolished just leaving about one quarter intact, and now a lovely new house has built around it which includes the intact part. Perhaps this is a way of getting round planning permission or such like. Worth investigating at least.

you'd need planning permission for a change of use if you were to use the land as garden rather than housing.

Very common - called a 'knocker' round here. Done it myself.

Check with council it's not listed or any tree preservation orders or anything first, and you will need planning permission and building regs etc for whatever you want to put on the site.

I'm surprised purple I was under the impression that with housing pressures being what they are Local Authorities would not be minded to reduce the overall number of dwellings in an area

My grandparents house, 2 bed bungalow, with a 1/3 of an acre plus garden, is no more. It was demolished and replaced with a large family house far more in keeping with the size of the plot.

I'm sort of , but it makes sense, there is a two storey house next door. Also the whole row of houses are basically in green belt land, so I suspect the council is much happier with a single family home than people trying to put infill closely packed little houses in the gardens along that road.

It's a very expensive way of enlarging your plot if you aren't planning to build on it.

(But yes, is doable subject to relevant planning permissions)

Thanks loads everyone. You've all given me and DH something to think about.

Buying this land would mean that we would be able to do an extension on his Dad's home. This potential extension would sit on the current driveway, and we could use the land where this other house site, as our new drive entrance and garage. At the very most, we would have a garage with utility attached. I think I need to do a checklist of what you have all written, and start from there.

Thanks again!