Demolition advice

You need consent to demolish listed buildings, structures and scheduled historic monuments. In conservation areas and areas of townscape or village character, you need consent to demolish any building. If demolition of buildings or other structures won't affect an historic environment, you don't need consent.

Demolition control

Depending on the type of building, monument or structure, the council or Historic Environment Division (HED) is responsible for controlling demolition.

Where demolition is controlled, if you demolish a heritage asset without consent, the council or HED can take enforcement action against you.

It is a criminal offence to demolish certain assets. If you're prosecuted and convicted, this could lead to a fine, imprisonment or both.

Council consent

Before you do any work on a building including demolition, ask the planning office in the local council if you need their consent.

Planning offices in Northern Ireland

Listed buildings

You cannot demolish, alter or extend a listed building without listed building consent from the council. You need to apply for and receive consent before any demolition. To find out if a building is listed, check with the Historic Environment Division.

Sometimes, a terrace of buildings is listed, not an individual house or address on a street.

Buildings database

You can download a listed building consent application form or ask the council's planning office for a form.

Listed Building Consent form

Buildings in conservation areas

You cannot demolish an unlisted building in a conservation area without Conservation Area Consent from the council. You need to apply for and receive consent before any demolition. To find out if a building is in a conservation area, ask the planning office in the local council.

You can download a conservation area consent application form or ask the council's planning office for a form.

Conservation Area Consent form

Buildings in areas of townscape or village character

To demolish an unlisted building in an area of townscape or village character, you need planning permission from the council. To check if you need planning permission, ask the planning office in the local council. They can tell you if the building is in an area of townscape character or area of village character.

You can ask the local council's planning office for a form.

Planning offices in Northern Ireland

Works to scheduled historic monuments

It is an offence to do unauthorised works on a Scheduled Historic Monument. Before you do any works on or near a Scheduled Monument, you must apply for Scheduled Monument Consent from the Historic Environment Division.

You could be fined if you're convicted of doing works without consent.
For advice about Scheduled Monument Consent, contact Historic Environment Division:

telephone: 028 9054 3145
email: Historicenvironmentenquiries@communities-ni.gov.uk
general enquiries: 028 9082 3177/028 9082 3126
listing enquiries: 028 9056 9281

State Care Monuments

general enquiries: 028 9082 3207
email: scmenquiries@communities-ni.gov.uk

Gates, walls, fences and other enclosures

You need Listed Building Consent from the council if you want to demolish any unfixed or fixed structure to a listed building if this was part of the land before 1 October 1973.

In a conservation area, area of townscape character or area of village character, you need planning permission from the council to demolish a gate, fence, wall or other enclosure:

one metre or higher next to a road or public open space
two metres or higher in any other case

Help improve this page - send your feedback

What do you want to do?

report a problem

leave feedback

ask a question

Report a problem

Which problem did you find on this page? (Tick all that apply)

A link, button or video is not working

There is a spelling mistake

Information is missing, outdated or wrong

I can't find what I'm looking for

Another issue

You will not receive a reply. We will consider your feedback to help improve the site.

Don't include any personal or financial information, for example National Insurance, credit card numbers, or phone numbers.

Tell us more about the problem you're having with the nidirect website.

Enter your feedback

What is your question about?

Choose a topic for your question:

What to do next

Comments or queries about angling can be emailed to anglingcorrespondence@daera-ni.gov.uk

If you have a comment or query about benefits, you will need to contact the government department or agency which handles that benefit. Contacts for common benefits are listed below.

Employment and Support Allowance

Call 0800 587 1377

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Contact your local Jobs & Benefits office

Personal Independence Payment

Call 0800 587 0932

If your query is about another benefit, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

Comments or queries about the Blue Badge scheme can be emailed to bluebadges@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk or you can also call 0300 200 7818.

For queries or advice about careers, contact the Careers Service.

For queries or advice about Child Maintenance, contact the Child Maintenance Service.

For queries or advice about claiming compensation due to a road problem, contact DFI Roads claim unit.

If you can’t find the information you’re looking for in the Coronavirus (COVID-19) section, then for queries about:

Restrictions or regulations — contact the Department of Health
Travel advice (including self-isolation) — contact the Department of Health
Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccinations — contact the Department of Health or Public Health Agency

If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk and for queries about your certificate, email covidcertni@hscni.net.

For queries or advice about criminal record checks, email ani@accessni.gov.uk

Application and payment queries can be emailed to ema_ni@slc.co.uk

For queries or advice about employment rights, contact the Labour Relations Agency.

For queries or advice about birth, death, marriage and civil partnership certificates and research, contact the General Register Office Northern Ireland (GRONI) by email gro_nisra@finance-ni.gov.uk

For queries about the High Street Spend Local Scheme, email HSSS.mail@economy-ni.gov.uk.

For queries about:

Car tax, vehicle registration and SORN
contact the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Swansea
Driver licensing and tests, MOT and vehicle testing
contact the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA), Northern Ireland

If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk.

For queries or advice about passports, contact HM Passport Office.

For queries or advice about Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs), including parking tickets and bus lane PCNs, email dcu@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk

For queries or advice about pensions, contact the Northern Ireland Pension Centre.

If you wish to report a problem with a road or street you can do so online in this section.

If you wish to check on a problem or fault you have already reported, contact DfI Roads.

For queries or advice about historical, social or cultural records relating to Northern Ireland, use the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) enquiry service.

For queries or advice about rates, email LPSCustomerTeam@lpsni.gov.uk

For queries or advice about 60+ and Senior Citizen SmartPasses (which can be used to get concessionary travel on public transport), contact Smartpass - Translink.

If you have a question about a government service or policy, you should contact the relevant government organisation directly. We don't have access to information about you.

Extra comments (optional)