Rayleigh's residential stock leans heavily suburban, with detached and semi-detached homes across the western side of town toward Down Hall Park Way, bungalows running along Hockley Road and Bull Lane, and pockets of older terraces closer to the High Street. The most common airspace project here is a single-storey home or bungalow raised to two storeys, with side-and-up extensions on semis making up most of the rest. A smaller volume of rooftop work comes forward on the older residential blocks closer to the station. Our Essex team covers Rayleigh alongside Wickford, Hockley, and the wider Rochford District.
The practice is RICS regulated and the surveyors carry over 30 years of combined experience on residential extension and rooftop schemes. Daylight and sunlight reports typically accompany the planning submission to Rochford District Council.
As well as providing daylight, sunlight and rights of light advice, our role would be to make contact with the occupants of the existing building to establish any concerns regarding the development. We will work closely with the professional team to identify the initial questions and look at how these can be addressed.
It is our experience that maintaining the same point of contact for the duration of the project offers the existing occupants’ reassurance and continuity.
The scope adapts to the project type. For a homeowner-led upward extension on a bungalow or single-storey house, the focus is the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 position, the rights of light risk on adjoining homes, and protection of the existing structure while the new storey is built.
Where a developer is adding flats above an existing residential block, the existing occupants liaison role takes centre stage. We make initial contact with each leaseholder below the proposed units, attend meetings to discuss concerns, prepare Schedules of Condition for the flats directly below, and act as the named point of contact through construction. Practical site issues, parking, deliveries, scaffolding, access, get handled as they arise, with party wall services running on the building itself.
Airspace work in Rayleigh typically sits alongside daylight and sunlight, rights of light, and party wall workstreams on the same scheme. The same surveyor stays on the project from instruction to completion, and calls are answered by a qualified surveyor rather than a call centre.
Over the past four years, CHP have worked very successfully with us in their capacity as party wall surveyors. Through his calm, sensible approach and excellent communication skills James Crowley, in particular, gained the trust and confidence of the entire team and stakeholders. Looking forward to working with CHP again.”
- Clare Goggin, Jackson Coles
Airspace schemes carry more risk than a typical extension because the building below is occupied and the work happens at height. A dedicated surveyor takes the relationship with the existing residents off the developer's plate, reduces the chance of disputes becoming claims, and gives the project a single point of contact for the residents to raise concerns with.
On a well-run scheme, the Schedule of Condition removes most arguments about damage before they start, occupant concerns get raised and resolved during construction rather than after, and the project completes to programme. Planning sits with Rochford District Council, and a free initial assessment covers the most likely route on a given site along with the supporting workstreams that will run alongside the airspace work.
Get in touch.
Head Office
2-6 Boundary Row
London, SE1 8HP
Essex Office
2-6 Boundary Row
London, SE1 8HP
020 3714 4090
Get in touch.
Head Office
2-6 Boundary Row
London, SE1 8HP
Essex Office
2nd Floor, 10 High Street
Wickford, Essex
SS12 9AZ
020 3714 4090
enquiries@chpsurveyors.com
