Refurbishment Asbestos Survey Leicester — inspect the exact fabric your project will disturb
Investigate the exact building fabric the project will disturb
A Refurbishment Survey is designed around the specific alteration or refurbishment boundary and may require destructive access to hidden areas.
Walls & partitions
Openings, linings, boxing, risers, cavities and structural interfaces affected by the design.
Floors & ceilings
Floor finishes, screeds, voids, suspended ceilings, textured coatings and hidden layers.
Services & plant
M&E routes, ducts, service penetrations, plant replacement and associated fire-protection materials.
Send drawings and the specification, not just the building address
HSE requires the survey type and scope to match the work. A red-line plan, room schedule or description of the elements being altered helps ensure the intrusive inspection covers the intended disturbance.
See HSE survey guidance and ASM's UK Refurbishment Survey page.
Useful pre-survey information
- marked plans
- scope of works
- M&E specification
- retained elements
- soft-strip sequence
- services and isolations
- existing reports
- access and occupation constraints
Survey before disturbance, then define the asbestos work
Define refurbishment
Confirm the exact work area and elements affected.
Survey intrusively
Investigate the relevant building fabric under controlled conditions.
Scope ACM actions
Define removal, protection or design changes before disturbance.
Release the work area
Provide clear asbestos information for the next controlled project stage.
The survey result should feed straight into the project plan
Use the findings to decide whether removal, further testing, analytical support or a design change is required.
Removal
Where ACMs conflict with the works, obtain a comparable project-specific removal scope.
Air monitoring / clearance
Analytical support may be needed around removal or licensed enclosures depending on the work.
One additional material
Targeted sampling can resolve a newly exposed suspect material where a wider resurvey is not required.
Unexpected disturbance
Stop work, restrict further disturbance and assess the material and contamination before relying on an air test alone.
Check the refurbishment report before releasing the works
Confirm the deliverables when agreeing the commission, then review the information against the actual property or work scope.
- The agreed red-line boundary and every relevant component or depth of intrusion.
- Findings linked to rooms, plans, photographs and sample results where taken.
- Restrictions or inaccessible areas requiring further controlled investigation.
- Information needed to plan asbestos removal or protection and to communicate remaining risks to the contractor.
If a location, quantity or assumption is unclear, resolve it before the relevant maintenance or construction stage. Keep reports and completion evidence together so the next contractor can understand what was assessed, what changed and what still needs attention.
Leicester refurbishment scopes: conversion, services and retained fabric
Factory-to-new-use projects
A conversion may remove internal finishes while retaining structural floors, walls and original features. Provide existing and proposed drawings, including penetrations and redundant service routes. A general description such as “conversion works” is not a sufficiently clear investigation boundary; the survey brief should show the fabric contractors will actually disturb.
Plant replacement and new services
A new ventilation system or electrical supply may run from a work area through stores, roof spaces or other occupied units. Include the complete route in the instruction and organise permissions and isolation through the responsible parties. Changes to the design after survey completion need checking against the inspected scope before installation.
Historic commercial premises
In older central Leicester buildings, later fit-outs can coexist with features intended for retention. Agree any permissions and a suitable approach to survey openings with the project advisers. Necessary inaccessible areas require further resolution before affected work; conservation or access constraints are not evidence that concealed construction contains no asbestos.
UKAS-accredited inspection and testing, with the scope kept clear
Asbestos Surveying and Monitoring Ltd holds UKAS accreditation number 32982 for defined inspection activities to ISO/IEC 17020 and testing activities to ISO/IEC 17025. The current schedules define the accredited activities and locations. Bulk asbestos identification is undertaken at the Sunderland laboratory.
Accreditation applies to the organisation and its defined activities. Asbestos removal, preparation of management plans, watching briefs and soil remediation are not described as UKAS-accredited work.
Check ASM’s current UKAS schedules (search 32982) ↗ · Sunderland laboratory and submission guidance
Specify the Leicester refurbishment disturbance
- Existing and proposed plans with all affected fabric marked.
- Complete service routes beyond the main room or unit.
- Permissions, vacancy, segregation and isolation arrangements.
- A process for resolving necessary inaccessible areas before works.
Cost and programme follow the agreed survey scope
For budgeting, use the Leicester asbestos survey cost guide and its clearly labelled national reference figures. The final quotation depends on the number of buildings and rooms, required intrusion, sampling, safe access, occupation and report requirements.
Tell ASM about a purchase deadline, contractor start date or phased project before booking. Agree site attendance and report delivery separately, together with what happens if access is unavailable or the work boundary changes. Removal, analytical attendance and reinstatement are separate services unless the quotation expressly includes them.
Leicester service coverage and enquiries
ASM coordinates Leicester enquiries and site attendance through its national team. Bulk sample analysis is undertaken at the Sunderland laboratory within the applicable accredited scope. Arrange attendance or sample submission before dispatching material.
ASM · Leicester service enquiries
Site attendance by prior arrangement. Send the property address, required service and target dates.
National enquiries
0330 433 9680
Monday–Friday · 08:00–18:00
Leicester and surrounding enquiries
Leicester city centre, St George’s, Belgrave, Highfields, Braunstone, Beaumont Leys, Evington and surrounding areas.
Provide the full postcode, property use and intended work. Scope, safe access, programme and attendance are agreed for the individual instruction.
Discuss Leicester projects in the city centre, Belgrave, Highfields, Evington, Aylestone, Knighton, Stoneygate, Humberstone and the West End. For surrounding locations such as Oadby, Wigston, Birstall, Thurmaston, Syston, Glenfield, Anstey and Leicester Forest East, provide the exact postcode and service required. These enquiries are assessed against scope, access and programme; the wider urban area is not the same as Leicester City Council’s boundary.
Leicester services connected to refurbishment
Move from pre-work inspection into sampling, removal, air monitoring or wider survey support depending on the findings.
Refurbishment Asbestos Survey Leicester FAQs
When do I need a Refurbishment Asbestos Survey?
Before intrusive refurbishment or alteration that could disturb asbestos hidden in building fabric, the asbestos information should be suitable for the exact work boundary.
Is a Management Survey enough for renovation?
Not automatically. Refurbishment can require more intrusive investigation of concealed materials.
Does the survey need to cover the whole building?
Only where the whole building is within the refurbishment scope. A project-specific survey can be limited to clearly defined work areas.
Can the survey involve destructive inspection?
Yes. Refurbishment Surveys can require destructive access to investigate concealed building elements affected by the planned work.
What happens if asbestos is identified?
The project team uses the findings to decide whether ACMs need removal, protection, design change or other controls before refurbishment proceeds.
Does a factory conversion need more than a management survey?
Usually the intrusive works require a suitable refurbishment survey of the affected fabric. Agree the retained and removed elements, service routes and investigation depth against the design, using existing records as supporting information.
What if the new electrical route crosses another Leicester tenant’s unit?
Include that part of the route in the scope assessment and obtain the necessary access arrangements. Do not rely on a report confined to the original unit to approve disturbance elsewhere.
Can I enquire about a site outside Leicester city?
Yes. Send the address and service required for a surrounding location such as Oadby, Wigston, Birstall, Thurmaston, Syston, Glenfield, Anstey or Leicester Forest East. ASM confirms attendance against scope, access and programme. The relevant council and permissions depend on the site address.
Send the work scope before the surveyor attends
Provide the address, drawings, marked work areas, specification, existing asbestos reports, access restrictions and programme. ASM can define the intrusive survey boundary and provide a written quotation.