Pre-demolition Audits in Westminster.
Audit, Passport & Exchange.
Pre-demolition and pre-redevelopment audits across Westminster, giving planning teams the Circular Economy Statement and whole-life carbon evidence the GLA and the council expect before demolition begins.
Pre-redevelopment Audit.
Independently verified analysis of the potential to retain or adapt existing assets before demolition.
- Retention and adaptation feasibility
- Supports the GLA Circular Economy Statement
- Whole-life carbon inputs for planning
- RIBA Stages 0–1
Pre-demolition Audit.
A detailed pre-deconstruction survey, cataloguing all materials on site with embodied carbon data and reuse suitability before demolition begins.
- Component-level material inventory
- Embodied carbon and waste codes
- Reuse suitability for every item
- BREEAM V7 compliant
Pre-refurbishment Audit.
A survey before refurbishment and strip-out, with reuse, resale and recycling pathways for each item.
- Fit-out and FF&E due for removal
- Reuse, resale and recycling pathways
- Timed around your strip-out programme
- RIBA Stage 5
Material Reclamation Audit.
Maps materials scheduled for removal, assesses reuse potential, and creates a plan to divert them from landfill.
- High-value reclaimable items identified
- Diversion plan away from landfill
- Brokerage to registered Trade Partners
- Tracking through to exchange
Extended Resources Inventory.
The four-credit level of BREEAM In-Use RSC03: an inventory with financial value, maintenance guidance and reuse strategies.
- Current financial value per material
- Maintenance guidance
- Reuse strategies for the building
- Treats the building as a material bank
Case Studies by Type
Audit to Action.
Every audit is a live inventory. Use it to catalogue, manage exchange and track your materials. Material Index offers follow-on services to broker your materials to registered Trade Partners before strip-out or deconstruction begins.
Audit
Qualified auditors catalogue every component on site using our audit app.
Collaborate
The project team reviews the inventory together on the MI platform and decides what to retain, reuse or sell.
Exchange
We broker materials to registered Trade Partners through the marketplace, with full tracking and reporting.
Audits in Westminster.
Audits across Westminster.
Material Index carries out pre-demolition, pre-redevelopment and reclamation audits across the City of Westminster, from Mayfair, Soho and Marylebone to Victoria, Pimlico and Paddington. Our auditors survey each building before strip-out, photograph and log every material, and our platform assigns each item a pathway: retain, reuse on-site, reuse off-site, recycle, or waste as a last resort.
The result is a structured asset register your design team, demolition contractor and sustainability consultant can all work from, delivered fast so it informs the programme rather than arriving too late to act on.
Westminster and GLA circular economy policy.
Westminster's Retrofit First policy (City Plan Policy 43, with supplementary guidance published in August 2025) sets the evidence by how much of a building is demolished. Demolishing more than 10% of its floor area (GIA) calls for a Circular Economy Statement with a deconstruction audit, Westminster's name for a pre-demolition audit. It is submitted with the application, updated before deconstruction starts and finalised within three months of it finishing. Demolishing more than half calls for a pre-redevelopment audit that works through four tests in order: structural soundness, requirements of use, whole life carbon and public benefits.
The council also suggests targets: 25% of the materials identified in the deconstruction audit reused, 50% of materials with digital material passports, and 20% recycled content in new build elements. Schemes referable to the Mayor submit the GLA's Circular Economy Statement and Whole Life-Cycle Carbon assessment, under London Plan Policies SI 7 and SI 2, as well.
Westminster's Georgian and Victorian stock, mansion blocks and prestige commercial buildings hold high-value reusable material, from stone and joinery to quality fixtures and fittings. We identify it early enough to be resold before demolition, and connect it to buyers through the Material Index marketplace and trade partner network.
Delivered by Experts.
Morgan Lewis
Director, CEO (BA Arch.) (Cantab)
Morgan oversees the Material Index team, after seven years as a practising architect across restoration, off-site construction and academia, running projects from RIBA Stage 0 to completion and leading multidisciplinary teams.
Hanah Humphrey
Audit Co-Lead (MArch.)
Hanah co-leads our audit team. Trained in architecture at Bath and the London School of Architecture, she has worked in joinery and artwork conservation and on housing, civic and conservation projects, and brings a close eye for materials.
Finlay Swain
Audit Co-Lead (MEng, MArch)
Fin co-leads our audit team. He studied Architecture and Environmental Design at Nottingham and the London School of Architecture, has worked on residential, office and retail projects, and focuses on material use and its environmental impact.
Audit Enquiry.
Tell us about your project and we will come back with a scope and a fee proposal.
It helps to include:
- The site address and approximate floor area (GIA)
- The audit you need, or the planning, BREEAM or GLA requirement it is for
- Your programme: when you need the report, and when strip-out or demolition starts
- Any drawings, asbestos surveys or previous audits of the building
We have completed over 250 audits across the UK, to BREEAM, GLA and LEED requirements. We aim to respond the same day, or within 24 hours, and can be on site within 5 days.
Areas Material Index covers.
We cover the whole of the UK. Read how we meet compliance in specific regions, or get in touch to start your project.
FAQ.
What is a pre-demolition audit?
A pre-demolition audit (PDA) is a survey conducted prior to deconstruction, refurbishment, or demolition by independent specialists. It catalogues all materials on site with quantities, condition, embodied carbon data, and reuse potential. Required for BREEAM Wst01 credits and GLA Circular Economy Statements.
When do I need a pre-demolition audit?
A PDA is required for GLA Circular Economy Statements at the pre-application stage, and for BREEAM Wst01 credits at Concept Design Stage (RIBA Stage 2). Material Index can get to site within 5 days and deliver a report within a week.
What is the difference between a PDA, MRA, and PRDA?
A PDA (Pre-demolition Audit) is a comprehensive survey before demolition. An MRA (Material Reclamation Audit) is a faster, cost-effective survey focusing on materials most likely to be reused. A PRDA (Pre-redevelopment Audit) is conducted at pre-application stage to assess retention potential of existing buildings for planning submissions.
How quickly can Material Index complete an audit?
Material Index can get to site within 5 days. A typical office floor MRA can be completed in a few hours with instant digital access. Full PDA reports are delivered within a week of site visit.
How much does a pre-demolition audit cost?
Fees depend on the floor area (GIA), the type of building and the programme. Send us the site address, the approximate GIA and when you need the report, and we will come back with a scope and fee proposal. We aim to respond the same day, or within 24 hours.
Is a pre-demolition audit required for BREEAM?
Yes. Under BREEAM New Construction, Wst 01 Construction Waste Management awards a credit for a pre-demolition audit carried out at Concept Design (RIBA Stage 2). The same audit also contributes to Wst 01's resource efficiency and diversion from landfill credits, and to responsible sourcing under Mat 03.
What is a GLA Circular Economy Statement?
GLA-referable schemes in London must submit a Circular Economy Statement under London Plan Policy SI 7 (GLA guidance (opens in new tab)), showing how materials from demolition will be reused or recycled and how the new building will reduce waste. A pre-redevelopment audit tests whether existing buildings can be retained, and a pre-demolition audit sets reuse and recycling targets, including the 95% target for construction and demolition waste.
What does a pre-demolition audit report include?
A full asset register of the materials and components on site, with quantities, condition and embodied carbon. Each item is given a pathway in line with the waste hierarchy: retain, reuse on site, reuse off site, or recycle. The report sets reuse and diversion from landfill targets and gives recommendations, and the project team also gets live access to the audit on the Material Index platform.
Do you carry out audits outside London?
Yes. Our independent, qualified auditors have completed over 250 audits across the UK, from central London offices to schools, hospitals, museums and industrial sites. See the areas we cover and our case studies. For projects in Spain, the USA and Australia we can connect you with Material Index auditors in those regions.
What happens to the materials after the audit?
Reusable items can be listed straight to our marketplace, where we broker them to a network of over 300 registered Trade Partners and coordinate collection with the strip-out programme. Every item leaving site is tracked with a Goods Transfer Note, and materials that cannot be reused are routed down the waste hierarchy to recycling.