Enabling works contractors
Enabling Works Contractors in London & the South East
Enabling works are the preparatory works that make a site safe, accessible and ready before demolition or the main construction starts. They typically include site set-up and hoarding, temporary access, isolating and disconnecting existing services, temporary works and clearing obstructions. Done properly, they let the main contractor start on time.
- No lost weeks at the startSite ready when the main contractor arrives
- Safe, secure set-upAccess, hoarding & services first
- Delivered in-houseOne contractor, one programme
- Packages from £2,500Fixed price after a free survey
Main contractor due on site soon? We survey the site, agree an enabling package and give you a fixed-price quotation. We reply to every enquiry within 24 hours.
Request a Free Site SurveyEnabling works explained
What Are Enabling Works?
Enabling works sit between the decision to build and the start of the main build. Before a demolition contractor or main contractor can work efficiently, the site has to be secured, accessible and free of live services and obstructions. Enabling works deliver exactly that.
The term covers a package rather than a single task, and the package is shaped by the site. On a cleared plot it might be little more than hoarding and an access point. On a constrained urban site it can involve temporary access arrangements, isolating several services, temporary works to support adjoining structures and removing obstructions above and below ground.
Getting this stage right protects the programme. Delays at the very start of a project, such as a live service discovered late or a site that cannot take deliveries, tend to ripple through every trade that follows. Enabling works are where those problems are found and solved first.
When you need them
When Are Enabling Works Needed?
Most projects need some enabling works. The scale varies with the site.
Before demolition
Services must be isolated and disconnected, the site secured and access arranged before any structure is taken down.
Before a new build
A cleared site still needs to be set up for the main contractor, with hoarding, access and any remaining obstructions removed.
Before a major refurbishment
Enabling works prepare the building and its surroundings so strip-out and construction trades can work safely and efficiently.
On constrained or occupied sites
Where neighbours, public footpaths or occupied parts of a building are close by, enabling works set up the protection and access arrangements that let the project proceed without disruption.
What's included
What an Enabling Works Package Can Include
Every package is agreed with you after the site survey. Most draw on four types of work.
Site set-up and hoarding
Securing the site perimeter with hoarding or fencing and controlled access, so the public is kept out and the site is ready for plant and people.
Temporary access
Access points and routes for plant, deliveries and waste removal, planned around the street, the neighbours and any working-hour restrictions.
Services isolation and disconnection
Identifying live services and arranging their isolation and disconnection with the utility providers and appropriately qualified trades, so later works can proceed safely.
Temporary works
Propping and support to keep structures stable while work goes on around them, installed by our own team to the approved temporary works design. The HSE's guidance on temporary works explains why this stage needs proper planning and control.
Where obstructions such as redundant structures, slabs or debris stand in the way, removing them is part of the package as well.
The sequence
How Enabling Works Fit With Demolition and Construction
Enabling works are the first link in a chain. A typical redevelopment runs in this order:
- Enabling works to set up the site and make it safe
- A soft strip to clear the building's interior
- Demolition of the structure
- Clearance of what remains
- Groundworks to prepare the ground for the new build
Because we carry out enabling works, soft strip and clearance in-house and offer demolition and groundworks too, the whole sequence can be planned as one programme by one contractor. There are fewer hand-overs between firms, and the information gathered at the enabling stage, such as service locations, access constraints and temporary works, carries straight through to the work that follows.
How it works
Our Enabling Works Process
Survey & package scope
We visit, review drawings and existing information, identify services, access constraints and adjoining structures, and agree the enabling package with you before preparing a fixed-price quotation.
Programme & RAMS
We plan the sequence around your main programme and prepare risk assessments and method statements under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015.
Set-up & isolations
The site is secured, temporary access is established and services are isolated and disconnected in the planned order.
Temporary works & hand-over
Temporary works are installed and checked, obstructions are removed, and the site is handed over ready for the next stage.
Ready to get started?
Main Contractor Due on Site Soon?
Tell us your programme and we'll scope an enabling package that gets the site ready in time.
Free site survey · Fixed-price package · Temporary works installed in-house
Why choose us
Why Choose Us for Enabling Works
One contractor from enabling to a clear site
Enabling works, soft strip and clearance are all carried out in-house, with demolition and groundworks available as part of the same programme.
We install temporary works ourselves
Propping and support are installed by our own team to the approved design, not passed to another subcontractor.
Programme-first planning
Packages are scoped around when your main contractor needs the site, so set-up and isolations happen in the right order.
Fast mobilisation
Once the scope is agreed, local projects can often start within a few days, subject to programme and any utility arrangements.
We work to CDM 2015 with RAMS on every job, hold £10m public liability and employers' liability insurance, and our operatives are CSCS and CCDO trained.
Client testimonials
What Our Clients Say About Our Work
Google reviews
4.9/5
45+ reviews
Feedback from clients on demolition, strip out and site preparation projects.
“The Strip and Clear guys sorted our soft strip out in Surrey. Came in, stripped the office back to shell, took all the waste away and left it tidy. No messing about. Would use them again.”
James TCommercial Soft Strip “Used Strip & Clear for the demo and site clearance on a job in London. Lads turned up on time, cracked on with the strip and knock down, and got the site cleared properly with the transfer notes sorted. No drama. Good crew.”
Dave M, Site ManagerDemolition & Site Clearance “Strip & Clear Services Ltd handled the dig out and groundworks for us on a site in Kent. Professional team, clear communication and the ground was prepared exactly as agreed. Happy to recommend.”
Sarah Collins, Apex DevelopmentsDig Out & Groundworks
Cost
How Much Do Enabling Works Cost?
Enabling works are priced per project as a package, typically from £2,500 to £15,000 or more. The package covers the set-up and preparation works agreed for your site. Where it sits in that range depends mainly on the extent of hoarding needed, temporary access arrangements, the number of services to isolate, any temporary works and the length of the programme.
These are 2026 guide prices for London and Surrey, excluding VAT. Your fixed price follows a free site survey, and our price guide covers every service.
Frequently asked questions
Enabling Works FAQs
What is the difference between enabling works and groundworks?
Who disconnects the existing services?
Do you install temporary works?
How much do enabling works cost?
How early should enabling works be planned?
Still have questions about your project?
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Get Your Site Ready for the Main Build
Whether it is a cleared plot or a constrained city-centre site, a well-planned enabling package means the main contractor starts on time and on a safe site. Tell us about your project and programme, attach any drawings, and we will arrange a free survey and a fixed-price quotation.
020 8914 7838Speak directly to our team · Mon–Fri 09:00–17:00
- Safety-first, CDM 2015 compliant
- 24-hour quote response
- Fixed price after a free site survey
Prefer email? Send details or large drawings to hello@stripandclearservices.co.uk.