Parking suspensions and crane access

Why the crane is the critical day

Everything made in the factory waits for the lift. If the parking suspension is not in place, a car is still in the bay, or the crane cannot set up its outriggers, the lorry goes back and the day is lost. Most of the planning for a modular extension in London is really planning for those few hours.

The builder normally organises the crane, the parking suspension and any road closure. Your job is to know what is involved, check that the price includes it, and talk to the neighbours early.

Parking suspensions

A parking suspension takes pay-and-display, resident or shared bays out of use for named dates. The borough puts up signs in advance, and cars left in the bays can be moved. A crane and a delivery lorry usually need two to four bays, depending on the size of the crane and where the lorry stands.

• Apply to the borough that runs the street, not the one you live in if you are on a boundary road.
• Allow several weeks: boroughs set a minimum notice period, and signs must go up before the date.
• Charges are per bay per day and differ widely across London. Lambeth and Kensington and Chelsea, for example, publish theirs.
• Book a spare day. If the weather stops the lift, a second day is cheaper than a new application.

Road closures and red routes

On a narrow street, the crane’s outriggers may fill the road. Then the borough has to close it, or part of it, under a temporary traffic order, which needs more notice than a suspension and often a traffic management plan. Expect this on the tight two-way streets common in Victorian terraced neighbourhoods.

Red routes, the main roads marked with red lines, are managed by Transport for London. If the house fronts one, the request goes to TfL and stopping rules are stricter, so the lift may have to happen outside the busy hours.

On the day

Every lift is planned by an appointed person under the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER), who sets the crane size, the outrigger positions and the path of the load. A crane supervisor and a slinger run it on site. The modules or panels go over the roof ridge and down into the garden, where the crew guides them onto the foundations.

Tell neighbours on both sides the date and time. The load may pass over their roofs, and their cars may be in the suspended bays.

Street checks worth asking for

• Cellars under the pavement. Many London houses have coal vaults below the pavement. Outrigger pads must not sit on them.
• Trees. Street trees limit where the jib can swing and are protected; the council’s tree officer may need to agree any pruning.
• Reach. The further the garden is from the kerb, the bigger the crane. A long back garden, a deep house or a basement light well in front all add reach.
• Slope and camber. Hilly streets need more packing under the outriggers and sometimes a different crane position.