Drone Surveys in City of London

Scaffold-free aerial roof, land, topographic and building surveys across City of London — flown in line with CAA regulations and the UK Drone Code, with a plain-English report usually within a few days.

The buildings and sites we survey in City of London

City building stock is commercial almost throughout. The Barbican and Golden Lane estates, listed and within their own conservation area designated in 2018, bring board-marked concrete, podium decks, terraces and flat asphalt roofs. Smithfield and the surrounding conservation area add Victorian market ironwork, brick warehousing and Portland stone. From Bishopsgate through Leadenhall and Fenchurch Street the stock is towers — glazed and panelled curtain walling, atria, crown plant and heavily controlled roof access. Between them sit post-war and 1980s offices with flat membrane roofs, parapet gutters and rooftop plant. Residential is a small minority of the total.

Can anyone fly a drone in the City of London?

We assess each City of London site individually before confirming a drone survey. We review access, people and activity nearby, current airspace information and the operating limits that apply to the proposed work. Any required permissions must be obtained, and suitable weather is needed on the day. We confirm feasibility and the scope we can capture before booking; if the flight cannot be carried out safely and lawfully, we discuss an alternative or decline the work.

How do you survey a building taller than the 120m height limit?

The Drone Code sets a general 120m ceiling, but where a structure is over 105m tall and the organisation responsible for it asks for a task related to that structure, flight up to 15m above it is permitted provided the aircraft stays within 50m of the structure. That is the legal basis for City tower flights, and it requires the building owner or manager to be the instructing party, not a third party with an interest. We confirm any individual tower job against our authorisation and insurance before committing to it.

Is a drone survey a substitute for rope access or a cradle inspection?

Not a substitute — a first step. A drone pass records the whole building envelope quickly, shows you where the sealant failure, cracked panel or blocked outlet actually is, and lets you deploy rope access or a cradle to the two or three locations that need touching rather than working the entire facade blind. On a City tower that is where the money and the programme time are saved.

Can you work at weekends or outside office hours?

The City empties at weekends, which usually makes separation from uninvolved people far easier and is often the right time to fly a facade over what is normally a crowded pavement. Whether we can depends on the NATS approval, the building's own access arrangements and available daylight. Anything requiring flight at night would need to be confirmed against our authorisation first — we do not assume it.