© 2025 News On The Block. All rights reserved.
News on the Block is a trading name of Premier Property Media Ltd.
© 2025 News On The Block. All rights reserved.
News on the Block is a trading name of Premier Property Media Ltd.
Chartered building surveying practice, Lc Building Consultants has launched a new unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) service, which uses drones to survey building elevations in real time.
Clients will be able to use the Ascent service in areas including those where access would otherwise prove difficult or prohibitively expensive. It provides a unique perspective for Condition Surveys, Dilapidation Surveys, Roof Surveys, Defect Inspections and Specification Compliance jobs, and is an alternative to existing access options such as scaffolding and cherry pickers. It also removes health and safety issues associated with people working at height.
The service utilises a cutting edge quad-copter, camera and gimbal system, and produces HD quality video at 60 frames per second, which can then be converted into stills.
Robert Barnes, the firm’s Senior Building Surveyor, has gained his remote pilot qualification and obtained approval from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to fly a UAV on a commercial basis. He is, to Lc Building Consultants’ knowledge, the first practising Chartered Building Surveyor to be given this approval.
Each flight will be planned in advance and will strictly adhere to the guidelines set out by the CAA, including rigorous pre-flight checks. Relevant notifications are also made to neighbourhoods where Ascent is being used.
Barnes said: “I’m delighted that Ascent is now live as it’s a pioneering solution that I think adds real value and choice – both in terms of its adaptability and cost.
“The popularity of UAVs has soared over the past 12 months but Ascent is not a toy; it’s a professional service so it was imperative that we launched it with the approval of the CAA. The examinations and flight assessment that I went through were tough but the process was worth it. I’m now looking forward to rolling Ascent out to clients across the UK.”