Drone surveys across North West England.
Aerial overviews of developments, roof and structure inspections and progress monitoring across Cheshire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Cumbria. Captured from the ground, with nobody working at height.
Based in the North West
We are based in the North West of England and cover the whole region: Cheshire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Cumbria. Sites further afield can be arranged.
Built for development overviews
Whole-site perspectives that ground photography cannot give. Progress against programme, logistics and laydown, access routes, and clear imagery for clients, funders and design teams.
Work at height, eliminated
Roofs, stacks, tanks and facades inspected from the ground. No scaffold, tower or MEWP to plan, hire or dismantle, and nobody exposed to a fall.
What we survey
From a whole development to a single roof, the brief decides the flight. These are the surveys we are asked for most.
Development & construction overviews
Regular captures of the whole site to record progress against programme, check logistics and laydown, and brief clients, funders and design teams.
Roof & facade inspections
Condition surveys of roofs, gutters, cladding, rooflights and high-level services without scaffold, towers or mobile elevating work platforms.
Pre-demolition & decommissioning surveys
Aerial records of redundant plant, structures and stacks to inform demolition sequencing, isolation strategies and method statements.
Industrial plant & tank inspections
External condition of tanks, silos, stacks, pipe bridges and structural steel on operational sites, subject to airspace and site rules.
Site & land overviews
Stitched top-down site plans showing boundaries, access, laydown areas and constraints. Ideal for pre-construction information and tender packs.
Progress & asset monitoring
Repeat visits from consistent positions to build a time-series record for asset owners, facilities managers and project teams.
Take the inspection off the ladder.
Every roof walk, scaffold lift and MEWP hire puts someone at height, and falls from height remain the leading cause of fatal injury to workers in Great Britain.
A drone survey moves inspection and record-keeping to the top of the hierarchy of control: the work at height is avoided altogether. The crew stays on the ground, the site keeps running, and there is no scaffold, tower or platform to plan, hire or dismantle.
- Flights planned and flown in line with UK Civil Aviation Authority requirements
- Site-specific risk assessment and method statement for every survey
- Coordinated with site permit-to-work, isolation and safety arrangements
- Imagery and data handled under our confidentiality policy and returned on completion
Work at Height Regulations 2005
Hierarchy of control
- 01AvoidA drone survey sits here
Avoid work at height wherever it is reasonably practicable to do so.
- 02Prevent
Where it cannot be avoided, prevent falls using an existing safe place of work or suitable equipment.
- 03Minimise
Where the risk cannot be eliminated, minimise the distance and consequences of a fall.
What you receive
Every survey is scoped around what you need to see, and what you need to prove.
High-resolution aerial stills
Oblique and top-down photography of the site, structure or asset, selected and edited for clarity.
High-definition video flyovers
Orbits, flyovers and walk-arounds that give stakeholders a clear sense of scale, sequence and context.
Stitched site plans
Top-down imagery stitched into a single site plan for logistics, planning and pre-construction information.
Annotated inspection reports
Imagery marked up with findings, locations and recommended actions, written in plain language.
Like-for-like progress comparisons
Repeat captures from the same positions so progress can be compared month on month.
3D model & point cloud integration
Aerial imagery combined with laser scanning to produce 3D models of structures, plant and inaccessible areas.
How a survey runs
Brief & scoping
We agree objectives, outputs and any site constraints, and confirm the survey is feasible for the location and airspace.
Flight planning
Airspace checks, a site-specific risk assessment and method statement, and coordination with your permit and safety arrangements.
On-site capture
A ground-based crew flies the planned survey from a controlled take-off and landing area. Nobody leaves the ground.
Processing & delivery
Imagery is reviewed, stitched and annotated, then issued electronically with a written summary where required.
Where we fly
We are based in the North West of England and cover the whole region, from the Cheshire border to the Scottish border.
Sites outside the North West can be arranged. SELA Engineering works across the United Kingdom and the European mainland.
Cheshire
Warrington, Chester, Crewe, Runcorn, Widnes, Ellesmere Port, Macclesfield, Northwich
Merseyside
Liverpool, St Helens, Wirral, Knowsley, Southport, Bootle
Greater Manchester
Manchester, Salford, Bolton, Wigan, Stockport, Trafford, Oldham, Rochdale
Lancashire
Preston, Blackburn, Blackpool, Lancaster, Burnley, Chorley
Cumbria
Carlisle, Barrow-in-Furness, Kendal, Workington, Whitehaven, Penrith
Drone survey questions
We cover the whole of North West England: Cheshire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Cumbria, including Manchester, Liverpool, Warrington, Chester, Preston and Carlisle. Sites further afield can be arranged on request.
The inspection is carried out from the air while the crew stays on the ground. There is no need for scaffold, towers, mobile elevating work platforms or rope access, so nobody is exposed to a fall. Under the Work at Height Regulations 2005 this sits at the top of the hierarchy of control: the work at height is avoided altogether.
Whole-site overviews for progress reporting, logistics and laydown planning, access and traffic management, stakeholder and funder updates, planning submissions and marketing. Repeat visits from the same positions give a clear month-on-month record of progress.
Typically high-resolution stills, high-definition video, stitched site plans and, where required, an annotated report with findings and recommended actions. Outputs are agreed at the scoping stage and issued electronically.
In many cases, yes. Every flight is subject to airspace restrictions, site rules and a site-specific risk assessment, and we coordinate with your permit-to-work and safety arrangements. We confirm feasibility at the scoping stage before any site visit.
Yes. Aerial imagery can be combined with point cloud laser scanning to produce 3D models of structures, plant and areas that are difficult to reach from the ground. See our 3D modelling service for more detail.
That depends on the scope, the airspace at the site and the weather. Contact us with your site location and programme dates and we will confirm what is achievable.
Services that pair well with a survey
Book a drone survey
Tell us where the site is and what you need to see. We will confirm feasibility, scope the outputs and get back to you.