From Your Local Experts

Whether you’re at the acquisition, feasibility, design, or construction stage, knowing exactly what’s underground is essential for safety, compliance, and avoiding costly delays.

Cornerstone Projects provides underground utility searches in Birmingham, delivering accurate and compliant utility mapping services for construction, engineering, and development projects. Our experienced surveyors carry out PAS 128 utility surveys in Birmingham, helping clients identify buried services safely, reduce risk, and avoid costly delays.

Whether you require underground utility mapping in Birmingham for pre-construction planning or full utility searches for construction, we tailor our surveys to suit your project requirements.

Our team takes care of the process for you: we liaise directly with all the relevant Birmingham utility providers and compile a clear, comprehensive pack of plans and data for your site. This gives you the accurate information you need to proceed with confidence.

We regularly carry out underground utility surveys across Birmingham and surrounding areas including Solihull, Wolverhampton, Dudley, Walsall, and the West Midlands. Our local knowledge ensures fast mobilisation and accurate results for commercial and infrastructure projects.

Get A Free Sample Pack

With our utility searches you will enjoy:

Free 24/7 instant quotes
24/7 online ordering
UK’s most comprehensive online utilities search
Fast response times

Professional pdf search reports
30-day payments on account
Free telephone support
Prices from £58+vat (plus disbursements)

Pricing

Our fee for this starts at £58.00 + VAT + disbursements per utility – we will confirm the cost with you by email before proceeding. The disbursements per search are typically £30 – £270 in total depending on the site location and your search requirements – the actual costs will be confirmed to you by email as soon as we process the enquiry. Searches over a large area (typically more than 200m x 200m) are not covered by our basic charge – we will confirm costs for these with you prior to proceeding with any searches.

We offer a full online solution that will take you less than 5 minutes to request a utility search. Simply register/login and provide the following information to place an order or receive a FREE quotation. The website will allow you to draw a site boundary using Google Maps

The website will allow you to double check you have the right location using Streetmap.
You have the option to attach a plan showing the marked area you wish to search.

Choose the search options you wish

Our basic search includes issuing plans as hard copies and .pdf files and this search covers gas, electric, water, sewer, BT and oil/gas pipelines.
There are further options for a more comprehensive search including searches for IU’s (Independent Utilities) and cable/fibre companies
We also offer a search to determine whether your site may be affected by historical mine workings. If it is, you will have the opportunity to purchase a Consultant’s report produced by the Coal Authority. Find out more about the search here.
You can also opt for a tailor-made search.
We also offer additional services such as utility connections quotes, disconnections/diversions quotes, capacity checks and Section 50 applications that you may wish to add to your order.
There are various help and information pages on the website form to explain the search options available.

Choose your payment options

Payment options are credit and debit card as well as 30 day “on account” payments.
By completing and submitting the website form, you will be provided with an estimated price on screen and the confirmed price will be emailed to you within 30 minutes.
If you have requested a quote only, we will wait for your approval before proceeding. On approval, we commence your search the very same working day.

PAS 128 Utility Surveys in Birmingham

Accurate, trustworthy reports are critical for ensuring the health and safety of workers and the public, as well as for preventing costly delays and disruptions. At Cornerstone Projects, we provide PAS 128 compliant utility searches — the current industry standard for underground utility detection, verification and location. Developed through a collaboration between the British Standards Institution (BSI) and the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), PAS 128 sets out a rigorous, consistent approach to mapping underground utilities. By complying with the PAS 128 specification, we ensure that the utility information we supply is accurate, reliable and consistent. This removes the element of uncertainty and interpretation often found in traditional utility searches and reduces the variable risk to contractors and project managers when referring to the data. PAS 128 defines four levels of survey category, each offering a different degree of detail and confidence:

PAS 128 Survey Category Type D – Desktop utility records search
PAS 128 Survey Category Type C – Site reconnaissance using visible utility features
PAS 128 Survey Category Type B – Detection using geophysical techniques
PAS 128 Survey Category Type A – Verification via safe excavation

By working to PAS 128 standards, Cornerstone Projects helps clients reduce risk, avoid unexpected underground hazards, and complete works safely and efficiently. To learn more about PAS 128 and what each survey type involves, please visit the official PAS 128 website.

What is a utility search?

A utility search is the process of locating and identifying underground services such as electricity cables, gas pipes, water mains, sewers, and telecoms. In Birmingham, where redevelopment, regeneration, and construction projects are ongoing across the city and the wider West Midlands region, this information is vital for safe and efficient project planning.

Why are utility searches important in Birmingham?

Birmingham has a complex network of underground utilities due to its long history of industrial and urban development. Utility searches help prevent accidents, costly delays, and unexpected repairs. By knowing the exact location of buried services, contractors working on projects in areas like Digbeth, Jewellery Quarter, or the city centre can avoid damaging them during excavation. This not only saves time and money but also helps keep workers and the public safe.

How much does a utility search cost in Birmingham?

The cost of a utility search varies depending on the size and location of the site, as well as the number of utility providers involved. Cornerstone Projects offers competitive rates for Birmingham projects, starting at just £58.00 + VAT (plus disbursements).

How long does a utility search take?

A basic search generally takes about 3-4 working days in Birmingham. For more complex or larger city-centre projects, we ensure all relevant providers are included for complete accuracy.

Why Choose Us?

With years of experience working across Birmingham and the wider West Midlands region, we’ve built strong relationships with local utility providers. This allows us to carry out underground utility searches quickly, accurately, and professionally — helping projects move forward without unnecessary delays.

We know that time is critical for developments in busy areas such as Birmingham City Centre, Edgbaston, and Aston, which is why we provide a single point of contact for all your utility surveying needs.

All results can be presented in the format that works best for your project, including detailed 2D AutoCAD drawings. These give you a clear, combined plan of all underground services on your London site, offering a complete overview before any work begins.

Our pricing for this service starts at just £58.00 + VAT (plus disbursements), and we’ll confirm the exact cost with you via email before proceeding.

For more information, download a free sample report today.

PAS 128 Compliant

We provide PAS 128 compliant searches, the industry standard for accuracy and reliability, reducing risk on your projects.

Fast & Efficient

Our streamlined online system and established relationships with utility companies ensure a fast, professional turnaround.

Single Point of Contact

Simplify your workflow. We manage all inquiries on your behalf, providing a single, expert point of contact for all your needs.

Local Stats & Insights

We have extensive experience working on projects across the UK.

A basic search is currently taking 1-2 working days and a full cable and independent utilities search is roughly 8 working days.
We also have 250 customers registered in and around Birmingham, some doing searches locally and others covering the whole of the UK.

Did you know we have completed over 1,150 searches to date with a Birmingham postcode.
For the past 8 years we have also covered Highways searches on the surrounding motorways to Birmingham. All in all we have everything covered in Birmingham!

Interesting facts about Birmingham

1. Second‑Largest UK City: Birmingham is the second‑largest city in the United Kingdom by population, with over 1 million residents, making it a major hub for business, culture, and development.

2. High Demand For Businesses: Birmingham hosts over 200,000 businesses across the city and wider West Midlands region, driving strong demand for reliable utility data before any excavation or development.

3. Extensive Parks And Green Spaces: With more than 570 parks and over 3,500 hectares of public open space, Birmingham is one of Europe’s greenest cities, including Sutton Park — the largest urban nature reserve in Europe.

4. Jewellery Quarter: Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter produces around 40 per cent of all the UK’s jewellery and is the largest concentration of jewellery businesses in Europe.

5. Canals More Numerous Than Venice: Originally built during the Industrial Revolution to transport goods, Birmingham’s canal network extends over more miles than the canals of Venice.

6. Industrial Revolution Heritage: Birmingham was a pioneering centre of manufacturing and industry, home to one of the world’s first factories and playing a central role in Britain’s industrial growth.

7. Library Of Birmingham: The Library of Birmingham is the largest public library in the United Kingdom and one of the biggest cultural facilities of its kind in Europe.

8. World‑Famous Chocolate History: Birmingham is home to Cadbury, the iconic chocolate brand, and Cadbury World is one of the city’s most popular attractions.

9. Cultural And Performance Scene: The city hosts numerous festivals each year and is home to the Birmingham Hippodrome, one of the UK’s busiest theatres.

10. Transport Connectivity: Thanks to its central location and extensive rail network, Birmingham offers direct connections to most of the UK in under four hours, underscoring its strategic importance for business and travel.

Underground Utility Searches In Birmingham