Are you considering extending or renovating your home? Remember, you need our permission to build near or over a sewer. Edward explains how you can give your home improvement plans the best chance of success by knowing the law and what steps you need to take to proceed with confidence.
As one of our Investigation Technicians, Edward Mann looks into issues across our network, such as flooding and pollution incidents to odours and rodent infestations. He regularly visits customers’ properties and discovers issues linked to work a homeowner has had carried out. In many cases, the issue could have been avoided if the right steps had been followed when planning the work. Ed explains…
What’s the challenge with home improvements?
“When considering home improvements, people usually focus on getting planning permission from the local authority. But they’re often unaware they may need permission from us too if they plan to build over or within three metres of a sewer.
Thousands of customers are improving their homes at any given time. But if nobody tells us, we may only find out when something goes wrong. For example, a pipe could be damaged during building work, a sewer may collapse under the weight of a new structure or manholes may be buried, making it difficult for us to access and maintain the sewers in the long-term.
Although most City & Guilds approved builders should know the right steps to follow, the homeowner is ultimately left with any problems if those steps are ignored. After the work has been carried out, knowing what was done and how to fix any issues can be difficult without exposing the building foundations, diverting sewers or – in the worst cases – demolishing the work to access the sewer.”
What kind of work do people need to contact Southern Water about?
“The kind of work we’re talking about is broad. Homeowners may be laying patios, landscaping their gardens or having conservatories or extensions added to their homes. Meanwhile, larger projects include commercial buildings being knocked down and replaced by residential properties served by private pumping stations.
In any case, getting our permission beforehand helps everyone. It allows us to protect our network from issues, while the homeowner has less risk of unforeseen problems like flooding in or around their home, disruption to the drainage of neighbouring properties – or the work needing to be demolished so we can access the sewer later on.”
What should homeowners do?
“To keep homes supplied with running water and take wastewater away, we have a vast network of pipes running beneath streets, gardens, fields and other land. If you’re building something new, chances are there will be a sewer pipe nearby. Particularly, in built-up areas.
If there are sewer pipes on your land, consider how they relate to the position, size and design of your planned home improvements before you start any building work. If you plan to build over or within three metres of them, you will need to apply to build over a sewer. We rarely refuse an application, but we may provide feedback on your plans to make sure our sewers are protected.
Knowing who’s responsible for sewers and drains within your property boundary can be tricky, especially after legislation prompted the transfer of private sewers to us in some cases. If you need assistance identifying any sewers within your property boundary, your architect or builder may be able to help. Details of drainage arrangements may also be included within the legal documentation related to your property. In addition, we can check whether any nearby sewers are going to be affected if you let us know your plans. Sometimes, we can tell from our database. Other times, we may need to visit and take a look. Please wait until you’re sure before having any work carried out.
Once your application is approved, you’ll receive a Build Over Agreement. This legal document assures us the work won’t negatively affect the sewer below and that we’ll still be able to access the sewer for any future repair and maintenance work.”
If you rarely refuse a Build Over Agreement, why do customers need one?
“If you don’t receive a Build Over Agreement for this kind of work, you may struggle to obtain a completion certificate or ‘sign off’ your works from a building control surveyor. You could also run into difficulty when you come to sell your property as a buyer’s solicitors may want to see the correct paperwork for any work you’ve had carried out.
Unless you have a Build Over Agreement, we also have a statutory right to enter the property to access the sewer, even if it means demolishing the structure above. Getting an Agreement protects your property from this kind of action.”
What about water mains?
“While we may give you permission to build over a sewer, you’ll never be allowed to build over a water supply pipe. If your plans might affect nearby water mains, you may need to apply for a water mains diversion.
In addition, if your plans include new connections to our network, you’ll need to apply for them separately. For example, if you’re building a new bathroom with a water supply and drainage, you’ll need to apply for a water connection and a sewer connection.”
What if you’ve already built an extension without our permission?
“If what I’ve said has put your hair on end because you’ve already carried out an extension without permission, you can relax – as long as you take the right steps now.
The good news is you can get a retrospective Build Over Agreement. You just have to tell us what work you’ve had done, along with things like what materials were used, so we can update our records. We may come round to take a look and – in some cases – you may be asked to make some changes. But once the Agreement has been granted, the matter’s sorted.”
Find out more and apply to build over a sewer.