Building regs to replace a garage

[Jack155Q4]

Hi there,
We have bought a house that has a concrete block garage (with asbestos roof )

I would like to get rid of this garage and replace it with a flat roof going from the wall of the house to the big boundary wall that you can see in the photo - it stretches from the top of the driveway all the way through to the end of the house that is opposite the end of our garden!

Where you can see the wooden shed like panels I would like to replace this with a brick wall. This is to maintain the existing shape of the garage and workhop area.

I was about to fill in the Buliding Notice forms when I saw it said

"only applies for houses occupied as single private dwellings and NOT building over or within 3m of a public sewer"

As you can see there are two manhole covers right next to where I want a brickwall built. Does the above statement scupper my plans for the wall to be built?
I am not building over but I would be just next to the cover!

There is already a rough looking concrete base but I am planning to pull all of this out for a good foundation.

Many thanks for any advice.
Jack

 

[cjard]

how many houses does that sewer serve, upstream of your house?

 

[Jack155Q4]

Sorry I have no idea. I doubt there is an easy way to check other than asking the water company?

There are two manhole covers there by the way.

 

[nickjb]

If it is more than 1 house then you'll need to contact the water authority who may want to inspect before you start (and charge you for it). If you are planning to attach it to the house the rules for planning and building regs are different for unattached out buildings.

 

[Jack155Q4]

Thank you.
If I call the water authority will they know from their data?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Sorry I have no idea. I doubt there is an easy way to check other than asking the water company?

Yes - lift the cover and see where the sewer runs.

If it serves anything other than your house it will now have been designated a public sewer from the point where the 2nd house connects to it or where it crosses the boundary.

http://www.water.org.uk/home/policy...ansfer-of-private-sewers-regulations-2011.pdf

You should look at the chamber anyway, to see what its extent is. Different sewerage undertakers have different rules, so you might be OK, but were you in Thames Water's area you would not be allowed footings within 300mm of the walls of the chamber. You can build over a sewer, but not up to an inspection chamber, even if the manhole remains outside.

It's possible that you may have to move the chamber and re-route the pipe(s).