For Westie or other knowledgeable people re ?11kv substation

[PaulWales]

My son has an urban substation almost abutting onto a back corner of his property. He is looking into purchasing the otherwise fallow ground at the rear of his garden that would then butt up against the substation fence.
Presumably there are DNO earth rods associated with the substation. Would these extend beyond the boundry fence? Would there be any ELECTRICAL limitations to the use of the land outside its boundry. It appears that all cabling to the substation is via underground cables. He lives in Cardiff and is therefore in the Western Power Area

 

[westie101]

I would suggest he can do no harm to ask, the presence of some equipment (earth mats and/or cables) should not prevent it as long as it is just for a garden area.

WPD will let him know of the presence of cables etc

 

[ban-all-sheds]

He is looking into purchasing the otherwise fallow ground at the rear of his garden

Shame he couldn't have just quietly started using it a few decades ago...

http://www.boundary-problems.co.uk/boundary-problems/legalconcepts.html#Adverse Possession

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_land_law#Adverse_possession

Does, or rather did, work.

Where I live, and in a number of nearby streets, people's gardens back onto a strip of land adjacent to a tube line. Some homeowners, many years ago, extended their gardens into that space - fenced it off (obviously there was already a fence alongside the track), lad it to lawn and/or vegetable patches, planted shrubs, put up sheds etc. It's not TFL's land any more.

 

[PaulWales]

Westie - in relation to the Earth Mat.

I am unsure of the age of the substation. My sons property is late 20's early 30's with what appears to me lead DNO feed. The houses behind are probably late40's early 50's - I think a post war council estate. I am therefore unclear of the original age of the substation, but the building looks no older than 1940's, probably younger.

Given the probably age what would the mat be made of and how deep would you guess it would be laid. I assume copper - but to assume is to make an a## out of you n me.

If the substation had be redone from its original would the mat have been replaced as a routine - or left in place if servicable.

Many thanks

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I would suggest he can do no harm to ask, the presence of some equipment (earth mats and/or cables) should not prevent it as long as it is just for a garden area.

WPD will let him know of the presence of cables etc

 

[JohnW2]

I would suggest he can do no harm to ask, the presence of some equipment (earth mats and/or cables) should not prevent it as long as it is just for a garden area.

As regards earth mats etc., isn't a DNO under some sort of obligation to maintain ownership of land which contains them?

Kind Regards, John

 

[westie101]

Having looked at the OP again, it is very unlikely that there would be an earth mat in that ground as going back to those dates any earth would be linear and laid with the cables.
There is a possibility of DNO cable in the area but they would tell you if that is the case.

For that type of site is ia actually very rare (in this part of the DNO world) to have one equipped with an earth mat anyway.

John W2 partially true, but reading again the land isn't DNO owned so there should be a wayleave or easment with the present owner if there is a mat or indeed any other cable in there