Outbuilding / Driveway over public sewer

[BigRobCanUFixIt]

Hello All,

I havent posted in here for a while, but im now planning next summers endeavour already which will entail laying a hard standing for working on the car etc at the side of my house.

Now there is a sewer which runs along the side of my house which is a small sewer line but I need to put my driveway over the top of it.

So it talks about in the build over agreement literature that part of building regs state i need to notify and that if I am extending over or near to I need to notify Thames water. But the work I am carrying out does not require any notification to building regs. So I am assuming that I dont need a build over agreement.

Am I correct in this assumption so far?

Adding to this though I reckon that after a year I may consider placing a Timber garage shed or even a block garage in this area over the sewer. Even if I considered this would a build over agreement be required as it would be PD for me and BR would not apply?

If anyone has any advice on this it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Rob

 

[^woody^]

Any permanent building over a public sewer requires the water authority's permission. Irrespective of planning or building regulations.

 

[Nakajo]

Why wouldn't BR apply?

 

[BigRobCanUFixIt]

Thanks Woody.

Would a driveway need build over permission?

BR would not apply as it is not a dwelling. Just an out building like a glorified shed.

 

[Nakajo]

How large and glorified is this outbuilding?

 

[BigRobCanUFixIt]

minimum spec would be a timber shed big enough to park the a beach buggy in over winter. prefered spec same in concreted blocks. 3mx8m as a guestimate.

 

[Nakajo]

A timber shed over 15m²? Would it be within 1m of a boundary?

 

[^woody^]

Would a driveway need build over permission?

No, is just buildings, and potentially structures with foundations.

 

[Doggit]

A build over agreement is a bit of a misnomer, as you're not allowed to actually build over a public sewer. Thames water will more than likely ask you to move the sewer, just in case you're car breaks the sewer. Having said that, is it a mains sewer, a communal one, or just your sewer going into a larger one. If it's the latter, they may just make a few stipulations, but they're not known for their friendliness. Let us know what their response is.

 

[jeds]

A build over agreement is a bit of a misnomer, as you're not allowed to actually build over a public sewer.

Not correct. But you do need permission to do so which may be withheld for various reasons.

 

[^woody^]

It's all about loading on the ground (potential damage to any pipes), and access to the pipes if needed. If the applicant can satisfy concerns, then permission can't be unreasonably refused.

 

[Nakajo]

When *can* permission be unreasonably refused?

 

[jeds]

Only ever had one refused but that was a three-footer. The quote to move it was circa £120k. So I suppose it depends on the class of the sewer. I asked the Wessex surveyor back in the summer how many they turn down and he basically said none on his patch but he thought one might be refused if the building couldn't be built in such a way as to protect the sewer line. I suggested it was four hundred quid for stapling a few pieces of paper together and if they ever thought about farming out the contract I'd take it on for them. He agreed and suggested we go into business together.

 

[BigRobCanUFixIt]

Thanks for the replies.

I think that I will just got for it and put the hard standing down. I then may just got for a Car Port or build a garage (at a later date) Further down my Garden where there are no Drains to consider. But I will have access to to garden across the hard standing.