When designing an alteration and in particular and extension to a property it is often sought to build over or alter the drainage run. Vision D&B Limited will advise whether the development proposal has implications concerning the local water service provider’s guidelines regarding a build over agreement.
What is a build over agreement?
Where a property or part of a property is built over a public asset, such as a water main or sewer, it is advisable to check that permission has been granted in the past for the building or extension to have been erected.
Whilst it is not uncommon for an extension, etc. to have been erected over an asset without permission (since permission has not always been required to be sought), it is always a good idea to check.
Should you have an asset under your building, the proposed building or close to it, there are certain risks associated, and the responsibility lies with both the householder and the statutory undertaker to ensure that the risk to the assets are minimised.
By law, nobody has a right to build over, or close to, a public sewer.
A minimum distance of three metres (for apparatus up to three metres deep) must be maintained between any building and the public apparatus. This minimum distance may increase for deep or large diameter pipework.
However, local water service provider’s appreciate the desire of homeowners to extend their properties and will, in some cases, depending on the status of the sewer, allow buildings to encroach upon the public system.
Please note, however, that building over, or close to, water mains will never be permitted; neither will building over, or close to, proposed or existing sewers on new developments or redevelopments.