Drainage Paperwork: 10 facts

When people think about drainage problems, paperwork doesn’t immediately spring to mind. However, drainage paperwork is one of the top reasons for projects to get held up. It can also add an unexpected cost if you’re not clear about what the job needs before your start. Take advantage of our 40+ years of experience and let us take care of the paperwork for you.

Premier Drainage Solutions are experienced in undertaking paperwork on behalf of clients dealing with water authorities. Our experience in this field means we can give a realistic estimate of how long it will take to get a licence or agreement which benefits clients’ planning processes.

A typical mistake we often see is developers not factoring in enough time for paperwork, then needing to put a site on standby while they wait for approval. If you’re not sure of the timescales, contact us and we’ll be happy to help.

10 important things to know about drainage paperwork:

  1. must all be completed according to the standards set out in the ‘Design and Construction Guidance’ published by Water UK (along with other approved documents for the sewerage sector), but there are some differences in process and fee structure, depending on the water authority.
  2. New sewer connections: the first step in making a new sewer connection is performing an asset search. You can either purchase a map from your local water authority through Digdat.co.uk, or you can obtain the information from Sourceforsearches.co.uk. This will help you find the location of the nearest public sewer. Of course, if you’re working with us, we take care of this element on your behalf.
  3. New sewer connections: once you know where the new sewer connection will be made, the next step is to design the connection and create the required technical drawings for your sewer connection application – this is something we do for all our customers.
  4. Section 185 Sewer Diversion Agreement: under Section 185 of the Water Industry Act 1991, a builder or developer can request that a public sewer is altered, diverted, or removed to allow a site to be developed. Where a public sewer crosses a site, a developer can submit a request to the water authority to undertake a reasonable diversion of it.
  5. Connecting to a public sewer: If you want to make a connection to a public sewer, legally you must give the Statutory Undertaker or Water Authority notice, complete the forms, and pay a fee. We advise planning your work to allow adequate time for the 21-day notice period.
  6. Building an extension: If you want to build within 3m of a public sewer, or within 1m of a public lateral drain, you will need to get consent for your works from the water company that collects your wastewater, following Part H4 of the Building Regulations. You don’t need water company approval if you’re building outside these distances.
  7. Section 106: this application is essential if you’re building a new house or extending an existing property and you need to connect to a public sewer.
  8. Section 106: it’s important to note each water authority’s specific requirements for a Section 106 application, as there may be differences between them.
  9. Section 50 street-works licences: these are needed for any works which take place in the highway, and sewer connections are no exception. The New Roads and Street Works Act, 1991, Section 50, states that a licence is needed in order to lay or maintain existing apparatus in the public highway.
  10. Section 50 licence applications are included in our service. We take care of the process for submitting and monitoring (as well as chasing) progress of Section 50 licence applications as part of any sewer connections works which require a road to be dug up or tunnelled under.

How can we help?

Premier Drainage Solutions are experienced in working with Thames WaterSouthern Water and Anglian Water.

Let us take the headache out of water authority paperwork for you.  Working with us means efficient, first-time approval (which saves money by keeping fees to a minimum, and avoiding delays on site). We can also advise you in the planning stages on project timings based on our experience of getting client paperwork approved.

To find out more about how we support our clients with planning and paperwork, or to book a free site visit and quote for your sewer connection works, call 01268 950050 or send us an email on [email protected].

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Herts CM21 9JX

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