New build in England - can I connect to existing combined drain?

[Happy Valley]

We demolished an annex to our home in order to create room for our new build.

 

The annex had a combined roof water and foul drain which connected to a foul only drain within our boundary. Our current house has both foul and surface water drains. We are a cul de sac of 9 properties and the foul for these joins a combined system at the beginning of the cul de sac.

 

Our water utility company have rejected the application to connect both foul and water to the one existing drain. This would mean our digging (through solid rock) and over a neighbours driveway in order to connect a separate surface water drain in the cul de sac. 

 

My question is does current legislation mean that I have to connect separately or can I appeal?

 

 

[nod]

It does seem crazy As there are many housing estates that where built in the last 25 years that have combined 

I think you will get the rules are rules attitude 

 

I would see if BC can come up with a suggestion I know you mentioned rock But any kind of crate-Tank soak away has to be a better option 

[Happy Valley]

7 minutes ago, nod said:

It does seem crazy As there are many housing estates that where built in the last 25 years that have combined 

I think you will get the rules are rules attitude 

 

I would see if BC can come up with a suggestion I know you mentioned rock But any kind of crate-Tank soak away has to be a better option 

 

Thanks - we have discussed a soakaway and also spoken to BC. We live on a sloping site and a soakaway is not possible as it would waterlog the neighbours land. The land to the side is so steep it would become unstable as it drops down to properties there. 

 

We therefore have to connect to the system in some way shape or form. Just seems crazy to have to go to our and their expense of digging things up when there is an existing viable alternative. 

[dpmiller]

should this not have been designed before or during the Planning process?

[Happy Valley]

12 hours ago, dpmiller said:

should this not have been designed before or during the Planning process?

 

It was designed prior to planning but we did not know at that time that we would hit solid rock nor that there was an existing combined drain already in place. 

 

Ultimately we can connect but just trying to make it easier and less costly.

 

What I am hoping someone knows is whether there is any definite law whereby I have to connect them separately. 

Edited June 5, 2022 by Happy Valley

[Mr Punter]

A site I am doing has combined drainage but we have had to run surface and foul separately all the way to the boundary where it then connects to the combined system.  I cannot see Southern Water ever installing a separate surface water system, but sometimes I just do what I am told.

[Jilly]

If it is a small roof, could you design a surface SUDs system in your garden, utilising linked water butts, and raised rain gardens and the like to attenuate storm water?

[NSS]

We had to put in soakaway crates, lots of them, despite being on fairly free draining land. Complete ban on connecting to existing surface water drains here, never mind discharging surface water to foul drains. Ridiculous thing is that the surface water drainage adjacent to our property discharges to a stream less than 200 yards away, and that runs direct to the sea.

 

Edited to add: Not that any of this stops Southern Water from discharging effluent into the Solent 🤬

Edited December 19, 2022 by NSS

[Happy Valley]

In the end we connected to a surface water drain on our neighbours driveway. 

 

To connect about 10 meters into the adopted road was going to cost £8300 to £10000. We had 3 quotes. Avoid adopted road connections if at all possible!!

 

I offered the neighbour a bung which they accepted and the total connection cost including this was under £3000.