Planning conditions to be discharged Surface Water Drainage Strategy

[maxiav]

Hi Everyone.

I am self-building a new dwelling for my family and I have few conditions to be discharge prior to occupation of the development:

Condition 3 is the Surface Water Drainage Strategy, on this one i need some help please, what exactly do I need to do? Do I need get involved 3rd party? 
 

 

 

[kandgmitchell]

So first things first. What is your proposal for dealing with rainwater from the dwelling? If work is underway what did building control agree?

[maxiav]

2 minutes ago, kandgmitchell said:

So first things first. What is your proposal for dealing with rainwater from the dwelling? If work is underway what did building control agree?

I am not sure, (i would think soakway), this a replacement dwelling, building control hasn’t mentioned anything. But i need to discharge the condition. 

[kandgmitchell]

So this is a new dwelling that replaces one that is now demolished. Who prepared your building regulation drawings for the new dwelling and what did they propose in order to satisfy the building regulation requirements which say:

 

(3) Rainwater from a system provided pursuant to sub-
paragraphs (1) (roofs) or (2) (paved areas) shall discharge to one of the following,
listed in order of priority:
(a) an adequate soakaway or some other adequate infiltration system; or, where that is not reasonably practicable, (b) a watercourse; or, where that is not reasonably practicable, (c) a sewer.

 

That is the starting point. If building control have approved your proposal then provide those details to the planners as your surface water strategy. It would be unusual for planners to say "aha, we don't agree, we think you ought to be doing x" because they know nothing about the technicalities so should go along with what building control thinks is suitable. 

[Alan Ambrose]

You may need some SUDS calcs. But I would poke around on your LPA’s portal and find a couple of applications with a similar condition and see how they discharged it. That’s a quick way to see what’s needed.

[maxiav]

17 hours ago, Alan Ambrose said:

You may need some SUDS calcs. But I would poke around on your LPA’s portal and find a couple of applications with a similar condition and see how they discharged it. That’s a quick way to see what’s needed.

This is from the officer report for Flooding and Drainage:  

 

The site is within Flood Zone 1 and the proposal is acceptable in terms of flood risk or vulnerability such that no objection is raised. No drainage details have been submitted and these need to be secured by condition to ensure that there is adequate on site infiltration.

 

I am not sure If I need the full SUDS report or just soakway calculation and drainage plans!?

[Dave Jones]

11 hours ago, maxiav said:

This is from the officer report for Flooding and Drainage:  

 

The site is within Flood Zone 1 and the proposal is acceptable in terms of flood risk or vulnerability such that no objection is raised. No drainage details have been submitted and these need to be secured by condition to ensure that there is adequate on site infiltration.

 

I am not sure If I need the full SUDS report or just soakway calculation and drainage plans!?

have a dig though other planning applications, most already have this detailed. copy it and send it in.

[Bramco]

The officers report was satisfied by the condition in the planning document. It caused the LPA to write the condition.

 

The condition asks for a surface water strategy not a plan. So don't submit a plan. A strategy that would probably satisfy the planners is to state that given it is a replacement dwelling, surface water will be dealt with in the same manner as for the previous dwelling.  If you do this, you need a) know how it was dealt with before and b) know, or can show that the replacement dwelling with any paved areas is similar in m2 to the old dwelling.

 

So how has surface water been dealt with in the past?  And what's the difference in surface area?

 

Also, is there a water course nearby?  We are in a flood zone with a dry (99% of the time) water course at the front of the plot. We were looking at a massive expense in excavation, crates etc. for a soakaway.  We approached the County Council flood team to get their help with this.  One thing we pointed out was that the site drained into the water course in the past before there was a dwelling, so while with the dwelling there would be a faster release into the water course, the amounts would be the same. we did some calculations on this. We also played the environmental card - it would be scandalous to bury so much plastic etc. etc.  They agreed and all they wanted was a plan for the discharge point and then they came and inspected the work when it was completed.  So the cost in the end was a concrete extension to the side of our culvert a bit of pipe and a special discharge valve.

 

We also had a condition to submit a plan for emergency lighting (re disturbance of wildlife I think).  We satisfied this by stating that we didn't intend to install any emergency lighting.   😄