MikeR Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 Does anyone know of an easy way to find out what utilities there are under my plot of land or near to it? Is it simply a matter of contacting the gas, electricity, water etc people myself or is there any online resources that I can use to make the job easier? Any help or advice greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pocster Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 1 minute ago, MikeR said: Does anyone know of an easy way to find out what utilities there are under my plot of land or near to it? Is it simply a matter of contacting the gas, electricity, water etc people myself or is there any online resources that I can use to make the job easier? Any help or advice greatly appreciated. Yep ; I contacted them each . all seemed really helpful . There are companies that do all this for you and arrange utility installation but at a cost ...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizzie Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 A search of what exists on or near your land circa £120 - thats what it would cost a solicitor for the search often done as part of your purchase, I don’t know if a member of the public could access this directly, the search results are provided to the solicitor by specialist companies. The utility companies are quite helpful if you approach direct but if its someone else pipeline they may not log it on their system so it wouldnt show. I got maps from electricty and gas showing nearby pipes (ours was a greenfield site so nothing under plot). We had a nightmare with Nat Grid on our gas and in the end used a different supplier...two different carriers with pipes in close proximity, we could have come off either. Do you just want to know what is available to you or do you want to know if there is anything below ground that you need to avoid? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeR Posted March 7, 2018 Author Share Posted March 7, 2018 Thanks @lizzie - it's more to do with what's under the land that I'll need to know about rather than what's going to be available - very briefly, my house is going to be demolished and replaced by nine self build dwellings. The current house has all services/utlilities connected already so I'm assuming that this side of things won't be a problem and it's more to do with what's lurking under the ground that I need to be aware of ............... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 When the utility companies quoted for a new supply., they each provided a map showing where their services were, so something like that should show you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizzie Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 24 minutes ago, MikeR said: Thanks @lizzie - it's more to do with what's under the land that I'll need to know about rather than what's going to be available - very briefly, my house is going to be demolished and replaced by nine self build dwellings. The current house has all services/utlilities connected already so I'm assuming that this side of things won't be a problem and it's more to do with what's lurking under the ground that I need to be aware of ............... I would ask your lawyer to do the search it is far more comprehensive than trying to do a diy job in these circumstances Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeR Posted March 7, 2018 Author Share Posted March 7, 2018 Good advice @lizzie - would any solicitor be able to do the search or does it need to be a specialist land solicitor? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizzie Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 1 minute ago, MikeR said: Good advice @lizzie - would any solicitor be able to do the search or does it need to be a specialist land solicitor? Any lawyer can do it - the one you are using for your plots or any local conveyancer. If they are not acting for you then they may charge a handling fee on top of the search fee - its just a case of them filling in the relevant request forms paying the fee and getting the result back. Make sure you explain the reason why you want the search so they are sure to cover exactly what you need, I'll see if I can find out if you can do it direct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterW Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 If you are working with multiple plots then you may get classed as a developer and your costs will be increased from a householder search. You could subscribe to digdat which would allow you to buy the datasets for a one off fee which may help but records are notorious for being inaccurate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizzie Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 @MikeR have asked the question and he suggested you try this search provider http://www.searchpoint.co.uk/ I don't know if they will deal with you as a member of the public/developer but worth a call. Looks to me that this may fit your bill http://www.searchpoint.co.uk/combined-utility-report/ More expensive than straight residential search as more info provided and aimed at developers but have a browse they offer a lot of different options These are contact details Joy Green Customer Support Web: www.searchpoint.co.uk Tel: 0845 680 5608 Email: support@searchpoint.co.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 Don't forget to also check mining records. Over the years I've worked on quite a few sites which had either vertical shafts or horizontal tunnels under the site which affected the way that the site was developed. For some sites, eg ones in built up areas, its also worth checking old OS maps in your local library. I had one site in St Helens where checks showed an underground culverted river that crossed a corner of the site. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeR Posted March 7, 2018 Author Share Posted March 7, 2018 Thanks for all your suggestions I'll check out @lizzie suggested company in the morning - mining has never happened in this part of Bristol but thanks to @Ian for the warning Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Temp Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 I needed to check my plot quickly so I spent a few hours tracking down the "Asset Register" for each utility and then I called them and asked if I could drop in later on same day to pick up a map. I had to tell them I was digging on site and had found a pipe/cable. They weren't very happy but I said I didn't need a meeting or anything and they agreed to leave a map in receiption for me to pick up later. They needed map references and scale required. Think carefully about the scale - they will probably rumble you if it won't fit on a sensible size sheet of paper or is way too small for your purpose. The plots were virtually identical to those my solicitor got some 4 weeks later. Afterwards it occurred to me that a solicitor might be a good source for their phone number and address. Finding that was the hard part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now