House builder wants to put drains through my field

[steveR]

I would have thought that sustainable drainage would be required. Check what diameter the pipes will be, as they could be oversized with a restricted outlet to comply. You my friend have what is known as a ransom situation. Fill your boots.

 

[7616]

Says on his plans it's supposed to go into a soak away but thought he'd try an be clever.
The guys a pr*ck.we took photos an went round to ask what was going on.his Mrs was mortified. he'd told her it was all sorted.
The kind of bloke that builds a house but moves in when clearly not finished or been signed off.never even put any gutters on thought he didn't need them.

Soak away is a waste of time,if your field is lower than a soak away the water will then flood your field seen this happen on our farm.

 

[redbaron]

Thank you all so much. Many valuable comments and much food for thought for me. I do think he is trying it on. The pipe(s) would actually be perforated and put in by proper agric drainage contractor. The developer is a local farmer who I have known for decades. Always found him friendly, but this sort of thing is changing my views. Think I'll make a call to my LA tomorrow.

 

[steveR]

Thank you all so much. Many valuable comments and much food for thought for me. I do think he is trying it on. The pipe(s) would actually be perforated and put in by proper agric drainage contractor. The developer is a local farmer who I have known for decades. Always found him friendly, but this sort of thing is changing my views. Think I'll make a call to my LA tomorrow.

Nice to be able to let the LA take the "blame" in negotiations, if you know the developer

 

[Lincs Lass]

40 houses built 3 years ago back of my place ,,no surface water goes into the existing storm drains ,,they buried 10 huge soak away crates .

 

[George from SJM Planning]

Thank you all so much. Many valuable comments and much food for thought for me. I do think he is trying it on. The pipe(s) would actually be perforated and put in by proper agric drainage contractor. The developer is a local farmer who I have known for decades. Always found him friendly, but this sort of thing is changing my views. Think I'll make a call to my LA tomorrow.

Speak to Building Control first. Planning are generally harder to talk to.

 

[Smith31]

Thank you all so much. Many valuable comments and much food for thought for me. I do think he is trying it on. The pipe(s) would actually be perforated and put in by proper agric drainage contractor. The developer is a local farmer who I have known for decades. Always found him friendly, but this sort of thing is changing my views. Think I'll make a call to my LA tomorrow.

If you know him and have found him to be honest, speak to him.

He could install soakaway crates and get around it, after he has sold and long gone the crates could fail and leave your land flooded. You would then have to drain the land at your expense

If it was me, I would ask for a donation followed by ensuring that covenants are placed into the deeds of the houses making future owners responsible for the maintenance of the pipework, (any damage has to be repaired within 30 calender days) this will cover you in the longterm.

 

[Lincs Lass]

Two 4 inch drains doesnt sound logical ,,if you get on ok with the nieghbor and theres plenty of fall across your field ,dig one trench and drop a 8inch pipe in ,,that wont block up just from 4 plots .

 

[kiwi pom]

Thank you all so much. Many valuable comments and much food for thought for me. I do think he is trying it on. The pipe(s) would actually be perforated and put in by proper agric drainage contractor. The developer is a local farmer who I have known for decades. Always found him friendly, but this sort of thing is changing my views. Think I'll make a call to my LA tomorrow.

Surely drainage was a condition of planning permission, sounds like they're trying to do it on the cheap.
You could argue that what they want is the quickest, easiest, cheapest way of doing it, some would even call it common sense but there must be another way, what would they do if you say no?

 

[Wombat]

Simple answer No

 

[chaffcutter]

It’s worth a lot of money to the developer friend or not, don’t give it away!

 

[puppet]

Get an agent. This is to protect you from the next owners and neighbours when things go wrong.

 

[chickens and wheat]

Im always told solid pipe for transporting water, never perforated, so to get drainage effect you maybe need two pipes in each trench

 

[ISCO]

Yes, but you then have neighbours who will automatically oppose any form of development as it will cost them money to move their drains.

Developers will always look for the cheapest option, we have one case here at present, new house with driveway onto road with mains sewer running under it. if the builder connects into the sewer he has to pay for a highway order, traffic lights etc etc, instead he has persuaded a single lady property owner on the estate behind the plot to allow him to run the sewer pipe through her garden and tap into her manhole in exchange for a couple of £k

No, lift and shift costs paid by landowner so no.incentive for neighbour to.object. Insignificant cost to move drain in relation to development value of land.
Not saying he should do.it just what can be done to protect interests.

 

[AJ123]

No, lift and shift costs paid by landowner so no.incentive for neighbour to.object. Insignificant cost to move drain in relation to development value of land.
Not saying he should do.it just what can be done to protect interests.

Think wires getting crossed here. If the field land owner gets development and needs to move the pipes for this, the house landowners that benefit from the drain would have to pay if a lift and shift is in place.
What bongodog is saying is that the house landowners would look to object to any development even if they didn’t mind as they know that if consent is grantedthey are paying for a new rerouted pipe.

Chances are the new neighbours will object anyway…

 

[steveR]

Seen that done locally more than once....

Seems to be how some builders operate. I guess that over a period of time, this policy pays off for them. A local outfit played silly buggers with me over an existing water supply to the farm. Ended up costing them ITR of £25K to put a new one in along with a new connection charge, after they tried penny pinching...

But small beer when flogging 12-14 houses @ circa 700K

 

[teslacoils]

I mean, maybe they want some extra garden. Covenented "up the arse" of course. Only £200k an acre. Including pipe route.

 

[Bongodog]

If you know him and have found him to be honest, speak to him.

He could install soakaway crates and get around it, after he has sold and long gone the crates could fail and leave your land flooded. You would then have to drain the land at your expense

If it was me, I would ask for a donation followed by ensuring that covenants are placed into the deeds of the houses making future owners responsible for the maintenance of the pipework, (any damage has to be repaired within 30 calender days) this will cover you in the longterm.

Just not worth the hassle, any future problem and you have 4 separate property owners to go after, guarantee that at least two will deny all knowledge and drag things out for months if not years, meanwhile you have a flooded field.

 

[Old apprentice]

Planning should have had a perculation test for soakaways, look up the planning aproval.

 

[L P]

Perforated drain to a dyke for a housing development across 3rd party land? Not a normal way to do it. Developer might be a friend, what if the water one day gets contaminated? It's then your ditch, your responsibility, your contamination and could be any one of those 4 house owners to blame. Stay friends and let them do the drainage as per PP.