If you are building near a public sewer and can meet the criteria below, then you can proceed with your project without having to notify us.
You will need to meet all six of the listed criteria and it is important that you thoroughly review each point. The implication of proceeding on the basis of an inaccurate response can be significant and may make it more difficult to sell your house in the future.
Please note that the criteria does not apply if you are building over a public sewer. Find out what you need to do if you are building over a public sewer.
We have summarised the six criteria below, and there are helpful tips and diagrams to explain each one. We recommend that you discuss them with an architect or builder.
Important: You must meet all six of the following criteria.
A minor asset is one that is not considered strategically important to Wessex Water.
A strategic sewer carries the waste of a large number of properties. Typically, they are large (12inches/300mm or greater) in diameter, but they can be smaller in diameter and still be strategic.
Call us on 01225 526333 and we can check our records for you - we will let you know if there is a strategic sewer.
See an example below of what strategic sewers may look like on our records.
The sewers appear in bold, blue for a surface water sewer and bold red for a foul sewer.
If you have met all six of the criteria, a printable PDF of these conditions should be saved for your records. If your development requires Building Regulations approval, you can provide a copy to your local Building Control department or Private Inspector.
We also recommend you collate and store evidence (photos and drawings) that you have met the six criteria. This will provide you with peace of mind and protection in the unlikely event that something goes wrong in the future.
If you didn’t meet all six of the criteria, where possible, you should first consider changing your design until it does. If you still can’t meet the criteria, you will need to contact us to obtain formal consent for your proposal. The type of application that you need to make will vary depending on your site circumstances.
So that we can give you accurate advice, please email sewer.protection@wessexwater.co.uk and provide as much detail as you can, preferably including design drawings or a sketch which clearly illustrates the details of your proposal.