Bill wrote:
Hi,
does any one here have any experience of surface water disposal
and pipes etc? My parents, elderly, have been approached by a property
developer asking permission to run a pipe across their land from a new
development of 4 houses to carry surface water run off. The
alternative is a soak away. The pipe would end at a small stream at
the edge of parents property. The land is mainly trees and bracken
and has not been visited by anyone apart from me a few weeks back for
many years as it is at the bottom of a steep bank and has been left
to nature. Badgers, foxes rabbits etc. Any way the main question is
what would this be worth to parents? They have been told that the
developer is willing to pay a one off payment for the pipe but no
figure has been discussed yet. There is a very boggy area near to the
stream where the out flow of a number of septic tanks joins the
stream, this has been caused because the pipe carrying it stops about
100 feet short of the stream. Guy who laid pipe stopped at this point
for some unknown reason, it was 50 years ago. For about 50 years
before that the out flow had just run along a ditch and into the
stream.

My thoughts were that a bit of barter may be a good idea here, the
developer runs his pipe f.o.c. In exchange for finishing off the one
that carries the septic tank water thus drying out the boggy area. I
do remember in years gone by that before the very small ditch silted
up the land was not boggy and so, I would hope, it should dry out if
the pipe was extended.

A bit rambling but the main question is, how much is it worth to the
developer not to have to build a soak away in a limited space? He is
already making provision for either a septic tank or cesspit to take
sewage etc. this will be pumped out and allegedly have no water
running from it into the surface water run off. My parents are not
out to make money from the deal as they are quite content as they are
but would rather like the bog drying up!

I know "how long is a piece of string?" but any comments most welcome.

Firstly, do your parents have a waste discharge to the watercourse that
the EA doesn't know about? It sounds very likely to me. Would their
neighbours be keen for a can of worms to be opened?

If the developer wants to send surface water under their land then
obviously that land is higher than your parents? Being that it is
"reclaimed land" it is probably highly unsuitable for "soakaways" and
hence the enquiry. Since the former industrial activity in the area, has
there been significant residential development in the area? If so, would
it be an opportunity to have the area properly sewered (S 101
agreements). Just thoughts. Beware the developer - he could just be in a
fix that he did not anticipate and shiny baubles could be his way out!