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?

Wronmg question. What is it worth to developers. At least 50 grand
probably, since they would probably lose a whole plot making a soakaway
on their own land.

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.

Caveat. The moment someone touches that septic tank outflow, it comes
under various controls..and septic tanks are largely not allowed anyway
more - you need a biological digester. So what is the most likely
outcome is that whoever owns it would need to upgrade it.

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.

IIRC a soakaway has to be a certain distance from a house - sufficiently
far that it can't use the attached postage stamp gardens anymore.

There is a soakaway pit by a new development here - for about 20 houses.
It takes up at least a whole plot.

My advice is to mutter on about 'bnot wanting to get involved' and 'have
to upgrade half the sewage systems in the area to get it all properly
sorted' and finally 'too old to want to have all those diggers trundling
across the garden...need to move away while work is done..cost a fortune'

Then wait till it goes well into 5 figures.