small garden extension - existing soakaway (no surface water drains!)

[Pete_wright16]

Hello,

First post - looking for some help. We are looking to replace our existing conservatory with a extension (making a little bigger) - planning permission is ongoing and decision expected soon.

Our house is quite modern (12 years old). I have just realised that we do not have surface water drains nearby. Our drainage goes to a existing soakaway that was put in when the house was constructed and shared with neighbouring houses. Our house (excluding conservatory) has a neighbours house at the end of the garden, wall to wall it is about 12m - the existing shared soakaway looks on the original plans to be in the middle of this (i.e. complying with rule that it must be 5m from permanent wall). However, this soakaway is only about 2 or 3ms away from our existing conservatory and potential future extension.

I hope this makes sense - I attach a picture of the original drainage plans showing the house/soakaway (plot 44).

Can anybody tell me if I have a solution for this and if building regs are likely to get through, noting we dont have any surface water drains we an connect to (i.e. only possibility is building next to existing soakaway and connecting to that). Hoping for good news...

Thanks,
Pete

 

[Pete_wright16]

Hi,
did you get a resolution to this? I just posted a similar thread, although with the added complication that I do not have surface water drains or combined drains nearby (only foul water). Ironically, I do have an existing soakaway for the house which is in the correct position (5m between buildings) but the extension going though planning permission would mean a soakaway apply the 5m rule wouldnt work. thanks
https://www.diynot.com/diy/threads/...ting-soakaway-no-surface-water-drains.530699/

 

[Leofric]

You could potentially do away with gutters and have dispersal straight from the roof edge.

Any further information

 

[^woody^]

Any further information

Search for eaves dispersal system or something similar. These tend to be a series of louvres to bounce the rain outwards, or a perforated plate.

 

[johnny2007]

To be honest I have never been asked to strictly comply with the 5m regulation.
In many cases it is easier to divert surface water to main drain and in some borough it is standard practice despite not being strictly compliant.
I say "strictly compliant " because there's a lot of arguments about water discharge but everywhere you go they do their own way.
If they don't approve the existing soakaway, you could install water butts to recycle rain water.
With this environmentally friendly argument I got around similar problems a couple of times.

 

[^woody^]

As you have an existing conservatory you would just use the same drain from that, or connect to an existing downpipe drain.

It wont matter about the distance of 3m, but it might if it's 2m it all depends on the amount of water going into it and draining out of it. You may need to establish the capacity of the soakaway, and the ground conditions.

Your plan drawer should have thought about all this and sorted it out as part of his design work.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Search for eaves dispersal system or something similar. These tend to be a series of louvres to bounce the rain outwards, or a perforated plate.

Are they legal to use in the UK?

 

[^woody^]

Are they legal to use in the UK?

There is no "legal" requirement for gutters, only to deal with rain run-off from roofs so that it does not adversely affect the building.