This is the first in a regular series looking in detail at the questions in the CON29DW, and what homeowners and conveyancers should be aware of.
The CON29DW generally contains two maps, one showing the location of public sewer assets, the other water. Both of these are extracts of official water company records, and are highlighted in questions 1.1 and 1.2 of the search.
This is one of the most important sections of the CON29DW. Of primary interest to homebuyers is the location of the nearest sewer and water mains to the property, including any within the boundary itself. The location of either a public sewer or water main within a boundary can have an impact on the property. Both are protected, and water companies will be consulted about any proposed development over or near their assets as part of a planning application. Building over sewers is not normally permitted, and companies will normally advise how they need their assets diverting or protecting. There is an outright ban on building over water mains, as much to protect properties as the pipes themselves. Water companies also have statutory rights to enter private land to maintain and repair their assets.
The location of assets outside property boundaries is also important. The location of public sewer and water main allows buyers to infer the length of private pipes they are liable for. If public assets are some distance from the property, this liability can be substantial. Maps also show the location of assets such as pumping stations, manholes and treatment works, all of which can – to various degrees – have an impact.
Sewer maps show the three main types of public sewers – foul (shown as brown, and takes sewage from inside properties), surface (blue, and take rainwater from outside properties) and combined (red, and take both foul and surface water). Other types shown include those subject to adoption agreements (green), private (purple), those transferred under the 2011 sewer transfer (orange) and abandoned (black).
Water plans show a variety of types of public mains, such as distribution and trunk mains. The main difference between these is their capacity. The larger the main, the more the water company will restrict development in its vicinity, meaning the larger the main, the larger the protective strip surrounding it.
On occasion, we won’t include a water or sewer map with a search. This occurs most regularly in rural areas, or recent developments. In these instances, there’s either no assets to show, or they’re so recent that we don’t yet know their location. In both instances, the lack of a plan means you should be making enquiries into the drainage arrangements. With rural properties, these will normally be private, such as a septic tank or well (these can be cross-checked on the search by looking at the connection information in questions 2.1, 2.2 and 3.1). With recently constructed properties, it’s best to check with the developer.
This information is included in regulated (also known as personal) searches. Water companies are legally required to make copies of their sewer and water records available. Search companies are not able to purchase copies of these plans however, and often copy the location of mains by hand.
If you have any queries regarding the maps in a CON29DW, or any other question, please get in touch with us.
Next month we will examine Q2.1 of the CON29DW report which answers whether foul water from a property drains to a public sewer and what this means for you.