During the early part of 2021, we have been supporting clients in the Birmingham and surrounding areas in preparation for them to start their works on building extensions to their properties.
How?
In the initial stages of planning your extension it is a requirement to have a CCTV Drain Survey completed if you are planning to build over or near to a Severn Trent main sewer line. Further information can be found on Severn Trent main website on their requirements (click here). In summary, you cannot commence building works if there are sewer pipes within your boundary without your water company's approval. You will have to have a prior CCTV drain survey completed on the condition and location of the main sewer line on your property.
Once the survey is completed and you have the report, you can send it to Severn Trent Water to approve either by a Self-Certification Declaration or a Formal Build Over Agreement. Once approved, this is when you get the go ahead to start building your lovely new extensions (subject to any other approvals you made need such as planning permission and/or building regulations).
Self-Certification vs Formal Build Over Agreement
There are two routes for getting Severn Trent approval, and the one you need depends on where your extension sits relative to the sewer.
Self-Certification Declaration applies when your proposed extension is within 3 metres of a public sewer but not directly over it. In this case, you complete the declaration form yourself, attach the CCTV survey report and site plan, and submit it to Severn Trent. Approval is typically quicker because the sewer is not directly underneath the proposed structure.
Formal Build Over Agreement is required when the extension will be built directly over a public sewer or within 1 metre of a manhole. Severn Trent review the CCTV survey footage and the site plan, and they may request additional information or modifications to your foundation design. This process takes longer, usually 21 working days, but it is a legal requirement and protects both you and the water company.
What does Severn Trent look for in the survey?
Severn Trent want to see that the sewer beneath or near your proposed extension is in good structural condition. If the camera reveals defects such as cracks, displaced joints, or root ingress, Severn Trent may require you to arrange drain repairs before they will grant approval. This is to make sure the sewer can handle the additional load of a building above it without failing.
Our survey reports are written to WRc standards, which is the format Severn Trent expect. This means your application will not be returned for a resubmission because of an incorrectly formatted report.
Our drainage engineers:
- Are fully equipped with CCTV Camera equipment to meet your drainage needs when it comes to surveying the drainage run(s).
- Use the correct coding recognised for defects and screenshot if any are significantly detected.
- Produce inspection reports to WRc standards including details on the sections surveyed such as pipe type (foul or surface water), pipe material, pipe size, pipe depth, condition classification, drain connections, defects and recommendations as well as photographs of significant defects.
- Will produce a site map of the drainage system in block plan format showing your existing building structure and if possible the newly proposed extension (if available during time of survey).
What happens after approval?
Once Severn Trent grants approval, you are clear to proceed with your building works, provided all other permissions are in place. It is worth noting that Severn Trent may require a post-construction CCTV survey to confirm the sewer has not been damaged during the build. We can arrange this for you at the appropriate stage, and many of our clients book both the pre-build and post-build surveys together to simplify the process.
Our clients have been so happy with our engineer's assistance during the initial stages in getting their build over or near to surveys completed. Here are a couple of recent kind words from our lovely clients from Google My Business and Checkatrade.
Birmingham, UK
"Cofton Drainage has provided an excellent service! Professional, friendly and highly reliable. Craig and Jamie have gone above and beyond to help and answer any questions. They are a great team whose knowledge and expertise make them the perfect company to call. I'm very grateful for their support!"
Tamworth, UK
"We needed a survey performing in preparation for building work. The guys were friendly, professional, communicative and timely - if only all tradespeople took this approach."
It's not just our presence on site conducting the survey or our high quality reports that gets us our valuable reputation, but also our aftercare in helping our clients with questions they may need answers to in regards to the application process for their extensions and assisting with any queries from Severn Trent. Our team will assist you every step of the way to make the process less stressful and to get the results and go ahead for their projects.
We hope to continue to support our clients in the Birmingham and surrounding areas in their developments of their properties and and in providing the same great service you can read about in our reviews. If you are planning an extension and need some help with the approval process with Severn Trent, contact our team today.
Thank you for your support.
Craig Argyle & Jamie Ruby
Managing Directors of Cofton Drainage & Jetting Services Ltd
Planning an Extension?
Get your Severn Trent approval sorted with our professional CCTV drain surveys. We'll guide you through the entire process.
Call: 0121 296 7829
