Still farting around trying to plan (and then do! ) laying block paving over my sloping towards the house front lawn. Total size of drive will be about 8mx5m and end of terrace house built 1958 if relevent!

First let me check I've got my drainage basics right first:
1. Foul water (toilets, shower etc.) go out to sewer and to treatment plant. (or septic tank)
2. Rainwater (gutters etc.) goes to the street and joins the street drain water and goes to rivers etc. Or, the rainwater goes to a soakaway on or near the property.
These are kept separate so the treated volume of water is kept to a minimum (no point treating rainwater right.).

So my problem with driveway:

I'm considering putting the water runoff into the drain that the guttering connects to. (it's a 4-house terrace so presumably designed to take a lot of water).

Is there a way of telling whether this goes to the drainage system or whether it goes to a soakaway somewhere?
The house is 1958 build.

The reason for the question being I think if it's a soakaway I can do it without planning. But if it goes to storm drains then I need planning.


I have a pretty exposed driveway so want to do things 'correctly' as it'd be pretty easy for council etc. to spot and make me dig it all up!

Thanks!

James

Hi James
Do you know that to block pave what was a lawn you now need planning permission, for exactly the reasons that are giving you concern? A grassed area will absorb the rain water and gradually allow it to naturally drain away, paving over the same area means adjacent drains will have to handle the immeadiate effect of the extra area now being sent straight to the drains.
This is being used as an excuse for all the flooding the country has whenever we have a heavy shower.

Regards
Jon

You can have single pipe and two pipe systems for rainwater and foul.


Most definite way is to find manhole covers surrounding your house and lift them to see how the branches enter the manhole.

If you go to the wall with the toilet drainage on it, it will hopefully be external (some aren't) then see if it does or doesn't tie in with the rainwater on that elevation.

Up here at least, single and two pipe systems are both perfectly legal.

quote:

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Originally posted by slingshot2000
Hi James
Do you know that to block pave what was a lawn you now need planning permission, for exactly the reasons that are giving you concern?
Regards
Jon

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The other option is to just use permeable paving, it will stop any grief with drains or council

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31UENqicQI8

[Edited on 26-2-11 by Antnicuk]

Unlikley to be a soakaway I would think, but why not just build a soak away yourself, basically a hole filled with gravel.

Install a channel to catch the water at the low end of the drive and connect this to a soakaway.

linky

how to build a soak away

linky

quote:

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Originally posted by Antnicuk
The other option is to just use permeable paving, it will stop any grief with drains or council

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31UENqicQI8

[Edited on 26-2-11 by Antnicuk]

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Just a hypothetical question as we had our drive re-done a few years ago. I've seen about needing permission if the drive will drain into the drains and not needing it if the drive is permeable or you use a soakaway. I wonder what our position would have been if we were re-laying ours now? Our deeds specifically grant the right for our driveway to drain onto the footpath and hence to the road outside, therefore we are not putting it into a drain, the council is and it is neither our responsibility or choice what they do with it!

quote:

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Originally posted by big-vee-twin
Unlikley to be a soakaway I would think, but why not just build a soak away yourself, basically a hole filled with gravel.


how to build a soak away

linky

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