Lowering a shared manhole cover

ey143

We have a manhole cover on a slightly raised flowerbed in our front garden which we need to reduce in height by about 3 brick levels as we are having a drive way installed and curb lowered by the council.

Thames Water Waste Services said that I need their permission to have this lowered but it usually is granted and no charge made. I have been passed from one dept to another with neither talking to each other and one telling me its the other dept's responsibility to agree and sign off etc.

They are now asking me to provide detailed plans from a specialist drainage company etc before they give permission. My builder says they are going over the top and this is quite a routine process and he will just do it.

Should I be concerned? Have other people faced similar difficulties? The drain is solid and is not falling apart.

anotherbaldrick

You say the manhole is in your front garden and serves multiple properties . This being the case the manhole is the responsibility of the Water Authority.
http://www.water.org.uk/home/policy/private-sewers-transfer/guide/guide-to-transfer-of-private-sewers-regulations-2011.pdf


Tell them to get their ducks in line and resolve who does what, our else you will be round their offices to distribute grief.

Doozergirl

If they can't pull it together then I'd be inclined to just do it. No one there even knows what height the manhole cover is - It's not going to cause problems on resale etc because no one knows what it looked like. If they're going to grant it anyway, then if they asked you for some reason, then they'd grant the permission after it had been done.

I totally understand the fuss about building over sewers and the need to protect them, but a manhole cover? Everything is still accessible.