Maintenance of the Estate Sewage System |
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Perhaps the most important issue for the Association is the ongoing maintenance of the sewers under the Estate. The older properties in the lower Estate are, in fact, in the best position here because the sewers were in place prior to 1936, and therefore the water company was forced to adopt and maintain them at no cost to the Association. The same does not
currently apply to the 1961
and 1974 developments (above the post box). The Committee had been in
touch with Wessex Water at various times to discuss the take-on of the later pipe-work, but
the company were reluctant to consider it due to the non-standard
positioning of the inspection chambers (in private gardens) and the poor
condition of some parts of the system. There has been a Government initiative ongoing since 2002 to consider an enforced take-on of all private sewers by the water companies. The WCHOA Committee has worked with our local MP Oliver Letwin to press DEFRA to produce the final report and a timetable for this activity. UPDATE! (March 07) The DEFRA report has been published, concluding that the only way ahead is to go for a "BIG BANG" takeover in the near future of all privately-owned sewers by the water companies, with the cost being amortised over all water customer bills (estimated at between £3 an £12 per year increase for all customers). If this initiative goes ahead (and it can be achieved without further parliamentary legislation under the Secretary of State's existing powers) this is excellent news for all residents. If you are interested in reading more, CLICK HERE for the full report. UPDATE! (December 2008) DEFRA news release Ref: 390/08 (15 December 2008) (Click here for full story!) “Environment Secretary Hilary Benn had confirmed that approximately 200,000 kilometres of privately owned sewers and lateral drains in England will be transferred to water and sewerage companies from 2011, removing millions of householders from the risk of expensive repair bills”.
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