Building over public sewer

[DocSteve]

Hi,

Any help appreciated from those with knowledge of the subject. I would like to know where a householder stands from a legal perspective if they wish to build over a public sewer. I understand all water companies have their own polices on this but what if the water company appears to be unreasonably withholding or delaying consent? I can't find any particular statute that covers this. The reason I am asking is that I am trying to build a garage which is not over but comes within three metres of a large culvert underneath my property. The process has taken many months (almost a year now) and the water company keep stipulating various requirements, are very slow to get back to us and have created a situation where the foundations are more complicated/expensive than I think should be necessary. The whole thing seems a moot point, at least in terms of the load applied (which is one of their concerns and has led to the need for a lightweight construction) as the culvert also passes beneath a road which lorries could potentially drive over.

Thanks for any advice or pointers.

Steve