Flooding From Neighbour.

[SparklyKid]

The house behind us has erected a huge garage which almost touches our fence.
We live on the edge of a flood plain.

The garage foundations seem to have disrupted an underground water course causing flooding on our drive.

Who do I approach ?

Planning dept, north west water, united utilities or the environment agency.

[davebro]

https://environmentagency.blog.gov.uk/2019/12/23/what-is-groundwater-flooding/

"Local authorities are responsible for managing the risk of flooding from groundwater. However, the Environment Agency has a strategic overview for all sources of flooding and in some areas that have historically experienced groundwater flooding,"

[SparklyKid]

Thanks davebro

[davebro]

assuming it is ground water & not a leaking pipe

[Smowball]

Have they got permission to erect such a huge garage??

[SparklyKid]

Yes snowball, the plans showed it was on the edge of the flood plain.

[SparklyKid]

This has never happened during the previous 11 years.

When the foundations were dug out , they filled with water in a couple of days.

[SparklyKid]

The garage appears to be more like a mini bungalow. Complete with velox window, shower, toilet and wash basin.

[roopower]

That sounds more like a granny flat!

[Smowball]

That sounds like almost a complete extension!

[calmck]

Get council planning involved too

[Smowball]

Definitely contact council/planning. Something isn’t right.

[SparklyKid]

Cheers folks

[Smowball]

Apart from that you ok sparkly?

[SparklyKid]

All fine thanks.

[KARL]

It is extremely unlikely that the foundations for a garage will have the slightest effect on any underground watercourse - that in this case surface drainage has been affected is well-nigh guaranteed. As already pointed out, permission is required for the construction of any permanent and also some temporary structures - that is the preserve of the local authority."Huge" is an imprecise description.

[SparklyKid]

Hi Karl. Before this huge construction and deep foundations were done, there was never a problem for 11 yyears.

[The Builder]

Sparklers... being on the edge of a flood plain will likely mean that there is a high water table. Meaning that, if you dig a hole (including foundations), then it will fill with water.

The volume of water falling on next door's ground is still the same as before. What has changed is the ground's capacity for soaking it up.
The building is taking up a lot of the area where water used to soak in.

The rain is now running off the roof and carried into soakaways. The question is... are the soakaways enough?
That comes under "Building Regs". You might try and get Building control interested. No property should ever legally be able to discharge their water to a neighbour.

Be prepared for "buck-passing" by the Authorities. It's a Building Regs matter, but also should concern The Environment Agency.

[MWG14]

You have to ask why anyone would want a shower, toilet and hand basin in their garage.

[SparklyKid]

The problem is not water running off their property but water coming up from underground.

Quite a substantial trickle running past our house and onto drive.

Never happened before the garage foundATIONS were laid.

[davebro]

"You have to ask why anyone would want a shower, toilet and hand basin in their garage."

It's quite common now to put liveable accommodation above a large garage. A mate built his own house - built the garage first with bedroom & shower room so he could live on site during the rest of the build.