Whether this is a first time development for you or not, get in touch with us early about your plans and we’ll guide you through the water aspects of your site needs. Early discussions can help to avoid potential delays later in the development process.
You will be able to undertake some steps yourself, such as using our process for checking the location of our water services.
When you are ready you can complete our Pre-Development Enquiry application for a formal response by us within 21 days.
We have a responsibility to ensure water supplied to homes and businesses is of good quality, and without taste or odour. If you are installing new water pipes in land that is, or may be, affected by contamination, you must ensure tests are carried out by a geo-technical specialist and a soil report sent to us with your application for a water connection. We’d recommend these tests are carried out as early as possible in your development planning process to avoid any delays.
Pre-Development Enquiry
Our Pre-Development Enquiry provides our developer customers with potable water information regarding their proposed developments to assist with obtaining planning permission and feasibility studies.
Our Pre-Development Report will confirm whether there is capacity within our current network to supply the demand for the planned development, or if not, will outline the scope and timeframe of the reinforcement works required.
The report will also provide indicative costs if required, details of any potential engineering difficulties, whether existing assets require diversion or protection measures and will include a plan showing the point of connection (POC) and our existing apparatus.
Please complete and submit the Pre-Development Application. We will acknowledge your application within 5 days notifying you of any missing information or whether your application is complete. We will provide the Pre-Development Report within 21 days of the date your completed application is received.
Pre-Development Application
To submit a Pre-Development Application please complete this form and return it by email to developer.services@portsmouthwater.co.uk. We will also require:
- Site plan and location plan
Plan to show the layout of the development including positions of all buildings, roads, plot numbers, utility strips / footpaths and widths. These must be free of colour, dark shading or any proposed service layouts and be in PDF format.
- Construction programme
A programme of works for your development, showing the total duration of construction and the planned date of connections / completion for each plot.
- Mains Application payment
The cost of a Pre-Development Enquiry is listed in our Developer Charging Arrangements. This is payable upon application, the application will not be considered complete until payment is received. Payment can be made via BACS/CHAPS.
What you will receive
Pre-Development Report
- Capacity Check
- Indicative Costs (if required)
- Indication whether reinforcement of the existing network is required to supply the development and whether any existing assets require diverting or protecting
- Details of minimum and maximum expected pressures
Asset Enquiries
Plans showing the location of our water mains and other services are available for developers, utilities and other companies and individuals that want to use them. These records show approximate locations of pipelines and other associated apparatus and you can request copies of this information for use in relation to your development / street works site.
If you are a statutory utility then this information will be supplied free of charge. For non-statutory enquiries there is a charge which is listed in our Developer Charging Arrangements.
To make this process simpler and quicker, Portsmouth Water have changed the way we manage these requests – we are now working in partnership with LinesearchbeforeUdig (LSBUD) which means that most requests can be responded to automatically.
Please submit your enquiry via the Linesearch website at https://www.linesearchbeforeudig.co.uk/
For escalation enquiries on warning symbols, please be advised that we will endeavour to respond to your enquiry within 5 working days. If your enquiry is urgent, please call us on 02392 449082 quoting your LSBUD reference number and warning symbol reference number.
Working Near Our Apparatus
Groundwater Protection
Portsmouth Water relies on abstraction from groundwater for public water supply. In order to ensure groundwater protection we have created a series of groundwater protection guidance documents relating to different types of developments.
These documents provide guidance on Portsmouth Water’s preferred approach to development relating to groundwater quantity and quality within our catchments and how we wish developers to plan and deliver their sites.