New Water Supply for 9 Flats: How We Solved a Tricky London Site With Moling

New Water Supply for 9 Flats: A London Utility Connection Case Study

The project

A developer needed a new water supply for a 9 flat development. On paper, a fairly standard application. On the ground, considerably more complicated. The connection point from the mains sat in a very busy road, never an easy place to work. From the site boundary to the building itself was around 25 metres, and that route crossed private land shared with neighbouring properties. The onsite element of this job was significant, and the risk of disruption, both to the road and to the shared land, was real.

The challenge

Two issues needed solving at once. First, minimising disruption to a busy road that couldn't simply be closed for an extended period. Second, securing permission to carry out works across shared private land, which is often one of the hardest parts of a project like this, neighbours and landowners are naturally cautious about extended groundworks on their property. The water operator, had suggested they would need a road closure (12 week lead time), night working only and a man onsite to manage access- so traffic management costs alone were tens of thousands and that 12 week lead time was a killer for the project.

What we did

Once the application and network designs were submitted to the network operator, we ran a competitive quote process with an independent provider (an SLP), which saved the client both time and money compared to the standard route. Just as important, the SLP we selected was able to carry out the onsite works using moling rather than open-cut excavation. Moling avoids digging a continuous trench, instead forming the pipe route underground with minimal surface disruption. For this project, that meant a much smaller footprint of disturbance across the shared land, which made getting permission from the other landowners considerably easier than a traditional dig would have allowed.

They also managed to avoid a full road closure, by working with the council and their traffic management partner, which meant a 12 week lead time, was 5 weeks.

The result

The client got a faster, less disruptive route from mains to building, permissions were secured with far less friction than expected, and the competitive tender process brought the cost down too.

The takeaway

If your site has a difficult onsite route, whether that's a busy road, shared land, or both, it's worth asking early whether moling is an option. It won't suit every site, but where it does, it can turn a permissions headache into a straightforward conversation.

If you're facing a similar site and want to talk it through, get in touch.

Need more information on preparing for applications, take a look at this blog post