COMBINED SEWER CONNEXIONS

Press, Volume LXXXIIi, Issue 25189, 21 May 1947, Page 6

COMBINED SEWER CONNEXIONS

PRACTICE TO BE STOPPED DECISION OF DRAINAGE BOARD In all cases where houses are built on street frontages, the Christchurch Drainage Board will in future insist on a separate sewer connexion to each house. The board further decided last evening that only in special circumstances, such as houses on back sections, would a combined connexion be allowed. Borderline or doubtful cases will be considered by the board’s works committee. “A practice is growing among building construction companies to provide only one sewer connexion to each pair of houses built for sale purposes,” reported the works committee. “While this certainly reduces the cost to the builders, and, in the main, provides an efficient drain, the committee is of the opinion that the practice is becoming too general and should be stopped, except in exceptional circumstances. These houses are purchased after completion, and purchasers in most cases are unaware that they are sharing a sewer drain with the adjoining property until a blockage occurs.”

Mr J. E. Jones: This is one of the perfficious class of practice the poorer type of builder is trying to introduce. The chairman (Mr H. G. Livingstone): Is he the only type? Mr Jones: The better-class builder would not do it. Mr Livingstone: What about the State houses?

Mr Jones said people were so keen to get a property that they did not make full inquiries. The question was of responsibility. The jerry-builders were making combined connexions for cheapness, as they saved £l2.