The Water and Sewerage Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006

Adoption of sewers and waste water treatment works

159.—(1) Subject to the following provisions of this Article and to Articles 160, 162 and 206(3), a sewerage undertaker may at any time declare that—

(a) any sewer which is situated within its area or which serves the whole or any part of that area; or

(b) any lateral drain which communicates or is to communicate with a public sewer which—

(i) is so situated or serves the whole or any part of that area; and

(ii) is vested in that undertaker; or

(c) any waste water treatment works which are so situated or which serve the whole or any part of that area,

shall, as from such date as may be specified in the declaration, become vested in the undertaker.

(2) The owner, or any of the owners, of any sewer, lateral drain or waste water treatment works with respect to which a sewerage undertaker might make a declaration under this Article may make an application to that undertaker requesting it to make a declaration under this Article with respect to the sewer, lateral drain or works.

(3) A declaration or application under this Article may be made with respect to a part only of a sewer.

(4) A sewerage undertaker which proposes to make a declaration under this Article—

(a) shall give notice of its proposal to the owner or owners of the sewer, lateral drain or works in question; and

(b) shall take no further action in the matter until two months have elapsed without an appeal against the proposal being lodged under Article 162 or, as the case may be, until any appeal so lodged has been determined.

(5) A sewerage undertaker, in deciding whether a declaration should be made under this Article, shall have regard to all the circumstances of the case and, in particular, to the following considerations, that is to say—

(a) whether the sewer or works in question is or are adapted to, or required for, any general system of sewerage or sewage disposal which the undertaker has provided, or proposes to provide, for the whole or any part of its area;

(b) whether the sewer or lateral drain is constructed under a road or under land reserved by a planning scheme for a street;

(c) the number of buildings which the sewer or lateral drain is intended to serve, and whether, regard being had to the proximity of other buildings or the prospect of future development, it is likely to be required to serve additional buildings;

(d) the method of construction and state of repair of the sewer, lateral drain or works; and

(e) in a case where an owner objects, whether the making of the proposed declaration would be seriously detrimental to him.

(6) Any person who immediately before the making of a declaration under this Article was entitled to use the sewer or lateral drain in question shall be entitled to use it, or any sewer or lateral drain substituted for it, to the same extent as if the declaration had not been made.

(7) No declaration may be made under this Article in respect of—

(a) any sewer or works the construction of which was completed before 1st October 1973;

(b) any lateral drain the construction of which was completed before the transfer date.