Surface water drainage charges

There has been a change in the way in which we charge for surface water drainage which applies to all business customers whose site is supplied via a meter.

We have written to all business customers to advise them of this change which is being phased in between 2006/7 and 2008/9. Customers affected by this change will have already received their first bill which includes the phased charges.

These notes are intended as a guide but if you have any concerns or queries, please use the online form to contact the property management team.

Charges based on the rateable value of the site (or in some cases a fixed charge) are being phased out and replaced by a charge based on a ‘chargeable area’ – this is the total area of the site that drains into Northumbrian Water’s sewerage systems.  There are 15 charging bands, each covering a range of surface areas.

This new method of charging provides customers with a more cost-reflective charge for the service they receive.  Many metered customers will have seen their sewerage charges rise or fall as a result of this change but overall, there is no change to the total revenue that Northumbrian Water receives from surface water charges.

What is the surface water drainage charge?

It covers the removal of surface water (rainwater) from your site or property. This includes water that drains from roofs, car parks and other hard standing areas. Included in the surface water drainage charge is a charge for highway drainage. Any customer who receives a dirty water and/or surface water service from their water company, will contribute towards the cost of collection and treatment of water from public highways.

Previously, the surface water drainage charge was based on the rateable value (RV) of your site, shown on the bill as ‘RV charge’ or as a fixed charge for properties of £500 RV or less.

Who is affected by this change?

All business customers whose site or property is supplied via a water meter.
A business customer is any customer that is not a household (domestic) customer. This includes public sector properties, places of worship, charitable organisations and nursing homes, even where the main use of water is for domestic purposes.

The changes will also apply to a limited number of business properties/sites that are not metered, as the metered sewerage tariff is applied to properties that do not have a water supply but benefit from surface water drainage e.g. car parks.

The remaining business customers who do not have a meter installed will continue to be charged based on the RV of their site or property until such time as a meter is installed.

What about new or change of use premises?

For newly constructed business premises connected to Northumbrian Water’s sewerage system or domestic premises that change to business use, the surface water drainage charge will be based wholly on chargeable area.

Calculating the chargeable area of your site

The chargeable area is calculated by measuring the total area of the site. If the entire site drains to Northumbrian Water’s sewerage system, then the total area of the site will equal the chargeable area. An allowance can be made for any substantial areas of land that do not drain to the sewerage system, for example a permeable, grassed or cultivated area such as a playing field, farmland or golf course. Each non-connected area must be more than 10% of the total area of the site – smaller, non-connected areas cannot be added together for this purpose.

The chargeable area will then attract one of 15 surface area charging bands – each covering a range of chargeable area.

We have calculated the chargeable area for the majority of sites or properties by using digital Ordnance Survey information. Our representatives have also ensured that site boundaries have been correctly identified. 

And if you’re not happy?

If you do not agree with the chargeable area that we have calculated for your property, please contact us and we’ll send you an application form for you to complete.

If your building is part of a joint building or site and we have assigned you an assessed charging band which you want us to review, we will need the site area information for each separately rated part of the site. This can usually be provided to you by the landlord or owner.

If your site is not connected to surface water drainage, you will still be charged for the highway drainage element, so long as you make some use of our sewerage system.

For more details please refer to the appeals process in this section of the web site.