How long does planning permission take in Northumberland?
A practical guide to how long planning permission usually takes in Northumberland, what can cause delays and simple steps…
A French drain is a trench filled with clean stone around a perforated pipe, wrapped in geotextile so silt does not clog it. It collects groundwater and surface water and carries it away to a suitable outlet.
Where they help
- Gardens that stay waterlogged after rain.
- Sloping sites where water runs towards the house.
- Behind retaining walls to relieve water pressure.
- Along the base of external walls, where suitable, to reduce dampness.
The outlet matters
A French drain needs somewhere to take the water – a soakaway, ditch or surface-water drain, with permission where needed. A drain with nowhere to go just becomes an underground puddle.
Near older walls
Drains alongside old stone walls must not undermine shallow foundations. We keep a safe distance and depth, and sometimes use a shallow gravel strip instead.
