The Long Wait for Planning ..The Grass is always Greener Over the Cesspit Tank
- foxglovelodge
- Jul 1, 2023
- 4 min read
It felt like forever to have the decision come back to us.
Three Months of waiting. In that time you have the discussions around excitement, if they grant everything and there are no objections to our plans and design. To the feeling of dread, if they deny the go ahead or even worse there were objections.
We continued through the waiting clearing and keeping the house going.
Finally February 2021 we received our answer. Our Application was approved but with conditions. In other words we had to resolve the conditions that planning asked for and then we can re apply to planning for them to approve the works carried out. Long winded yes, but necessary.
Planning had asked the reason we had two eircodes/postcodes? and requested we delete. one of them. Although we were slightly aware of this we only used one Eircode. We think as the previous owners had intended on building a separate dwelling they had applied for a separate eircode. This was an easy ask, we contacted Geospace who deal with eircodes and they monitor the usage for a while just to ensure the request is valid and then delete the invalid eircode , simple.
The next condition was to prove we wouldn`t use the annexe area for unauthorised business. Which again was simple, in we had to write a statement stating that this was the case.
The third was a slightly bigger job, The Cesspit. We were given a deadline of 3 months to have everything sorted and our reapplication in with Planning.
We are not on a mains sewage system, we have a Septic Tank/Cesspit.
We are new to this so have learnt alot over the last few years. Such as I cannot use bleach, or the usual cleaning products as it can only cope with natural products which wont destroy the natural bacteria. We now use Ecover https://amzn.to/447Zm8t
Which I have grown to love and tend to only use this now for all household cleaning. So I feel I am doing a little more to support the environment.
The position of the cesspit isn`t great and almost stands proud and high as the focal point of our garden.
In order to reposition the cesspit will be costly so it will stay where it is, but open to ideas on how to make a cesspit look pretty ?
As it turns out, although the pipes had ben laid, they were laid in the wrong position, which was running down the garden. Which meant if there was a problem the contents of our pit would have ended up in the field at the bottom of our garden, Very smelly and very embarrassing. So the pipes should have been running across the garden and not down. However it appeared that the pipes were not connected at all, and there was no perculation area. No wonder our veggie garden grew so well!!
It took approximately 3 months, lots of phone calls, emails, We will be there but cancel at the last minute or no shows , to have someone come and quote for the job. But once they had they came out quickly. We were about a week away from our deadline a bit too close for comfort as we didnt want to lose everything we had done on our application to restart again. So again that word stress comes into the equation. The think positive and meditation books made an appearance https://amzn.to/3pnpM7j
These helped along with daily walks to the beach, regain some sanity and peace.
The work started at 8 am on a Monday in May 2021. I remember as I had a weeks leave, and was chilling having my morning coffee in my PJs with plans to walk the pooch to the beach when all hell broke loose on the drive way. I was shocked to see some huge machinery outside, so quickly, Very quickly got changed, apologised to Bodhi that he may have to wait a little while. The work was about to start. A chap called James was in charge, and within minutes there were diggers and tractors all over the garden.
It is fascinating watching the machinery close up and how powerful it is.
We had few tree stumps, from old trees and trees we had felled. I was asked if they would like me to dig these up while the digger was there, and it made it easier for them to work , so yes, this was so easy for the machines .
They began to dig up our garden to gain access to the pipes.
The diggers started to move down to the bottom of the garden.
As you can see from the picture below, the Cesspit is in total view, up high.
But also makes a smashing viewpoint
A new perculation area was installed. This is the area for drainage and where it treats separates and disposes of the waste.
You can see this in the photo halfway down the picture to the left of the tank.
We dont notice this at all only when mowing the lawn now as it is well camouflaged with a pretty lid!! https://amzn.to/3NCYQIy
The work took approximately 3 - 4 days. Not really a chilled out leave for me, but still was entertaining.
This is our garden currently. If you look closely you will see the 4 pipes in the ground. We will adjust these in the future so that they are not so prominant, but for now we are happy this work is complete. This was a big job and a big expense that we weren`t expecting. That contingency already straining!!
We received all the paperwork to say works had been completed and everything complied with regulations.
The Grass really is greener on the otherside of the Cesspit.
We now had everything we needed to apply for planning again, Our Eircode had been deleted, We had our written statement of we dont have a business and the cesspit works were complete and comply.
Only another 3 months to wait for a decision. Now where did I put those stress help books. https://amzn.to/435V4NB
`Here I sit Broken Hearted, Tried to Poop But Only Farted` :)
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