While the UK continues to wrestle with housing shortages and the need for urban expansion, new housing developments are urgently required. Behind every successful planning consent and development, there are a number of challenges developers have had to overcome. Ensuring seamless utility provision is one of the most critical—and often overlooked—components of a successful development.
Utility hurdles
Utility provision on new housing developments is rarely straightforward. Developers face a host of challenges, including:
- Coordination with multiple utility providers: each utility has its own regulatory framework, timelines, and technical requirements.
- Infrastructure limitations: in rural or semi-rural areas, existing infrastructure may be insufficient to support new demand.
- Planning delays: utility installations often lag behind construction schedules, causing costly delays.
- Regulatory compliance: developers have to navigate a confusing maze of local authority regulations and national standards.
These issues can extend development timelines, increase costs to developers, and frustrate future homeowners, who are waiting on the property ladder.
Utility solutions
- Seek advice – the earlier the better. If you’re thinking about purchasing land for development, it’s worth knowing what utilities are present – and what might be required. While overhead electricity lines are clearly visible, there may be underground electricity cables, as well as buried gas mains, oil pipelines, sewer pipes, or water mains – all running below your potentially valuable development land.
- Bear in mind that utilities often require engineering offsets – easement distances – on either side. Having to comply with these may eat up the amount of developable area on your site.
- Check legal documents – make sure that there are no agreements in place that would prevent you from moving/diverting the utility in question. If it’s not possible to move it – you may be able to cross it or claim compensation for its being in situ.
- Commission trial holes on site – not all utilities appear on their respective operators’ records or in deeds.
Once you’ve mapped out the locations of those utilities, you’ll be in a position to start planning out your development, but before doing so, it’s essential that you identify existing capacities on site – your future development will need electricity, water and broadband. If those capacities aren’t available, your planning application will go nowhere. A proactive approach will help to avoid any nasty surprises down the line.
If any utilities are likely to require diversion off site, remember that reaching an agreement with third party landowners can lead to further delays. Bear this in mind and approach other parties as early as possible.
How BTS can help
Technical Expertise and Risk Mitigation
Ideally you’ll require a utility statement to support your planning application – to provide an overview of all the utilities on your site, identify any issues that might impede your development, pinpoint points of connection and determine available capacities on site.
By identifying risks early on, such as capacity constraints or regulatory hurdles, BTS can help you avoid delays and budget overruns.
Utility Budget Costs
Collating budget applications for suppliers to confirm sufficient capacity and provide new points of connection, and the likely costs of associated diversions or reinforcements to existing apparatus is a painful, but essential process. Possessing this information will reinforce your case when seeking planning consent. BTS can do this for you.
Sustainability
In an era of climate consciousness, BTS can advise on integrating green technologies, such as EV charging infrastructure. Our guidance can help developers future-proof their projects and meet evolving sustainability targets.
Why it Matters
Utility infrastructure is no longer a minor concern – as housing demand continues to rise, the importance of robust, well-planned utility infrastructure cannot be overstated. For years, BTS has been specialising in turning utility constraints into opportunities. Seeking our advice will help you stay ahead of the game and eventually win the race.
