[AnnS]

Just looking for a wee bit of info. We have a septic tank only for our use on our land, goes into the burn. People from industrial estate next door mentioned they are going to apply for permission to build offices, they apparently have no main drainage, don't know what they currently do but spotted a pipe going into wooded area. Think this has been brought to the attention of the council, one of the dog walkers told me about it. He said he intended to put in a septic tank and the pipe would need to be either across our garden or the farmers bit. I don't particularly want this but if it goes ahead don't want this to be a casual arrangement as concerned there may be hassle were we to sell in the future. Anyone had any experience of a situation like this. Suppose it must be fairly common but not something I know anything about.
Thanks.

[Buttermilk]

I suspect that they have no legal right to go over your garden or the farmers piece so it is something that I would not allow and they will have to sort out a soak away in another place.

[AnnS]

Thank you, definitely a septic tank, our garden and the field floods. Will be keeping a close eye on them, the ground is already cleared, strongly suspect they have been told to get their drainage sorted out. The current arrangement consists of large brown pipe going into wooded area which isn't their ground.

[henchard]

Is it a septic tank or a soak-away they're after?  A septic tank is a containment vessel with a capacity and would require to be emptied, a soak away does what it says... 

Slight clarification

A cess pit is a containment vessel that needs to be emptied very regularly, a septic tank is a passive biologigal effluent treatment tank that has a soakaway to distribute the liquid contant to the subsoil (and thus naturally provide a further 'polishing' of the effluent). The solids from a septic tank are emptied infrequently (typically yearly from the average household).

I'd agree with most of the rest of the post though (although I have no knowledge of Scottish Law).

[Womble]

Be very careful then.  We've been in a similar situation, and our solicitor advised us that firstly we shouldn't allow anything to be done without written permission, and secondly not to give such permission!

I'd be having a wee look over the weekend at where that pipe goes to, and what's coming out of it. It sounds as though it may be the overflow from an existing septic tank. If they want to take the overflow from a new tank across the farmer's field and into the burn, that's one thing. Having a soakaway on your land or next to it is not the same thing, and is something I'd try to avoid if at all possible!

[MAK]

The law her is that all homes that are not on mains drainage must have a septic tank that has a single outlet that takes fluid to pipes with slits in to drain water out of. These pipes form a drainage bed and sit on a gravel ( we needed 20 tons) BUt only if the subsoil passes a soak test. No  outflow can pass into a stream, lake or farmers field. The tank size depends upon number in the household as does the drainage bed. We have  good subsoil drainage and for a household of 4 had to have 4 X 15 meters of pipes ( 2.5 meters apart) sat on 300cm of fine gravel then covered in a weed proof membrane.
The authorities visit and send you a spec, you get a quote against their plan and once work starts the authorities return to inspect all pipe work and the obligatory vent pipes before the builders cover over the trenches and septic tank with 500cm of soil. Rain water from barn roves and house must not go into the septic tank and you need a grease trap between kitchen and septic tank as fat stops the biological processes that breakdown solids in the tank.
The above is French law but may also be European law.
Cost 7-9 k €. Or nothing if you say you have no money and don't do the work.
oh - a friend's garden is on rock so his waste goes down a hill for 50 meters , under a road to his field and a drainage area. His plan for an orchard there was stuffed.