Self lay

Developers, did you know you can use a self-lay provider to design and install new mains and service connections?

While water companies have traditionally installed all new mains and services, you can now contract a self-lay provider (SLP) to carry out contestable main laying and connection work on your behalf. The SLP applies to us to carry out all, or some, of the contestable work and when it’s done, we’ll adopt the newly installed public assets.

SLPs aren’t the only providers who can do this work; you can also approach a new appointment and variation (NAV) and, of course, you can still requisition new mains and service connections directly from us. But if you do decide to complete the work under a self-lay agreement, you’ll need to use a WIRS accredited self-lay provider.

Learn more about the self-lay journey below.

Self-lay providers

If you’re a self-lay provider (SLP) or you’re looking to employ an SLP to lay new water infrastructure, you’ll need to make sure the self-lay works follow Ofwat’s ‘Codes for Adoption’.

Your self-lay journey

Click on the tabs below to find out what you need to do – and what we’ll do – at each stage of your journey. You might also want to take a look at the Water Sector Guidance on the official Codes for Adoption .

What to think about before you apply:

• Do you need to confirm the point of connection to the site? (See Step 1).
• Have you chosen an accredited SLP and a competent principal designer?
• Have you read our Annual Contestability Summary to understand what work the SLP can do?
• Do you want the SLP or Yorkshire Water to design the main scheme?
• What was the previous use of the land you’re developing on? (Greenfield or brownfield?)
• If the land is brownfield, have you had a contamination assessment done?
• Do you know what size connections you need? (Household connections are usually 25mm).
• Are you eligible for a reduction to your infrastructure charges?
• Will you be installing any water re-use systems? (E.g. rainwater, boreholes/springs or grey water?)
• Is your development project notifiable to the HSE? (If so, we’ll need a copy of your F10 Notice).

Calculate a free estimate for works on a large development site, including new water main installations and individual plot connections. Ideal for professional developers and self-lay providers.

This is a .xlsx document which can be opened with Microsoft Excel.

At the detailed planning stage of development, you can submit a point of connection (POC) enquiry to confirm the point(s) where a self-laid main can be connected to our existing mains network. In response, we’ll provide you with a POC report that’s valid for 12 months.

What you need to do: ​

• Fill out a POC enquiry form using the link below. ​
• Make sure you include all the supporting documents we need – these are listed in the form. ​
• Pay the application fee: £229.20 (incl. VAT). ​

What we’ll do: ​

• Get back to you within 5 days to let you know we’ve got everything, or if we’re missing any details. ​
• Provide you with a full POC report within 14 days of receiving your enquiry (or within 28 days if your site is complex). ​

Just so you know, you can go straight to Step 2 without making a POC enquiry, but please bear in mind that if you apply without a valid POC report, we’ll need some additional time (14/28 days) to confirm the POC before we can prepare a quote.