Why utilities kill small-developer margin before exchange
A scheme that absorbs £180,000 of unplanned electricity reinforcement is a scheme that loses its margin. Mains extension at £150 to £300 per metre, a new substation at £40,000 to £250,000, or a wastewater treatment works with no published headroom can wipe out the residual land value on a 1 to 9 unit site between offer and exchange.
A utilities capacity review is the desktop screening of mains water, foul drainage, electricity, gas and telecoms capacity at an English development site. It tells an SME housebuilder, before the bid, before the option, and before the lender valuer asks, whether the receiving networks have published headroom for the proposed scheme, what formal confirmation work is needed, and what abnormal cost provision belongs in the bid model.
PF & Co produces the standalone desktop utilities review within Site Appraisal (£199 to £399), and as a deeper layer within the Feasibility Intelligence and Pre-Application packs. 48 hours from confirmed boundary and brief. Formal capacity confirmation by water and electricity providers is a separate workstream commissioned where the desktop layer flags risk.
Order a Site Appraisal via Site Appraisal for developers, or see a sample report first.
When a utilities capacity review is triggered
Utilities review is triggered earlier and more often than most small developers expect. The common flags are:
- All major applications and most minor applications outside fully-serviced urban areas.
- Sites where the receiving water company has published capacity constraints, common in growth areas with stretched WwTW (Wastewater Treatment Works) headroom.
- Sites where the local DNO (district network operator) has published reinforcement constraints on the receiving primary or bulk supply point.
- Rural and edge-of-settlement sites where mains is at distance and extension cost is material to the bid.
- Sites where existing buildings are off-mains or only partially serviced, including septic tanks, package treatment plants, or single-phase supplies.
- Developments above standard load thresholds, including EV-heavy schemes, district heating, electric-only specifications, and any scheme with significant heat pump load.
Most LPAs do not require a formal utilities report at validation. Lender valuers, QSs, brokers, JV partners and Investment Committee papers usually do. Without one, abnormal costs of utility extension, reinforcement contributions and connection charges are routinely missed at the bid model stage and surface at the worst possible point in the deal: pre-exchange, after legal spend, after option fee, after exclusivity.
Indicative cost ranges that belong in the bid model from day one: water mains extension £150 to £300 per metre, electricity reinforcement £30,000 to £200,000 depending on scale, new substation £40,000 to £250,000.
What our desktop utilities review covers
The desktop utilities layer pulls from published statutory undertaker datasets, DNO capacity heat maps, Ofcom and Openreach coverage, and OS geometry. Outputs are written for a small-developer bid model and an IC paper, not for an in-house technical team you do not have.
| In our desktop utilities layer | Sourced from |
|---|---|
| Mains water capacity | Receiving water company published capacity statements |
| Foul drainage capacity | Receiving WwTW and sewer-asset mapping where available |
| Electricity capacity | DNO capacity heat maps (UK Power Networks, Northern Powergrid, SP Energy Networks, SSE, Electricity North West, National Grid Electricity Distribution) |
| Gas capacity | National Gas, Cadent, NGN published constraints |
| Telecoms (fibre, cable, mobile) | Openreach and alternative network published coverage |
| Indicative existing connections on or near site | Aerial imagery and statutory undertakers' published asset routes, with confidence rating |
| Indicative distance to mains for each utility | OS geometry and statutory undertakers' published asset records, with confidence rating |
| Indicative connection cost provision | Industry benchmark with scheme-specific scaling |
| Reinforcement cost trigger | DNO published reinforcement methodology where available |
| District heat and off-grid considerations | Local Heat Network Zoning policy |
Each utility receives a red, amber or green risk rating, a map extract, an abnormal cost allowance for the bid model, a named provider request list with indicative fee and turnaround, and a next-step timeline. Where foul drainage flags arise, the utilities review pairs with our desktop drainage strategy.
The desktop utilities review is screening evidence for the bid model and the IC paper. Where formal request-to-undertake or capacity confirmation work is needed, the report names the workstream, indicative cost range and typical timeline.
What this desktop utilities review does not replace
The desktop layer is a screen, not a sign-off, and it does not replace any specialist consultant report. The following are commissioned where the desktop flags risk:
Water and foul. Formal water company request-to-undertake or capacity confirmation letter, typically £200 to £500 with 4 to 8 week turnaround. Sewer-asset plan confirmation by the receiving water company.
Power and gas. Formal DNO capacity statement or Connection Quotation, typical fee plus 4 to 12 week turnaround. Formal gas capacity letter from the receiving gas transporter. Chartered electrical engineer signed-off design.
Telecoms. Formal Openreach demand letter for fibre provision.
On-site verification. Engineer-led utilities study with site-specific load calculations, on-site dig to expose existing services, and Section 50 highway licence (New Roads and Street Works Act 1991) for service installation. See the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 on legislation.gov.uk for the licence regime.
Where any of these are triggered, the report names the specialist study, indicative cost range and typical timeline.
Four packs, one recommendation
Most small developers should start with Site Appraisal, unless they are within two weeks of a pre-app meeting or a lender review, in which case Feasibility Intelligence or the Pre-Application Pack is the right entry point.
| Pack | What it does for utilities | Decision moment | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Site Appraisal | Identifies mains capacity flags, distance to network, indicative connection cost provision | Bid, option, heads of terms | From £199, 48 hours |
| Feasibility Intelligence | Adds utility abnormal cost provision and reinforcement trigger to bid model | Pre-acquisition or pre-architect | From £895, 48 hours |
| Pre-Application Pack | Adds full desktop utilities review for IC paper or funder pack | Pre-app meeting booked | From £1,995, 48 hours |
| Planning Intelligence Pack | Desktop utilities review delivered alongside commissioned formal capacity confirmation | Application submission | Bespoke, 48 hours |
See what is included in our 48-hour desktop pack.
Send the boundary today
Send postcode, red-line boundary, intended use and indicative dwelling count via the order form. Receive within 48 hours the utilities constraint screen, red/amber/green ratings for water, foul, power, gas and telecoms, distance to network, indicative reinforcement provision, and a named provider request list.
From £199 for Site Appraisal. £895 for Feasibility Intelligence. £1,995 for the Pre-Application Pack. Bespoke pricing for Planning Intelligence delivered alongside formal capacity confirmation.
Order a Site Appraisal at Site Appraisal for developers. Or see a sample report first. For wider context, see GOV.UK planning permission guidance.