About 1,400 Hoylake homes can get a free rainwater planter, fitted and planted by United Utilities. Who is eligible, what you need, and how to register.
About 1,400 homes in Hoylake can have a rainwater planter fitted for free by United Utilities. The planter sits under a downpipe and catches roof water before it reaches the sewer. Registration is open now, with no closing date given.
United Utilities announced the scheme on 19 October. It says the window is open “for a limited time” and expects a lot of interest, so it is asking people to register early.
Who can get one
The scheme page says eligibility is generally limited to homes in Hoylake connected to the main sewer network, about 1,400 of them. You check by entering your house number and postcode.
The map on the page draws the boundary along the seafront side of town, taking in North Parade, The Kings Gap and Market Street. The postcode checker is the final word on whether your home is in.
To have one fitted, the form asks you to confirm that:
- you have a plastic (PVC) downpipe, not cast iron
- there is a drain close to the downpipe
- the downpipe is on your own property
- there is room for the planter, which is 820mm high and 570mm wide and deep
The form also asks whether you would want planters on other downpipes, subject to terms.
What you get
According to United Utilities:
- the planter, delivered and installed free
- four low-maintenance starter plants
- storage for up to about 100 litres of rainwater, about 20 litres of it reusable on the garden through a tap
- a frost-proof design
Its installer, Ipsum, contacts eligible households to arrange a date, the scheme page says.
Why Hoylake
Rain from most roofs runs straight into the drains and mixes with foul water, adding to the load on the sewers in a downpour. United Utilities says the Hoylake scheme aims to cut storm overflow spills, improve water quality in local watercourses and ease pressure on the drains. A typical house roof collects around 30,000 litres of rain a year, it says.
It is part of the company’s £280 million rainwater management programme across the North West. The same offer has run in Prestwich, Hale and the Cheshire villages of Bunbury and Spurstow.
Hoylake is a town where water management is already a live issue. Work began in August on the Hoylake Carrs wetland, which will hold 45,000 cubic metres of floodwater above Meols.
What it means for you
If you live in Hoylake and own your home, check your postcode on the scheme page now. It costs nothing and the company expects demand to be high. United Utilities describes the offer as for homeowners, so if you rent, talk to your landlord before registering.
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