Planning permission for a cemetery!

delmar39

Hi there. Our house is currently on the market (been up for sale for just over a week) and although it's on a new development (5 years old now), it's on the South/East edge overlooking some common land and a horses paddock. However, the local council was granted planning permission to build a cemetery on the horses paddock last year, but work has yet to start as the current lease isn't up until March 2010, at which point work can start in principle.

We have had one viewing so far and this particular couple were already aware of the cemetery proposals. However, I'm unsure of what to do when other prospective buyers come around i.e. should I tell them about the proposals OR should I let them find out through the searches? My concern is that if someone puts an offer in unaware of the cemetery proposals and we accept, they could then pull out further down the line when they find out.

The council has guaranteed that they will landscape it properly and screen out what they can with shrubs and trees. However, it's not everyone's cuppa living opposite a cemetery although at least it's not a housing development and it will be a home for the current variety of wildlife that we see each and every day.

So, in summary then, what would you do? Would you be up front with people when they view or would you play your cards close to your chest? It's a potential stumbling block I think, at least until work has commenced or is completed so I'm keen to do the right thing.

Thoughts welcome.

Fire_Fox

Don't searches for part of the HIP, isn't the cemetery in that?

delmar39

Hi, yes they do form part of the hip, but as our house has been on the market for less than a week, the house is being marketed with a part hip - we have 28 days to get the full version completed with the searches, so as things stand, the searches won't show this up just yet. So, it's whether or not to be upfront given that this info is currently missing.

Cazzr

I can think of worse things to be living next too.. At least it would be quiet, and unlikely to ever be built on...

00ec25

no brainer - you gain nothing and just waste your own time if someone pulls out down the line having subsequently found out about the cementery and decided it's not for them

be up front and tell them, emphasise the major advantage of a cemetery over a field, it can never be built on, so the view you will have of it is guaranteed compared to the view of a nice paddock later replaced by one of (high density) housing

realistically how many viewers will you get before the full HIP anyway?

pulliptears

Personally, it wouldn't put me off one bit, if anything it would be a bonus to know that an estate couldn't be built on the land.

I've always found cemetery's very serene relaxing places though

DVardysShadow

There will be some buyers for whom it will be offputting. Be upfront, so as not to waste their time and yours. Other buyers will see it as a distinct advantage.

It is a bit like Marmite, people either love it or hate it. Remember you will ultimately only sell to one person or family, so don't feel you need to make your house appeal to the whole of the market [ie hide the fact of the cemetery] - it only needs to make it appeal to the people who will want to buy it.

tek-monkey

I'd be well happy living next to a cemetary, that'd be an extra tick for me.

barnaby-bear

pulliptears wrote: »

Personally, it wouldn't put me off one bit, if anything it would be a bonus to know that an estate couldn't be built on the land.

I've always found cemetery's very serene relaxing places though

I'd see it as a plus too - nice quiet neighbours, no risk of housing estate over development and a nice green open space, no risk of business park and lots of traffic, low density site usage, a nice park with ornaments in my view.... only usually better security/maintenance than normal parks and no screaming kiddy playgrounds......

PasturesNew

The cemetary close to where I used to live had some bushes just inside the gates. The homeless started living in the bushes. They'd be drinking all day and shouting/drunk at night.

maninthestreet

At least you can say you live in the dead centre of your town. People will be dying to come and live nearby.