property next to el substation

bednim

hi,

me and my partner are looking for a property to buy. we have found a detached house which we really like - 3 bed, 2 reception rooms, garage, good size garden. but there is a substation 2-3 meters next to the house. to be more precise, the property finishes and station starts, but as mentioned above, it is very close the house.

would you be concerned about it being there? i don't know what exactly is inside, but the outside is built of brick, and regarding noise, i couldn't hear anything, when stood next to it, around 1 meter away.

i try to research web about it, if its safe, not emitting any radiation or other 'bad stuff' but couldnt really find answers that could be 100% genuine. people are saying stay away, but not really explaining why? other are saying that wouldn't be bothered about it at all.

we haven't got any children as for now, but in future we would like to have kids. none of us has got any health problems.

please, what is your opinion regarding this matter?

thank you very much for you input.

Sooetie

If I had a choice I'd find somewhere else

Nowadays you don't seem to see the electric substations so close to a house - maybe that should set alarm bells ringing

conradmum

It isn't only a matter of whether you want to live there, but also whether you'll be able to sell the house later. Other buyers will have the same concerns as you.

paddedjohn

Is this in Spain? el substation

bednim

Hi,

Thank you for your replies.

No, it isn't in Spain ;-) . Please excuse me this short wording. I meant electrical substation.

Regarding proximity of the station, my biggest concern is health issues. Could this possibly be hazardous to us? Cause any illnesses? House had some viewings already but no one put an offer through. This could be the reason I believe.

We are thinking of long term living in any bought property but we don't want to buy one that will struggle to sell in future if need be.

Thank you!

Jimbo1976

Its probably worth having a chat with a solicitor. The substation will be picked up on the environmental report and this may impact on whether lenders are happy to give a mortgage on it. Lenders will typically rely on the comments from the surveyor so if you don't get any luck speak to a surveyor.

If this property seems a lot cheaper than similar properties in the same road but not so close to the substation this may be the reason.

C_Mababejive

It really doesnt matter. Lots of people live near or on top of utilities and simply dont know and are non the wiser. People live with big gas mains on their doorstep some of them at high pressure. Some people live with big fat electric cables on their doorstep. Only the other day i noted a house which has a 6Kv cable running through its back garden and actually under a section of the house.

Lister_2

I agree with C_Mababejive. The people saying stay away are like you, afraid of some nebulous "bad stuff" which doesn't exist. People always make a song and dance about living near pylons, stating cancer scares, when the pylon is simply a metal prop for the high voltage wires that run overhead of millions of homes that nobody spares a second thought to.

However, I also agree with conradmum. If it's giving you pause, it will also give any potential buyers pause, so you should consider that if you are going to want to sell in the future.

DaftyDuck

As Lister above.... but I don't agree with "that nobody spares a second thought to"... I think they probably do think about them, especially if there's an alternative to not having them there. I'd rather not have a sewerage plant next door, even if assured it didn't smell, or any "odd" item. Substation is a minor one, but it's there nonetheless.

I'd think twice if I were looking at buying it from you, when you sell on. There may not be any health effects, but that's not saying there definitely are none. There's also the possibility of noise - these things tend to hum, and hum at one frequency.... which might just be irritating beyond belief. I'm also not sure what effect they'll have on wireless networks and even phone signals.

My very first house (many years ago)in low-lying Norfolk had a tiny water drainage pumping substation about a hundred yards away. It was absolutely no problem. Until they changed a pump and THUNK. it made THUNK a noise when the system was turned on and off. Silent in between, but very irritating. Luckily for selling, it was only noticeable at night, but when it rained, it was very noticeable.

princeofpounds

Be careful, there be juju in dem cables!

Actually the EM fields are pretty much indistinguishable from background fields (such as from domestic electricity) within 5m or so, or if metal fencing is done properly, anywhere outside the fence.

Perhaps you might have a very slightly elevated field on one edge of a room at the most.

As for whether high EM fields cause any health risks, the evidence is generally quite inconclusive. Many studies find no risks at all. Some have found a very very minor risk from living next to huge great high voltage pylons, but the methodologies are pretty disputable.

But whatever the situation, you'd probably do better to worry about traffic pollution, proper ventiation or a slippy doorstep, than electricity.

Having said that, people will always worry about things like this and that could affect the ease of a later re-sale I suppose. There's also the aesthetic issue.


http://www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/Radiation/UnderstandingRadiation/InformationSheets/info_SubstationsAndEmfs/

http://www.emfs.info/Sources+of+EMFs/Substations/Final+distribution+substations/

hjd

A friend of mine sold her house just next door to an electricity substation a couple of years ago.
It did take a long time to sell, and a lot of viewers were specifically put off by the substation.