Offered lovely house with a problem, to buy or not to buy, that is the question.

Davesnave

Mgman1965 wrote: »

C/ Has been on the market for £375k for 6 months without a real sniff of genuine interest (it's got a big garden to the side with the brook running by and with good frontage and told a few developers wanted it, hoping I suppose to demolish it and put a mini estate on its land and make a killing as no uplift clause, pull out as soon as they realise it won't happen as was refused a few years ago due to flooding ).
BIL says I could likely have it for around the 250k mark.

If the village is picturesque, the reason for refusal might be more to do with overdevelopment of the plot where builders are concerned. A well-off private individual might not have the same problem, because they could design a single replacement dwelling to suit. It probably depends on the aesthetic value of the existing cottage, because there's a sound agument for replacement otherwise.

We once looked at a flood-prone building plot in a village that isn't very picturesque. The council were insisting on landscaping, using a berm to protect the property and define its raised site, but we thought that there might be other solutions too, like an undercroft.

However, many large waterside trees, all protected and blocking light from the site, were what killed it for us.....that and a nearby low-quality housing estate. We didn't bid.

The house eventually built on that site sits on the berm, but part juts out, raised up on concrete piers. A concrete deck continues almost to the stream. The effect is really good.

However, all the trees are still there!