Building plot worth the risk ?

Mgman1965

I found this property on the Rightmove Android app and wanted you to see it: http://www.rightmove.co.uk/s6p/77114333

This looks a great plot at a good price.

It's a good size and would have stunning views over open rolling countryside.

BUT.

There is the potential for its stunning views to be ever so slightly changed by a dual carriageway village bypass.

The village is very badly congested at peak times and has been for years, and a bypass has been on the cards for over 25yrs. The bypass route has been decided and approved and was almost started then the DFT withdrew the funding due to austerity and it fell through.

That was a few years ago and there is a campaign by villagers on a regular basis to try and get the funding back so could be built in a couple of years or not for another 20+.

Village plots like this are a rarity but am worried any house on this plot if it is built (and could be quite close) would be forever blighted by noise and pollution and plummet in value compared to now without.

So would you build your forever home on it ?

Slithery

Depends how close you're talking about...

Cakeguts

I don't understand the access. Anything you build on there will be very overlooked by the house that is already there.

Mgman1965

Cakeguts wrote: »

I don't understand the access. Anything you build on there will be very overlooked by the house that is already there.

I assume access is via a long driveway and the front of the new house would face away from the present one with the garden ut the front of the new hose so not overlooked.

davidmcn

Mgman1965 wrote: »

The bypass route has been decided and approved

Would help if you showed us what the route is.

EachPenny

davidmcn wrote: »

Would help if you showed us what the route is.

It would appear to be this:-

https://www3.northamptonshire.gov.uk/councilservices/northamptonshire-highways/major-highway-projects/Documents/Major%20highways%20projects/Isham%20Scheme%20Layout.pdf

The route appears to be in a deep cutting at the closest point to the plot, but then emerges onto a substantial embankment to cross the river to the south.

The thing that would concern me as much as the noise and visual intrusion is the possibility of future housing development on the land between the village and the new bypass. It seems standard practice for a new road to become the new development boundary.

davidmcn

Also, until if and when the bypass is ever built, you're going to have an annoyingly busy road even closer to you.

Mutton_Geoff

The problem with plots like this is that the real developers are not interested since it's got this far and not been sold.

Many developers are hand in hand with local agents since the agent knows they will get two bites of the cherry. A normal "retail" sale of the plot usually means there's no money in it. Bad for a private developer who will take all of the risk with none of the upside.

You can see in the aerial shot all the cars shoved together at one end to make access to this plot look better.

Bypass aside, this would be better as a whole plot with the main house. Demolish that and build 2-3 houses on the plot, not try to squeeze something out of the back garden.

EachPenny

davidmcn wrote: »

Also, until if and when the bypass is ever built, you're going to have an annoyingly busy road even closer to you.

Especially as the site is at the end of the village where the speed limit changes from 30mph to 60mph, and with a nice straight road ahead people are likely to be planting their foot heavily on the right-hand pedal just at that point.

Mgman1965 wrote: »

So would you build your forever home on it ?

The point I'd make is this is not going to be your forever home, it is someone else's home which you might live in forever.

The planning history for the site doesn't make good reading. The current consent was only won on appeal, the decision was dated 12 May 2017. The development has to commence within 3 years of that date.

Are you happy with the consented design? Would you feel it is your home once built? Normally part of the attraction of building a home is the ability to have it designed and built to your wishes. If you aren't happy as it is, then you need to think about going back through the planning process with your own preferred design (bearing in mind the proposals previously rejected) taking into account that you too might need to appeal against an initial refusal. Meanwhile the clock is ticking down to 12 May 2020...

You also need to be aware of the leylandii type trees in the garden. According to the planning documents it would appear these will be staying whether you like them or not. :undecided

Mutton_Geoff wrote: »

Bypass aside, this would be better as a whole plot with the main house. Demolish that and build 2-3 houses on the plot, not try to squeeze something out of the back garden.

There is a lovely cedar tree in the middle of the plot. It appears not to have a TPO, but it is staying whatever. That imposes quite a restriction on what else you can do by the looks of it.

Davesnave

As above, I wouldn't build my forever home there due to the existing A class road.

Fine countryside views are good to have, but if they're only achievable by being close to existing property and busy infrastructure then their value is eroded.

Building plots in or close to the countryside are tricky in this respect. They tend to be in places where development is happening or scheduled to happen, which leaves them at the mercy of others' 'forever' plans.

The alternative is to seek out much more readily-available rural property and re-develop, though there are still few complete guarantees of preserving views. We did this, but although we control the view behind, in theory, a farmer could build a large barn in front of our plot without even requiring planning permission.

There are always compromises.

Gwendo40

Personally I don't find the views that inspiring, it's just looks like intensively managed farmland, probably saturated in pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertiliser.