Property situated near Electrical substation and past mining activity?

Mk123

Hi everyone,
So we finally found a house to buy in a preferable location in UK. Everything worked fine for us till the mortgage/bank has done their survey. And the report highlighted this few things that's putting us in doubt to buy it:
1. Property situated in a area of past mining activity
2. Influencing distance of a electrical sub station (behind the backyard fence)
3. Trees near house and may affect on media coverage.

I'm mainly worried about electrical substation behind the house and history of mining activity. Is that going to cause any problem? The bank survey haven't recommended to do any deep survey and we weren't planning to do it either. They also mentioned the above issues wouldn't affect much on house valuation. It's a semi detached house near town area. I'm also planning to sell it after couple of years when family gets bigger. So Should I be avoiding this or negotiate a bit with the seller? We've been looking for a house for a while now. And this specific area n location suits us. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you.

Cocorita

Stay away from it. More than all, because of the electrical substation. Mines might be well managed and all ( I know of several areas with coal mines underneth that were ok for more tahn 100 years.. No warranties, mind, but still...)
But electrical subs seem to be quite dangerous. There is no absolute proof of it, but I wouldn't hazard my life tbh

kdotdotdotdot

I'm in a similar position - buying a property with an electric substation just behind the back fence. It's been there since the house was built and doesn't seem to have caused any problems. What issues would you expect?

Thankfully no trees or mining in my area!

panam

Take a look at: http://www.emfs.info/policy/property-uk/survey-reports/

Assuming yours is a final distribution substation the 'safe' distance is just a couple of metres away. But when you sell, your purchasers may feel they want a wider margin.
Also some substations make buzzing noises, which would put me off. I don't mind being fried by emf radiation, but I'd never be able to relax in the garden if it buzzed all the time.

Mk123

Hmm I was more worried about the past mining activity thing actually. The electrical sub station I'm talking about are those green boxed (final distribution) thing, boundary with wall. which seemed safe to me. However, the survey made it sound like this could have effect of electrical magnetic field. Idk if I'm making any sense. It is behind my backyard fence with a small car size gap (after the fence). Do u still think this final distribution station be a reason not to go for this house? Thank you for the reply!

Mk123

@panam. It is the final distribution with wall all around it with no roof. It's just few meters away from my back fence, and have a garden at the front. As far as i kno sound won't be an issue but its the safety. Worth mentioning we've 2 kids, 5 years and 3 years old. I'm concerned about the safety about mining and the electricity. And also I'd be selling it later on. So I'm thinking if it is is safe to stay, I'll be negotiating more with the seller. Thanks for the reply.

jaybeetoo

I wouldn’t buy a house next to a substation. It will be surrounded by an electromagnetic field. Do you know where the cables are that go to it?

As had been said, they can make a noise.

If you’re having doubts, think about your buyers when you come to sell. It may put them off.

I also wouldn’t buy a house near overhead cables.

Mk123

@jaybeetoo Definitely re thinking about my decision now. I didn't really think those small substation would be a big deal. I believe it was there for a while now. And the house was built long ago too (1980s). I was more worried about history of mining. Its just life would have been so easy it it was this house. But of course safely comes first. Thanks for the reply anyway

kdotdotdotdot

Hi @Mk123: as a fellow possible sub-station home buyer, I can totally understand your qualms. From a safety perspective, it seems to be negligible. I just had a look at the same question posted earlier in the forums:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5368514/dream-home-near-sub-station
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3909027/is-it-safe-to-live-next-door-to-an-electric-sub-station

Regarding the mining, I'm assuming you're getting a survey done? That and your solicitor searches *should* show up any issues (but it never hurts to prod them to check).

I don't know about your place, but I've stood and listened for the 'hum' and it's very slight and only audible when standing next to it. The bees in the rose bushes were louder.

kdotdotdotdot

There's also this, which is obviously from a company that's selling EMF surveys so take with a pinch of salt, but may be of interest. I'm going to ask my surveyor if they can do this.

If you live in a home or own a business in an area with pylons or substations nearby, and are concerned about the possible health risks, then what can you do? You can hire a consulting company to do an EMF survey of your property.

A professional EMF consulting company will come to your home or business. They’ll conduct a survey, searching for significant sources of EMFs both inside and outside. They may also look for stray currents, “dirty electricity” and more. They may test for low-frequency electric and magnetic fields, and also radio frequency radiation. Consultants will use specialized tools such as EMF monitors, meters and analyzers.
https://substation-health-risks.co.uk/should-we-be-worried-about-final-distribution-substations-and-pylons/

Davesnave

People are always more concerned about potential risks they can isolate and see clearly, like power lines and substations, while ignoring more proven risks through things like air pollution, radon and elements of their normal food intake.

For years we lived in a polluted city where air quality sometimes fell below minimum standards, and until we had it tested, the radon in our house was above the action level. We also ate a lot of processed meat and had barbecues, both of which contribute to an increased risk of cancers.

Were we bothered? Frankly, no. We needed to be in the city at that time. Now, we have the luxury of living in the unpolluted countryside.

Even less bothered was the professor of physics, a few doors down, who had an office built at the end of his garden, directly behind which was the local electricity sub station!

Life is full of risks. Every time your kids get into the car they're at much greater risk than living near a sub-station, the emissions of which can be checked, as someone else has said.