New Build on Contaminated Land

Fatbloke1972

Hi, I am looking for some urgent help regarding a new house that I am due to reserve on Sunday!
I have been doing some research and have discovered that the land beneath the house in part former landfill. The planning permission has required remediation in the gardens by excavating 600mm of material, covering with a gas membrane and then covering with 600mm of fresh topsoil. Whilst I have no doubts that the remediation will have been done properly, should I be worried about (i) being able to get a mortgage, (ii) being me to build an extension if I ever wanted too, or (iii) being able to sell the property with relative ease in the future?
I'd welcome any views ASAP please. To make matters worse, my wife and disgust have fallen in love with the house! 

Thanks. 

The_Warned

Fatbloke1972 said:

To make matters worse, my wife and disgust have fallen in love with the house!

Is Disgust your daughter or son?

Personally, knowing how well the major building companies construct houses these days, I'd be less confident than you that the gas-proof membrane has been installed properly, but in any case, 60cm down isn't far. What happens when people start growing trees, or will that be banned?  I've built ponds deeper than that and the foundations for extensions on my last two properties have gone down a metre or more.

I hope others can give you a more informed opinion than mine, saying it'll all be just dandy. I'm like a lot of people: very positive about new construction on brownfield sites, so long as it's not me who has to live in them! Matron agrees, her foundations go down a long way too.

davidmcn

Developments on brownfield sites are commonplace, and there wouldn't be much point in them building the houses if they weren't going to be mortgageable. I suspect the new topsoil in the gardens is mostly to prevent contaminants getting into people's vegetable patches rather than something which will prohibit further building.

Fatbloke1972

The_Warned said:

Fatbloke1972 said:

To make matters worse, my wife and disgust have fallen in love with the house!

Is Disgust your daughter or son?

Personally, knowing how well the major building companies construct houses these days, I'd be less confident than you that the gas-proof membrane has been installed properly, but in any case, 60cm down isn't far. What happens when people start growing trees, or will that be banned?  I've built ponds deeper than that and the foundations for extensions on my last two properties have gone down a metre or more.

I hope others can give you a more informed opinion than mine, saying it'll all be just dandy. I'm like a lot of people: very positive about new construction on brownfield sites, so long as it's not me who has to live in them! Matron agrees, her foundations go down a long way too.

Sorry predictive spelling error. Disgust = Daughter 😂
Thanks for the replies, I do wonder what happens when people plant trees and shrubs etc. 

Trying to be optimistic, I wonder how many people might be put off from buying the house when I come to sell years down the line.

theartfullodger

Check the 600mm.  £5 says it won't be .

The people you're dealing with are salespeople not professionals with a code of behaviour.  

Timbosaurus

Check with the Environment Agency (or NRW/SEPA as appropriate), there will almost certainly be a CQA Plan, followed by a CQA Report which will confirm what was actually carried out and why.

GaleSF63

If you are a keen gardener - beware!  When I was very young we moved into a new house built on a quarry with about 600mm topsoil, if that, and it took my parents years of hard work and extra soil to make it into a reasonable garden - but always somewhat limited, because of the lack of depth. Fruit trees grew ok though - I suppose the roots pushed through, though it wasn't contaminated just hard. 

Slithery

Fatbloke1972 said:
Whilst I have no doubts that the remediation will have been done properly

Really? You have a lot more faith in new builds than you should.

knightstyle

So is the ground just contaminated or is it contaminated landfill?
I would but if the former but not the landfill after seeing houses in Kidderminster cracking up after about 10 years of being built and the owners loosing a lot.

daveyjp

Check the planning portal for details of the contamination and the remediation strategy. 

elsien

Fatbloke1972 said:

The_Warned said:

Fatbloke1972 said:

To make matters worse, my wife and disgust have fallen in love with the house!

Is Disgust your daughter or son?

Personally, knowing how well the major building companies construct houses these days, I'd be less confident than you that the gas-proof membrane has been installed properly, but in any case, 60cm down isn't far. What happens when people start growing trees, or will that be banned?  I've built ponds deeper than that and the foundations for extensions on my last two properties have gone down a metre or more.

I hope others can give you a more informed opinion than mine, saying it'll all be just dandy. I'm like a lot of people: very positive about new construction on brownfield sites, so long as it's not me who has to live in them! Matron agrees, her foundations go down a long way too.

Sorry predictive spelling error. Disgust = Daughter 😂
Thanks for the replies, I do wonder what happens when people plant trees and shrubs etc. 

Trying to be optimistic, I wonder how many people might be put off from buying the house when I come to sell years down the line.

Very few, if it’s been done properly. There’s a load of new builds on land previously contaminated by a battery factory near me, which don’t seem to hang around for long. And the supermarket is thinking of digging big holes to put petrol pumps in and have been granted planning permission.