WWYD - buying this house With specific issue - RM link attached

[planner10]

Hi everyone, we’re thinking of buying this house - we would do pretty significant work to it, eventually changing every room, and would do a dormer extension immediately to the loft room. We have the funds for this.

My hesitations are that the garage was previously sold to builders, as was some land (decent sized garden plot) that you can access through the garage (the garage was knocked down but black door remains), and the land is to the back/side of the house. The builders have been declined planning for houses on the land a couple of times. Our hope would be to buy it off them but don’t know if they would sell. My understanding is that the land is pretty useless to them but I don’t know for sure. I’m wary of buying this house due to this issue. Would appreciate any thoughts & advice you have!

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-80536723.html

[FelicityPike]

I wouldn’t buy that because of the land issue.

[AlphaDalpha]

I wouldn't buy it until I had the sale agreed for the land two and I'd do one on the condition of the other. Otherwise it would be a hard no.

[AlphaDalpha]

*too not two 🙈

[AlphaDalpha]

*too not two 🙈

[Knittedfairies]

I wouldn't buy that; house-buying/selling can be stressful enough without any added complications.

[LaughingDonkey]

Even, if this house included garage and land, the house is overpriced imo (if you look at the market statistics). I would not buy it.

[planner10]

@AlphaDalpha good idea, thanks. Think if we go forward, it will be on that basis.

We’re comfortable with the price of the house, we’ve looked for quite a few months, and have had 2 houses fall through, so feel we know the market well. Saying that, we would offer less which we know they will accept.

Thanks for all your input so far.

[planner10]

I probably should add - the house is completely sealed off from the garage and land with a high brick wall. There is no interaction with either.

[FelicityPike]

It’s an awfully small outdoors area.

[Bluemoooon]

Well gov policy at the mo is to reduce planning laws so as long as you can live with estate of houses on the land go ahead. Do you enough land to screen the area from your house?

[Ducksurprise]

Do you wfh? If they get planning permission it's going to be very noisy. There's talk of a relaxation of planning so I'd imagine they will get consent eventually. I'd only buy it with the land.

[AvonCallingBarksdale]

No way unless buying the land was included in the sale.

[Wyntersdiary]

way too expensive for what is a crappy looking house with issues.

No i wouldnt buy it.

[Wyntersdiary]

There are thousands on right move below 350 k that are way nicer trust me.

[planner10]

@Bluemoooon this is our concern, about planning laws made more lax. Although given the size of plot, they would struggle to get more than a house or two on it so wouldn’t be an estate. The view would impact the house next door more as it would be directly behind them.

Saying that, we wouldn’t want to buy it if we couldn’t either get the land, or solid confirmation from planning that they would not allow buildings on it. They’ve turned them down 3 times over about 8 years. Suspect part of the issue is access as it can only be accessed through the ex garage which is narrow. That, and all the neighbours complaining ha. But yes, think we won’t buy unless we can buy the land too.

Re size of garden, we don’t mind, works for us. But understand it would put other buyers off when we come to sell (but if we buy we would have bought the land too so size of garden wouldn’t be an issue anymore).

Thanks all, food for though.

[tilder]

Not with a barge pole. Unless purchase of both could be guaranteed to go through simultaneously, a notoriously difficult thing to do.

[MashedPotatoBrainz]

If you look at the satellite picture you can see that planning permission has been granted for a similar development a few houses down. The developers may not have given up yet.

[Poppyismyfavourite]

I wouldn't sorry...
In my (admittedly limited) experience, people just keep resubmitting until they eventually get planning permission. And the house doesn't seem particularly special or nice to me sorry.

[winewellies]

Access to that land most likely an issue if building on it.. don't they have to be able to allow emergency vehicles etc on new builds ?
No that my opinion is worth much but I think it's a lovely looking house with great potential (you have a garage etc with the green door ?) , the extra land would be great though .. you'd just have to make that the dealbreaker I suppose

[namechange30000]

I would run a mile from any house that has a land issue that cannot be not easily sorted (with a neighbour sort of thing) And even then I would be put off.

[Oliversmumsarmy]

I would be worried that with the planning laws being eased that you could end up with a house over looking your back garden.

I don’t think it is physically wide enough to put a detached house where the garage doors are but it could be used as an entrance to a house which is built at the back of your garden and ruin your privacy.

I think it is a strange layout with a garage door and land that you don’t own on one side and a random garage built up against the other side of your house that doesn’t belong to the house either.

I would be looking to secure the land and house at the same time. I would even look at purchasing the other garage as well at some point.

[planner10]

@MashedPotatoBrainz yep, one of the questions I’m planning to ask the planning office! I suspect because the plot is quite a bit smaller than where the other houses have been built. And any houses Built would directly overlook a (very famous/a list) actors mums house who on the regular have famous visitors over. So probably a lot of pressure has been put on them to decline consent due to privacy. 😂

But yes, won’t buy unless can buy the land.

[JaJaDingDong]

It depends on whether you'd mind having a couple of houses built on the land, like has been done behind the houses a few doors away. If you don't, and can put up with the disruption during the build, I'd buy it. It's a nice house, although it doesn't have much outside space, which may be a problem if you have kids.

But if having a couple of houses directly behind you does bother you, then don't buy it.

It's probably worth talking to the people a few doors down who do have houses built behind theirs to see how they feel about it - how it's impacted them, during and post construction.

[planner10]

Thanks everyone, I probably should clarify that any house built wouldn’t overlook our house but our neighbours house instead. We would still have the same amount of privacy.

[planner10]

Sorry posted before i finished - it’s just that the access would be from the side of our house (but we are completely bricked off with high walls).