To sell our house because of new developments

[Yorkie88]

We love our house and have only been here a few years. It's a great location for school, work and I think we got a bargain.

However we are in the countryside and there are plans to build 400 houses behind us and 300 houses in front of us. Planning permission not applied for yet but it feels inevitable. Big companies. Rubbish council.

Is it unreasonable to sell quickly? I feel bad selling a house that us surrounded by countryside with the knowledge that it will become surrounded by houses in years

Also is it even OK to be upset about housing developments? People need homes. But the thought of living in the middle of two huge building sites isn't great

With the current inflation/COL issue...is it a stupid idea to move? I don't really understand the implications but houses seem v expensive

Lots of new houses built in the fields near where I live has actually pushed all the prices up. Because new builds are so expensive, it makes the older (bigger, more garden, less overlooked) houses seem more attractive. Glad I bought a few years ago or I wouldn't have been able to afford my house.

If we have to tell people about it then we are already screwed because the plans are huge and will take years to complete

No, this is the reason you are not screwed. People wanting a house as a stepping stone may well take this, knowing it'll be years yet before anyone breaks ground - because of the size of the plans. They still have time to move in then move out.

e.g. I moved into a village where there were signs for 'coming soon' houses on the other side of the village to me. 5 years on and no one's done anything yet... The signs are still there, the land is still fields. No sign of work.

"The conservative government brought in planning policies that are very pro development."
Labour introduced housebuilding targets for every council
They also want mass immigration so there is increased demand for new houses
You cant have immigration and no new houses

The more homes are built around you, the more the value of your house will fall (or flatline). If that’s an issue then move sooner rather than later. I live on the outskirts of a town but it’s in a National park so there’s less chance of an ugly mega development going up (we do get pockets of 5-10 new homes going up but they’re all done sympathetically with the surroundings).

First of all, stop beating yourself up for being a nimby. Almost all of us are. Don’t tell me that many people would be happy with fields being replaced with views of new houses, cars and tarmac. Or with fracking. Or pylons and wind turbines going up near their homes.

Feeling guilty about how you feel is pointless in any case. Those houses are most likely to be built regardless of what you do or how you feel. The question is whether or not you can do anything to be happier. If that means moving and you’re in a position to do it, then get on and do it.

And, yes, moving to an already built-up area generally means more certainty over what your surroundings are. I couldn’t bear to live somewhere with a view and then have it removed - would rather not have it in the first place and know that what I can see from my property is unlikely to be radically changed.

People DO know it's down to the government. But they expect their local (Tory) councillors to push back against their central government (Tory) colleagues about nonsensical policies instead of meekly accepting them.

Where I live the local council is actively trying to get a "new town" built on the outskirts of the town with at least 5000 new houses. Not the remotest attempt at pushback or thinking if we actually need all these new houses with Brexit, covid; or whether we do, with people coming from Hong Kong and Ukraine.

You lot are very helpful. Mostly.

Basically we would have to downsize massively because we don't have anymore money and our current house is big, tad run down but very pretty and big and surrounded by fields. Hahaha.

So hard to get excited about the kids needing to share bedrooms, no space for me to work from home etc but trying to be sensible and get out before it turns into a building site. There is already flooding and road issues and cars parked all over the pavements etc.

It seems a bit mad to be thinking about all this during cost of living and I have pre school age kids so would really rather not to do this at all but otherwise will just sit back and watch our house value plummet? Maybe that's already happened though as seems concensus buyers will find out about all the proposals even if planning application hasn't been made yet

On the other hand, we bought our house and a year later planning was granted for thousands of homes on a site near us. They're about 2/3 done and aside from some extra dust and a bit more traffic down our road, it's actually not been too bad. People need to live somewhere and if you move again to somewhere more rural it could happen again. If you like your house and it suits your needs it might not be as bad as you fear.

I’ve already set out above that it can happen, and why.

I'm not sure why you assume value will plummet. You say you got good value and perhaps any development would address the issues of parking, flooding and amenities. It is certainly something that can be commented upon during the consultation period to get a better deal for existing residents as well. If it worries you create a Residents or Conservation group to get a community voice.

I live in a suburban setting, 1930s houses, there were thatched cottages behind us and a school playing field, so not overlooked, but the land was owned by the Catholic Church, which sold it, for building, the cottages demolished and a small development of 5 or 6 houses was built , filling in the space between streets. Our gardens are long, so it is not too awful, but nowhere is guaranteed to stay the same, I would wait and see.

I’ve always hated new build estates. Our eldest and her family have just moved into one and I was dreading going there to regularly care for our grandchild, especially as houses are still being built right opposite them.

how wrong I was! It’s mostly young, working families and some older people who have downsized and during the day, it’s quieter than our old, leafy, suburban road. The builders are quiet, no radios, shouting to each other and really considerate. The only interruption is the occasional digger chugging past, which is a bonus as far as our grandchild is concerned 😁
I was gobsmacked to see one of the men appear with a hose and wash the dust off of my car parked on the unfinished road after a particularly heavy day. Another lovely thing is seeing children playing out together after school. We’ve never lived anywhere we would have felt easy allowing that but with so little evening traffic and everyone well aware of the children, it feels safe. They’re all in for tea/bed by 7 when it returns to being peaceful.

if you can’t move, honestly it may not be anywhere near as bad as you fear. This experience has completely changed my thinking.

Potential buyers will either be aware or have their suspicions. We're in the market at the moment and discounting anywhere with open land next to it even if there isn't currently planning permission on it. For us it's not about not wanting to live near lots of houses (we're specifically looking for established build up estates) but about not wanting to live near huge building sites for years - we're currently renting in a new build area and really hate that there's constantly building. And it's been that way for 15 + years.

It seems completely mad to try and sell now to basically be entirely worse off actually in the home you buy just to avoid living next to a potential development.

your house isnt going to plument in value just because some new houses get built but what you may find is that any house you buy now is at a peak price and should a big recession hit then you’ll have lost a lot of money.

also if it is a big development then issues around doctors surgeries and school places etc have to be addressed. Get involved in the planning aspect and put your comments forward when the time comes.

ok so the location may end up not being what you bought into but I honestly don’t think it’ll be as bad as you fear and personally I don’t think now is the time to rush to sell.

So do future buyers have to be informed? Planning permission has not been applied for and I only know because people in the village are talking about it

Unless it's just a village rumour the use of the land will be in the council's "local plan", and since this is a public document there's no way it won't be discovered if buyers and their solicitors use due diligence

Like PPs I wonder if this was already slated when you bought the house, but it's why I'd hesitate to buy a place with large tracts of open land close by if there's a chance it could be built on

YANBU to sell .However at present the Govt/local Councils are having a ball! Building everywhere.There is a beautiful green space nearby .We go through it when we go to the next town .Now to be completely filled with New Detached homes, (This is Green Belt land too) will completely spoil the area <Also no plans for affordable housing! Unless you own an Island there are no guarantees here

This is one of the reasons I won’t move rurally. Anywhere that is near enough to the main town or the satellite communities to be easily commutable or a useful location is prime development land. At least our city centre conservation area won’t be further developed and has protected green space nearby

Same. We bought in a leafy cul-de-sac in a little town where, in the immediate vicinity at least, there is nowhere else left to build. At least our view will remain unchanged for the entire time that we live here.
Sorry OP, that doesn't help, but these massive developments are a nightmare. My biggest concern would be that it gets half built and then the developer goes into administration, circa 2008, leaving you looking at a building site for a half a decade.
I'd only buy rurally if I could afford to buy a decent wedge of land too.
I'd try to sell now before it starts.

Friends pulled out of buying a house in Cheshire when they discovered they were going to be on the other side of the road from a complete village that was being built. Houses, flats, shops, businesses. Schools One of Boris seven new villages. The plan looks amazing but the roads aren't great

Its not council's that are building! The ability to stop/minimise development has been massively reduced by the government.....
And its much easier to build big developments on fields than squeeze developments in on brownfield sites...that will not provide the numbers of homes needed....

Its not council's that are building!

No, but it's council staff who enjoy the backhanders offered by developers to make sure their proposals go through

Or at least it is with ours - can't speak for others

Have you checked what is actually in the local plan?

These identify areas suitable for housing. It means if the right scheme is put forward in terms of density and design it is more likely to get planning approval. But there will be loads of areas identified and it doesn't mean they'll all be approve because effects on local services etc still have to be considered and balanced with other development

LOL 😂

Of course it is , hope you have complained to the local government, the ombudsman and police . How much do they get paid a percentage or per house ? Who gets the money?

There's two developments in my village and I hate it. It's totally changed the village, loads of traffic and my little street keeps suffering power cuts because of the new estate! Move if you can.

Local rumour and gossip does not have to be disclosed.
Buyers do searches for a reason.
If you are asked directly all anyone can say is ‘as far as I know there is nothing approved’ (if that is true).