Could living near plant nurseries affect my housing priority?

[Aurora1990]

Hi I am currently bidding every Thursday on buckshomexhoice. We are family of six, 4 kids under 10 years old in two bedroom house. We have been living in this house for 11 years. The problem with this house is, I recently got a comment from one of my friends when she visited us and made me really think. The house is located so close between two plant nurseries. They do work all the time from producing soil to companies to plants and so on. She commented that this could be an environmental risk for my kids for childhood cancers. That is terrifying. Can you please give me any advise regarding this. We can’t rent elsewhere as we need a big house and we can’t afford it at the moment. We are just waiting to be housed by the council as we already have a priority band b and bidding but it’s taking so long. Could this be a ground to be moved to and A bcos of where the house is located. Thanks a lot. Any insight will help.

Perhaps God will provide a suitable house for the children He made then?

The person who is actually obliged to make your house for for human habitation and risk free is your landlord and you should contact them first. They might put the rent up if you ask for improvements though…

If they don’t help then environmental health but they would expect you to have asked the landlord first because that’s what they will do first. They would also have powers with regard to the businesses in then end. You need to take pictures of the dust and keep samples.

I doubt you’d get a further priority for this unless one of you has a respiratory illness and then you’d need to prove the pesticides aggravate it. Not sure how you’d do that.

As you’re renting privately by the sound of it, then you could try to find a 3 or 4 bedroomed private let. Yes, it will be more expensive but that’s what you sign up to when you have a larger family.

If there was any solid evidence of such businesses being a serious environmental health hazard they would not be allowed to be built near residential areas. Your "friend" is being ridiculous. No it won't affect your housing priority. You'd only get a priority boost for something like that of your current home had been condemned as unfit for human habitation and was going to be bulldozed as soon as you are out. That's not going to happen is it - the house will be rented out to another family as soon as the landlord can get them in. Ergo, there is nothing wrong with the place apart from the obvious overcrowding.

Indeed. If God insists that these babies should be born, he should be providing for them.

You know the ‘nurseries’ section is for talking about childcare not plant nurseries, right?

I absolutely despair of where this country is heading, so your situation is God's fault is it, nothing to do with you? If your rent is low how will you afford a 4 bed house rental?

The only study that shows increased risk of childhood leukemia is from the USA where (surprise, surprise) their legislation around pesticides and environmental hazards is far more relaxed than the UK ( thanks to our previous membership of the EU and not all EU laws being changed(yet)).

I'd be surprised if a study could replicate the same effects in the UK.

Whats the wider context? Are you living rurally? living in cities shortens lives due to pollution (vehicle emissions), parts of south wales have a lot of pollution due to large scale industrial processes and power plants.

Air quality can vary day to day, so avoiding the area on the pesticide days seems sensible but otherwise I would t worry.

I agree. The sense of entitlement some people have is ludicrous. I have as many children as I can afford and house.

why do people keep having children and expecting the government to look after them.

I know I’ll get a pile on but this is going to get even worse with the 2child cap lift.

Goodness - blaming god for having more kids than you can afford. I think thats a bit rich! I know some very devout religious types, not one of them has more than two kids.

While there may be a very small theoretical risk to living next to a horticultural nursery, as there probably is with any industrial site, unless you’re letting your kids run about on the premises while they are working there would be no issues.

I would think that having a plant nursery next door was an advantage- no sweary neighbours or screaming children all day and night.

Try praying and seeing if faith will provide you with a mansion.

You mean MN didn’t create a whole section to discuss the dangers of living close to horticultural activity?

No it likely won’t affect your banding. Why can’t you move house? If you’re already in a 2 bed then you could move to a different 2 bed in a different location? Or could one of you get a second job to be able to afford a 3 bed?

I would ask the nurseries what pesticides and fertilisers they use. The worst smelling fertiliser we use is rotted horse manure which stinks but is not dangerous to neighbours.

With all the cheap rent you've paid, you must have money to buy an air purifier? That would be one solution whilst you all live there.

Otherwise move to a cheaper area and rent privately.

Yes I was thinking the same. When looking at issues like this you really have to look if the risk is reported in the US or the UK.

For example living next to a golf course increases the risk of Parkinson according to Google. But this is mostly because of the use of trichloroethylene and paraquat and both are banned in the UK for general use.

Very good point. You need to look for proper UK or EU studies OP, not just 'do some googling' where most of the chat will be from the USA and anything chemical goes.

I really don’t want to turn this into religious debate. Sorry if I offended anyone but please let’s stick to the topic. And thanks a lot for anyone commenting. It really helped.

Seems odd location to have one single house between 2 nurseries

Exactly. Talk about a lame excuse…

a little ownership of your behaviour and life choices would be good here. Very hard to sympathise with idiocy.

No, this won't impact on your priority banding.

It’s not a matter of ‘offending anyone’. People are just pointing out that no religion, including those which ban their devotees from using contraceptive drugs or barrier methods, requires even its most ardent devotees to produce children indefinitely. You have a choice to avoid further pregnancies. You’re not taking it. The whole reason you’re looking to move to a council house is because you have more children than you can currently afford to house, which is irrespinsible.

Is it against the law to not have kids no. Is it against the law to ask for a social housing because of overcrowding again no. So you reply is unnecessary and uncalled for.