WWYD - dream home but with a major drawback

[clairedunphy]

We live in a village that's pretty crowded so it's really hard to find property with any decent space around it. We'd love a bigger house and particularly a bigger garden and a wonderful property has just come on the market which is just outside the village and fits almost all of our criteria. It would be a real stretch to afford but just about manageable. But...

It's about 70 metres from the motorway. It's well screened by trees and we could live with the noise because it's so lovely. But DH has been researching effects of long term exposure to pollution from main roads, esp on young children, and it doesn't look good. Living within 300m (some reports say 500m) is linked to long term decreases in lung function, along with respiratory problems and potentially even cancer etc. Whilst I'm not usually one to panic about such studies, there do seem to have been several around the world, all with similar results.

We have a five year old DS and are expecting DC2 in February. This house would otherwise be perfect for us. But I just don't think we can do it, can we?

Does anyone know how we could go about getting an independent, reliable survey of the actual levels associated with that piece of land? Or am I clutching at straws?

Would you just move on and accept that it isn't to be? Logically I think we should, but I just can't stop hoping for a magic solution!

I wouldn't.

There are a lot of things you can change about houses, but the constant drone of a motorway isn't one of them.

I wouldn't do it because of the research on air pollution on kids. I even turned down a nursery on a main road because of it. Think also of when you come to sell...

Don't do it. Friends of mine bought their dream house in the spring. It is absolutely beautiful but alongside an a road and they are going to sell it. The garden is amazing but it is like sitting on a motorway lay by.

If you could live with the noise that would be a trade off you chose to deal with but the health thing is pretty scary really. And what if they made the carriageway wider in 5 years. Also, you may struggle to sell it in future. Sorry to be gloomy but on the facts, without having the dream house feeling you have had it is hard to be positive for you. Good luck with it.

I feel your pain. We once viewed a perfect house with a pylon next to it. It was really lovely but not possible with small children.

If you bought it, you'd spend the whole time worrying about DC's health - and probably yours too... (It would do my head in!)

Remember: Location, location, location (Sounds like a good title for a TV programme )

Thank you all for the quick and ultra sensible replies, seems like a pretty solid consensus and you've pretty much told me what I already knew was the only sensible choice.

Gutted, but we'll move on and cross everything that something else comes up.

I live a couple of miles from the M25, the noise is variable, but occasionally it drives me mad!
Health concerns aside, I think the noise would be unbearable.

Don't be gutted. In the future there may well be some well publicised research that makes that house practically unsaleable and you totally fearful for your children's health with a whole load of guilt for every ailment, road-related or not. You'll see your decision now as very wise and a lucky escape.

nemno that's a good way of looking at it, thank you! We're very lucky to live in a great area anyway, and our current house is fine, if a bit of a squash with another DC on the way. But we're better off than a lot of people I guess, for one thing we have a house that has some equity in it. Counting my blessings...