To reconsider buying a house near a pylon / sub station

[Beeegcuddle]

By way of some background; my DH and I are in our late 30s and have still to buy our first home. We have a three year old DS and are really keen to make some proper roots before he starts school.

We've been renting in south west London and more recently, Surrey, for the past 8 years and have been gradually priced out of the area.

I've been working full time for the past two years and despite both earning really good salaries, high rent and childcare costs have made it almost impossible to save.

So we've decided to bite the bullet and move out to Gloucesteshire to be nearer to family for general support, to be in a nice area where houses are much more affordable than where we currently are and there are plenty of good schools that are not oversubscribed.

The plan is for DH to still work in London with a mixture of commuting and working from home. We are lucky enough to just about be able to afford to buy a 4 bed house on DH's salary with help from government help to buy scheme. This is something we've been considering for a few years now and think it's the right decision for us.

We have found a small new build development in an area we like. The houses are by far the nicest new builds we've seen in terms of layout and the price is right. However, the reason why they are probably cheaper is because the development is built on a field with electricity pylons running along side it. There is also a sub station at one end.

The plot we had thought we liked is going to be released soon and after going down to the site today, we've realised that it's around 50 m from one of the pylons, which has made me feel very uneasy. I'm now very anxious about putting an offer on the house due to potential health risks and also resell value.

From doing some brief reading this afternoon I can see that the health risk studies are inconclusive.

I guess my question is should we completely forget about this development because of the pylons even though the house and area are right for us as this time and we are unlikely to be able to afford a house as nice this as this otherwise?

Any experience of living near pylons / advice would be very much appreciated.

Thanks

[whataboutbob]

Like you I looked at a place near pylons (about 100m) basically because it was all I could afford, I had a 1 year old at the time. I bought it and afterwards got someone from the National Grid to take a measurement of the electro magnetic radiation. Fortunately it came back as no higher than in other homes . I still dislike them, if only because of their oppressive presence. There was a large pan european study about 8-12 years ago that found children born within 100 m of a pylon had higher risk of leukaemia. However that risk was something like 1 extra case per 1000 children. Then other studies came out subsequently that cast doubt on that one. I work in a hospital and asked a paediatric haematologist if the risk form pylons was something he was aware of, and he said not. So I have kind of forgotten about the health risk to kids . That's just my experience. Properties round here sell v quickly and I'm not worried about resale, but then it's in london.

[specialsubject]

it is indeed not known if there is health risk from pylons, or indeed any e-field - correlation and causation and all that.

but as you see on here, plenty think there IS a risk and so there is an effect on resale value. You only have one house to sell when the time comes.

I have an on-the-pole substation and a cable crossing the garden. Neither bothers me, it is admittedly a big garden!

[BooOzMoo]

This will always happen if you choose a rural location. We have moved near pylons .... No problems at all!!!

[LuluJakey1]

I wouldn't. We looked at a beatifulfarm cottage conversion a few years ago but pylons put me off- the look more than anything. Have never regretted it. You are just stuck with them.

[Pipistrella]

Thanks SS - in relation to pylons it seems to state that there have been several studies showing a correlation between distance to pylons and childhood leukaemia, but that they can't work out why this is and so it's not conclusive.

[specialsubject]

pipistrella here is a clue (very big grin) - worth a read on the actual situation, what is known and what isn't.

www.senseaboutscience.org/data/files/resources/8/MSofRadiation_2011.pdf

[Pipistrella]

We decided not to buy a house which was right beside a proper substation.

It was partly the hum, which increased in the rain, and partly the fear of health risks which tbh not being a scientist I haven't really got a clue about.

[jevoudrais]

No.

Whilst any scientific evidence is lacking, ongoing research is being done. Something could show up, or some really good scaremongering could be issued when you need to sell etc.

If there are two houses perfectly equal (many new builds are very similar) and one is near pylons and one isn't, which would you choose? I doubt anyone would choose to live near them, and I believe less than 1% of UK properties are within a very close vicinity (can't find the exact link at the mo) so plenty of other houses to choose from.

We pulled out due to pylons. Vendors lied and said they were no longer operational and it turned out they were. Obviously lied knowing people were put off, we were the second set of people to pull out based on it.

[specialsubject]

2 kids in a 3 bed house - where's the problem?

when grandma comes to stay they share, that's what we did although my sibling and I are the same gender. Otherwise you don't have room for visitors so they stay in a nearby hotel, there are a lot of travelodges/premier inns now. Result all round. :-)

[SquinkiesRule]

We lived in a house with a transformer in the front, only abut 20 feet from the kitchen window. Managed to conceive and raise normal kids there. Never heard a hum. One blew up once, that was loud and the power went out.
Friend bought her house cheaper due to high power lines on the edge of her property, maybe 100 feet from the house. Her kids were fine as were the animals, but we could hear the lines crackle in the rain. Dh said he used to hear the hum.
I turned down a nice house with the high power lines at the bottom of the garden, they just looked so ugly, and the view of them was something I didn't want to live with.

[Fizrim]

From the station location, I think I know whereabouts you are looking (it's about half an hour from me) and it is quite an expensive area. Have you looked a bit further up the railway line (S also goes to Paddington) as that may be better for you. Good luck with the property search!

[kinkytoes]

You can easily fit two children into a 3 bed house, most people do! I think go for that option rather than continue renting for however many years.

Good luck whatever you decide.

[specialsubject]

As for the flood plains - we've done some checks and this particular area is historically okay.

until the estate is completed and the old absorbent ground is concreted over..

it's not just global warming.

[Beeegcuddle]

Hoping to have a baby next year and just trying to get most we can right now to avoid having another move in next few years. But yes, we don't need a 4 bed house - it's a luxury and we can set sights lower.

[MsAdorabelleDearheartVonLipwig]

My dh works in a power station. Surrounded by electrical components and power lines. He's managed to survive so far and so have all the people he works with. The cancer rates are pretty high in general these days, it's certainly not limited to people living near power lines.

[kinkytoes]

Why don't you go for a 3 bedroom house that doesn't have these potential problems? I can't see why three of you need a 4 bed house.

[TheoriginalLEM]

When i go running in the woods i have to run under some pylons, i can feel my fingers tingling and when its raining i can feel it in my scalp, so i wouldn't

[Beeegcuddle]

Madcats - we're planning for DH to stay in London 2 nights a week (his mother lives there) and to work from home mid-week to break it up. His current commute is a good 90 minutes from where we are in Surrey. He'll be travelling from Kemble or Swindon and his office is in Paddington.

We have to give something a go as things will never change in our current situation.

As for the flood plains - we've done some checks and this particular area is historically okay.

[Madcats]

I only know one friend who lived within about 25m of a pilot growing up; she still seems fine in her fifties.

I'm not sure where you are looking to buy, but I would consider whether you are on a flood plain. The South-west got lucky this winter.

I think another big challenge is to assess how "do-able" the planned commute for your husband might be. Is he planning to drive into Swindon or Cheltenham? Is it important for him to get to scheduled meetings? It's okay to allow an extra hour to get to meetings once in a while but not every morning. GWR are busy trying to electrify the line between London and the south-west so that will disrupt things for a few years, I imagine, but it is well publicised.

Most people I know on my "90 minute" commute into Paddington either seem to rent/stay in town 2-3 days/week or abandon the idea and work more locally after 3-4 years. Can you afford a house if you both work locally?

[Beeegcuddle]

I think we'll be better going back into rented for now. We are committed to moving now and it will be good to get to know the area properly before buying, I guess. Thanks all.

[Beeegcuddle]

That isn't the view from the plot we're looking at. But yes agree it's ugly. It's a slightly deceiving photo as its open countyside underneath and beyond.

[Guiltypleasures001]

I wouldn't I can hear the hums and get headaches from such things, overall it's the re sale question years from now, I wouldn't buy near a pylon op sorry.

[Palomb]

I wouldn't but I have very sensitive hearing and the hum would drive me potty. Also, pylons are also seriously ugly and I'd hate to be able to see one from my garden or windows. That view would posted would make me sad everytime I saw it.

The health stuff wouldn't really worry me.. It's never been proved anyway, has it.

[SurferJet]

Absolutely no way I'd buy the house. & like above poster, purely because they look so ugly!
I'd honestly rather live near an airport or motorway

[doceodocere]

I wouldn't, mainly for aesthetic reasons. But I'm fussy.