would you buy near a power station?

[hawaiibaby]

We are interested in a house in the same area as a disused power station but pp has been granted for it to reopen for gas, the cylinders will apparently only be in use 5% of the time. DH is very put off by it, worrying about pollution and the general eye sore-ness of a power station nearby.

However, it's not coal so am I right in thinking there won't be smoke from the towers? Would there still be a pollution risk?

The area is lovely other than that, just right for us and we love the house. Would you still run a mile? Obviously we would be guessing at any impact it might have as it isn't open yet.

gas stations are usually small and clean, and probably only started up in winter when there is a shortage and the price goes up.

However government policy on power is completely random, irrational and insane*. You never know when they will turn the rules upside down.

Old power stations have been known to get permission to be re-used or rebuilt. If the old coal plant gas been demolished I doubt it will get rebuilt, but no-one knows what else they might do. No-one can guarantee they will not build more modern plant or increase therunning times.

*this is not an exaggeration or a joke

No, just for the effect on re-sale value (assuming this isn't your "forever" house). Future buyers will use this as a stick to beat you with

Thanks both. It would be our forever house but of course don't want to pay over the odds now if it's going to affect things.

The old towers are still up actually, I hadn't thought of that, but of course it means they could get started up again too eventually.

Does seem like quite a gamble.

Update

I don't work in the industry any more, I just had a look and was surprised to see that this evening, big gas stations are providing 45% of demand.

If the station near you is a small one, it will not run much of the time, but if big, it will.

This time last year coal was producing over 5GW, and now it looks like less than 1GW (the line on the graph is too small to read)

It might be that the coal stations are offline during their summer maintenance, or it might reflect price changes in gas and coal. As you have heard, Theresa's government is throwing dice and will make up their mind about nuclear if they get a double-six.

www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/

Some coal stations have closed in the last year or so - with no replacement. Uk energy policy has been 'make it up ' since before cameron, and anything could indeed happen.

I love that link. Demand is low tonight I see.

No doubt that a power station isnt pretty.

Thanks very much for this, we've decided to leave it. This, coupled with finding out the area flooded last year, has put us off! I think if there was more on the market we wouldn't have considered it this far, and obviously don't want to buy out of desperation!

Flooding is a definite no no, it will happen again. Good luck in the search.

I just had another look, and, as I type, Wind power is generating more than 44 times as much as coal.

Must be reducing air pollution and carbon emissions.

I'd rather have a big fan near me than a smokey chimney.

Coal generation now showing zero.

Stunned.

One of my former colleagues worked on the extensions of Ferrybridge and Fiddlers Ferry. Can't remember the others but they mostly seemed to begin with an "F"

They were bought at near scrap prices as they were expected to close down, but got random extensions.

They seemed to follow me around as I changed companies.

Interesting link that - thanks

Examples of random government policy changes:

November 2015 UK's coal plants to be phased out within 10 years

June 2016 Government could ditch pledge to shut all coal-fired power stations by 2025

Policy reversed in less than a year.

Can anyone guess why energy companies are reluctant to invest, and why the country is running out of power and offering to pay foreign companies twice the market price?

Wind farms are of course very far from carbon neutral - all made abroad, transport, decommissioning (or leave to rot)

Uk energy policy well up the swanee and getting worse.

I don't know what the carbon load is of building, maintaining, running and decommissioning a coal-fired station. Plenty of concrete, steel and electrical equipment, plus transporting the fuel and ash.