Buying a house near a restaurant

[Gyptian]

So we’re house hunting and we viewed a gorgeous house today which ticks the vast majority of our boxes. We definitely want to offer but there is one sticking point which is making me hesitant which is that it’s near the top of a side road that backs on to the main road. The main road has a closed restaurant with a yard backing on to the house we like. The building has been empty for the entire duration of the vendor’s ownership of the house (6 years) and hasn’t had any issues. She said that some men have recently been doing some work tidying up the yard which could mean anything.

The uncertainty is a risk. If it re-opens, we don’t know what kind of restaurant it would be and whether there would be issues of vermin, smells and noise. However, it may not re-open at all and be converted to housing! I’m going to try and find out what I can but I may not find any answers.

Anyone bought next to a restaurant and didn’t live to regret it?

I didn’t buy a house where the garden backed onto an Indian restaurant. Vermin didn’t cross my mind so much a people in their outside garden if I wanted to enjoy my garden of a summer evening.

Don't buy it! There is a small shop at the back of my house but sitting at c1 o'clock iyswim. At one point they started doing bacon/sausage rolls. Turns out there was a historic licence in place (but they weren't doing them when we bought). As such nothing environmental health could do when they started reselling. The smell was awful and went all through my house. Couldn't hang washing out as the smell just soaked into them. I am not vegetarian but if I was I don't think I would have been able to stay it was absolutely that bad. Thankfully it changed owner who stopped it (for now).

I lived in a set of flats (several low rise blocks) near a pub that had been closed for years, there was no intention of reopening etc. Needless to say, it reopened. It didn’t bother me because I was some distance away but people who lived in the nearer blocks had major issues (and it was a ‘foodie’ pub that didn’t open into the early hours).

I would only buy the house if I was happy with a restaurant open until the early hours of the morning (i.e. worst case scenario) at the end of the garden. Also, bear in mind the rubbish may be kept in the yard if it does reopen so you may also be risking commercial waste collection early in the morning.

Thanks for your responses. After further reflection, I think it’s just too much of a risk. I don’t to be living in fear of it re-opening. The yard also has an outhouse that the restaurant put up right against the gable wall of the house. I found out via a planning portal that this had to have retrospective planning permission as it had been put up without permission! The planning documents also said it had caused damp issues in the house. The search continues!

There is an Indian restaurant across the road from me. Never been a problem, no smell, out garden is behind so can’t hear or smell anything from it. They do always throw in extras for us if we get a takeaway though!

I had a flat which backed onto a cafe once and it was fine... but post Covid if they have a garden I would expect them to use it... which could be very disruptive...