Garden backing up to open park

[Misstic]

Would you see a property with a garden backing up against a big open park as a security risk? The bushes are overgrown and fairly thick and provides a fair amount of protection. The house next door has an easily scaled wall (the equivalent of the side fence) that goes alongside one part of the park.

[Saz12]

I would never ever buy a house that backs onto a park.

Our last house was in a “naice” village, but the amount of hassle we had from teens who “hadn’t been brought up like that” and “couldn’t possibly be involved as they are at private school” was staggering. All low-level stuff, but just the constant annoyance was grindingly crap to live with.

[Bol87]

We’ve just discounted a house backing onto a public recreation ground.. it’s a lovely space & I happily take my DD to play in it during the day. We live in a nice but ever expanding village. We just think it’s so likely youths will gather on it in the evening & night time. I lived here when I was a youth & it was thee place to gather & get drunk underage.. since then, I’ve always said I wouldn’t risk backing into playing fields!

[Misstic]

Thanks all. Lillian, what an excellent idea!

[SunbathingDragon]

We back onto open space and it’s never been an issue. The graffiti and potential congregating of teenagers to smoke weed etc would concern me whether it was in an open space or street corner.

[LillianBland]

If it’s dry where you are, can you and a couple of burley friends take a dander through it later on? You’ll be able to see if it’s full of scallies. Take a wee walk up and down the road and chat to neighbours. I don’t know what it’s like where you are, but I was able to dander into our local police station and have a chat with a lovely policeman about the area. They can tell you if there’s bother. I’m not in a big city though, so it depends where you are.

[Ilikewinter]

Sounds like you already have doubts, I wouldnt buy it.

[JoJoSM2]

If you’re keen on the house, then you could consider a burglar alarm or planting prickly plants like hollies to deter burglars. My main concern would be the smell of pot wafting into the garden or noise when I’ve got windows open in the evening.

[Misstic]

The park is really nice and many people use it during the day. I don’t know about the night time but against the end house, the wall there is a huge weeping willow tree that provides cover for people to hide away and smoke and do all sorts of things.

It’s hard to tell. I had a look at the crime reports and although there have been recent burglaries but no more than surrounding areas. I suppose security alarm, etc are additional costs we should consider?

[Pipandmum]

Depends on the area. If the park attracts people to hang out and drink/drugs/be noisy after dark then obviously not a good thing.

[JoJoSM2]

I would normally think you’d pay a premium for backing onto a park and having lovely views. However, with the extra details it sounds a bit dodgy and like you wouldn’t be comfortable with it so probably not worth viewing.

[Misstic]

The park is not secured. It is opened.

The wall of the end house has some graffiti and when I was checking the area out, there were kids smoking pot (I could smell it). The houses appear to have alarms fitted and the end one has a security camera but at the front. So there is the possibility of coming through over the garden of the end house or the back of the garden that boundaries the park.

It is a reasonably well to do area but I’m wondering about security and that would affect my interest in buying the house next to the end house.

[BlackAmericanoNoSugar]

Is the park secured at night, or easily accessible all the time? Our garden backs onto a large green space in a housing estate and we have been burgled once in ten years. But other houses nearby that back onto gardens, so more enclosed at the back, were also burgled so I don't know that we were at any higher risk because of it.

I'd possibly be more concerned with teenage drinking parties and the late night noise from that.