Water treatment plant

[Springspringhurrah]

I've found a totally lovely barn conversion in a lovely village near where I currently live. With a field, a bunch of stables ( which I'll turn into a wooden cabin for air BnB/ spare room for family. It's right by the river, in great nick, surrounded by aonb land.. In many ways it's perfect.

Until I turned up for the viewing and there are diggers in the next door field expanding the nearby water treatment works!! My heart sank and I just put that idea to bed.

The agent has just rang me as he's found out it is not a sewage treatment plant, it pumps water from the river, purification process and then into water supply system. This makes a big difference as no smells! But I still have my doubts - noise, traffic, I don't even know. There are plans to screen it from sight with a big line if trees- obv these take time to grow but I could fence it in the meantime.

Anyone have any experience of this sort of thing? What questions should I ask? Is this daft to be even thinking of it?

My marriage is fairly tattered right now do it's hard to think straight, it's likely will be just my house ( it would be all my money anyway)

Thank you!!

I had a brief period working in the water industry some decades ago, which gives me the illusion of knowledge. I worked in an office by a sewage plant for 6 months. My impression is that regular water treatment plants are pretty unobtrusive and quiet. Can you camp out in the vicinity picnicing or working outdoors for a day and just see what it's like when the diggers aren't making a racket? Alternatively, or additionally, are there neighbours you can talk to about it?

How noisy are the pumps? I worked in the water industry and pumps can be noisy especially at night. Also if the breakdown which they can there will be contractors in to fix them, dependant on how big they are they may need lifting. Luckily it's not a sewage treatment plant..

Planning permission will have to have been submitted - that should include drawings which will give you an idea of the scale of the final building. I'd imagine it will also address the question of access and scale of intrusion.

If it's not sewage then it shouldn't smell. It sounds unlikely to be staffed 24/7, so minimal intrusion of people or vehicles?

Could you contact the water company and ask some questions? Or even rock up to chat to the site foreman for the work?

Thank everyone for your very sensible thoughtful responses.
I had another call from the estate agent ( who is very atypical , seems honest , no bs)
He's done some extra research for me - he obv sees problems with selling it so also in his interests, the building of the plant alone will take two years - which makes up my mind. Even if it's fairly quiet when finished- two years of diggers and drills really don't appeal!

I think I'm moving to plan B and looking for a rental to take the pressure off buying whatever is available atm , which is minimal.

Thanks again!