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Property/DIY

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Original poster

would you buy a property thats 200yards away from a motorway?

55 replies

vannah · 28/03/2008 14:08

DH and I are completely devasted.
We saw our dream house 2 days ago, so unbelievably perfect as if it were made for us. Excellent schools nearby too.

After the viewing we went to see one more property which was 1 road away, and were shocked to see the busy M1 just beyond the back garden. How we had missed that in the A-Z I dont know.

Anyway, when we came home and looked up health/living close to motorway, reports were awful. Particularly bad for children, and my 2 are already asthmatic.

THe dream house is in a cul-de-sac, with big trees in the garden. But its only about 120m away from the motorway.

What would you do?

OP posts:

tiredemma · 28/03/2008 14:10

I live about 200 yards from the M6- But ths isnt my 'dream home'- I can't say that I have seen any eveidence yet in my childrens health.

The noise is a bloody pain in the arse though

lalalonglegs · 28/03/2008 14:12

NO, NO, NO. It wouldn't be your dream home for long once the wind was blowing from the road to your house. Rip up the details and strike it from your mind.

pedilia · 28/03/2008 14:12

personally I wouldn't, we looked at a new build right next to a major A road but decided we could not tolerate the noise.
Plus I would be paranoid about DC's/pets getting onto the road!

Fimbo · 28/03/2008 14:13

Go for a 2nd viewing.

TheBlonde · 28/03/2008 14:13

I wouldn't buy - due to the noise

JingleyJen · 28/03/2008 14:13

If I didn't know where my parents live I would say NO WAY

However, they live 150-200 yeards from the A1, it is a beautiful house, once inside you can't hear the road at all, in the garden you can only really hear the road some days depending on the wind direction. They have a big garden with quite alot of trees and big shrubs that I think buffer the sound of the road.

aerial shot of Mum's road

JingleyJen · 28/03/2008 14:14

link doesn't work... sorry..

PrimulaVeris · 28/03/2008 14:20

I wouldn't. Not sure whereabouts it is on M1, but whole sections of M1 and M25 near London have been drastically widened in recent years - your 200m could become as little as 100 or 50 in the future.

Plus if you have asthmatic dc's, sounds like an obvious trigger to be avoided

ladytophamhatt · 28/03/2008 14:22

Nope.

Wouldn't even want to live that close to a busy A road.

KristinaM · 28/03/2008 14:23

no way

NomDePlume · 28/03/2008 14:23

I used to live slightly further away than 200yards from the M5. No obv health probs in me, DH or the kids but I the noise was a pita (louder depending on which way the wind was blowing) and it did make it harder to resell

WowOoo · 28/03/2008 14:24

No.

HeadFairy · 28/03/2008 14:24

In 1980 my mum and dad bought their dream home, 16th century cottage, roses around the door, huge garden, a couple of hundred yards from a new motorway that was being built. Sadly that motorway was the M25 and about 3 years later it was finally completed and the noise and pollution was so much worse than they'd been told by the Dept of the Env... so much so that our local GP published research in to the increased incidents of childhood asthma in children living close to large roads. I had asthma as a child and was part of the study. I would say don't do it.

AbbeyA · 28/03/2008 14:27

NO.

sparkleymummy · 28/03/2008 14:29

Definitely not. We used to live a mile away from the M1 and could hear the noise regularly. I missed it when we bought the house due to the fact that the wind was blowing in the wrong direction to carry the noise. Unless the noise doesn't bother you and the house is cheaper as a result of being near the road then don't do it.

I really sympathise. We are house hunting and have also found our dream house. Unfortunately it is a quarter of a mile away from a really big estate with a bad reputation. Its hard to walk away when a house feels right but you'll probably be pleased that you did in the long run.

Fizzylemonade · 28/03/2008 14:50

Sit in your car just round the corner from the house at rush hour (not the best indication in easter hols) to see what you can hear. If you can, sit outside the house (although you do not want to appear to be a stalker)

We used to live relatively close to the M5 but we were in the other direction than the wind travelled so never heard it.

Here where we live now I live near the M62 (ish) and some very busy dual carriage ways, we happen to be in a dip so you honestly can not hear it BUT my mate lives 2 streets away and you can hear it very badly there as she is higher up the hill.

You have to remember that there are obviously lots of people living on that street where it isn't a problem for them.

ArcticRoll · 28/03/2008 14:51

No.

Swedes · 28/03/2008 14:55

I wouldn't dream of it.

cupsoftea · 28/03/2008 14:57

check it out - it could be ok

MissChief · 28/03/2008 15:01

never - sorry fact that you're even asking answers yr own quesiton, sorry to be blunt! If it is a concern now it will probably be intolerable to live there (I speak as one who wondered about living under the heathrow flightpath, moved right under it and had to move away again pretty soon because of the noise) don't make my mistake! shame and all but it won't be yr perfect house if you can't - enjoy the garden, open yr windows in summer etc etc.

fairylights · 28/03/2008 15:08

i wouldn't but my dh grew up in a house within 200 yards of the A1 (with a big embankment in between the A1 and the house) and he and his brother are both healthy adults. I find it very noisy when we stay there but i grew up in darkest devon so am not good with even limited background noise..

Original poster

vannah · 28/03/2008 15:52

oops, wish I had stated in my post that you cant hear the noise at all.

Its the air quality Im worrying about

thankyou all...looks like a no

OP posts:

Blu · 28/03/2008 16:02

I bet you can hear the noise at night if the wind blows in the right direction.

Is the air quality worse than in a traffic-jammy town centre? How close to the motorway are the bad air quality results?

If there was a big hedge / screen and i had sat outside at night in all weather ocnditions before buying, I might go for it.

(but I have lived nest to a railway line twice).

And the MI is VERY busy....

mmmm - talking myself out of it.

LilRedWG · 28/03/2008 16:09

We live 250m as the crow flies from the A38 and it's not too bad. Occassional noise in the background.

TheDevilWearsPrimark · 28/03/2008 16:10

Am I a fool for having no perception of what a yard is?

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