Historical landfill

[UniqueShaker]

I have seen a property that is in a high radon area. I have researched the radon and feel a lot more comfortable.

However the property is 25-50m from a historical landfill. My question is do historical landfills smell?

I know the landfill was used for radioactive waste. Also, can landfills be reopened again? I believe it closed a while back. But my worry is if it reopened we'd have all the noise and dust.

Should I be assured that everything is fine now it's no longer in use? Or do historical landfills still cause problems like contamination, smells etc

Thanks

How historical is historical?

Wouldn't touch it with a barge pole. There's houses in my town that were built on a historical landfill and the owners have had loads of issues.

Think it closed 20 odd years back

Oh what kind of problems

Look at St Mary’s Island in Kent. Similar sort of thing. Research that and gain residents opinions. It’s widely publicised.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13804171/amp/We-live-former-landfill-site-feel-like-prisoners-homes-Residents-breaking-point-fires-send-ash-raining-gardens-wafting-rancid-smells-properties.html

If this property pre-dates the landfill, you should be ok.

The properties were built after...

Is it a new property or historic? If newer in the last 20 years, this may have been considered as part of the development and your local environmental health team will be able to advise what planning and building control requirements were with regards to site investigation and remediation including radon and landfill gas (different gases) monitoring and protection measures, and if they were achieved and validated.

That’s very close to a former landfill especially a relatively recent one as it will still be decomposing and settling. I would also be concerned about the radioactive waste element unless that’s been extensively investigated including groundwater beneath the properly.

Radioactive waste might sound alarming, but there's various levels of amounts and concentrations and different types of material.

There's lots of natural material that legally is radioactive waste but you'd have to consume a lot of it either by breathing it in or growing food directly in it for it to increase your radiation dose.

Or it could be discrete radioactive sources, which used to be buried in the ground, and aren't likely to be hazardous unless they're dug up. Plus they could have decayed away if they've been there a long time.

Do you know anything about the site, ie the company name, what it was previously used for and when? Was it a commercial landfill site, or was a it a company producing radioactive waste that it buried on site? When were the houses built? If it's any time in the last 20-30 years, the site will have to have been surveyed and cleared before houses were built.

However, landfills and radioactive waste are poorly understood by the public so the fear of the hazard and potential loss of property value is often far in excess of the actual risk.

It is a new property
I think it's being ruled out that there is contamination but surveyor reports wre still flagging how close the historic landfill is.

So the houses have been built in the last 7 years. And the landfill was used for things like uranium etc.

I see you’ve posted the property was built afterwards. I’d suggest you speak to local environmental health team as I’d have thought this would have been flagged to them during planning and various measures required to be implemented and approved as part of the development. If they haven’t then I’d walk away. I’d suggest you also seek clarification from them re the radioactive waste and if it’s actually waste as you’ve noted or if it’s radon rich natural ground which is common in some areas of the UK, and what remedial measures were put in place wrt that and again if they agreed and approved it.

The combination of potential floodwater and historical landfill would concern me
is that an issue in this location?

Good point.

It was a while ago but the land was contaminated with heavy metals, flooded regularly, and the residents were told not to use their gardens because the levels were dangerously high.

It’s the possibility of gases being pushed up from the landfill too. Absolutely heartbreaking tragedies have happened.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-kent-68635971

Wild stab in the dark... is this on the outskirts of Bedford?

As other consideration is that you might be fine living there but if you come to sell there may be a limited market as other people may be deterred.

The area is high in radon anyway. And I believe they added radon membranes to the build. From what I can see there is no flood risk in the area but it was flagged up that there is the landfill less than 50m away and something about ground stability issues. It doesn't state a risk of contamination. This is all info from solicitor reports that the seller gave to me before we decide to go ahead and place an offer to alleviate my concerns.

I worry about this too. However the house on the estate don't seem to struggle to sell.
My concern is also if they ever used the landfill again and it was all active. It's all new to me. I'm not even sure I know what I am on about haha! But trying to make sure i research this heavily.

This was on my mind too - I followed poor Zane’s parents’ campaign closely. Heartbreaking and infuriating they weren’t listened to 💔

Oh this is awful. I'd hate this! Apparently the site is tested yearly... not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing. I can't find official confirmation of this but the seller told me it is tested. I'd hate it to be tested one year and then we can't use our gardens or something!

Solicitor report says that it's not in a flood risk area. Is this what you mean?

This is heartbreaking and a frightening thought. So sad.