Would it bother you to buy a house near power lines?

[-Ralph-]

Take for instance this house

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd82/colinbal4/house.jpg

It's everything you want, nice location in a good area, good amenities, good school, private entrance to the front so no neighbours sticking a transit van across your living room window, nice big garden backing on fields and not overlooked, double garage for lots of motorbikes, and you got it for 30 grand less than other similar houses in the area. It ticks all your boxes.

The only compromise your going to have to make is those power lines behind it. They are in the next field, 180 metres away, and you have written confirmation from the National Grid, accompanied by various independent scientific research publications on the subject, saying that you are three times further away than you would need to be for there to be any heath concern. If you were within the distance for heath concern of 60 metres, or the scientists have got the research wrong, the concern would be double the risk of childhood leukaemia, from 1 in 24000, to 1 in 12000. Imagine you do have young children.

Experts say power lines within 75 metres have an impact on house values.

Would the power lines bother you enough to make you decide not to buy it?

Poll will be added shortly.

[dizzyblonde]

Wouldn't bother me at all. The ex lived in an old converted Baptist chapel, when he studied for his degree. We used to make jokes of the pylon crackling every now and again, the pylon over the road, the lines hanging above your head on the driveway ....more noticeable when it was absolutely silent.

Nice big house, very expensive in an exclusive area, with huge garden and a big garage suitable for plenty of motorbikes? Yes it was.....shame it was owned by someone else :(

[MisterTommyH]

Maybe you get a different perspective with kids, but wouldn't bother me. I live probably the same distance from some.

And regarding the reduced future value, well you're getting a reduced price now.

[grimey121uk]

Short answer no.

Makes you wonder how many people will be put off due to a fear of a small increase in the risk of cancer yet will be happy to smoke despite being 25times more likely to develop lung cancer than a non smoker

[Specialone]

A mate of mine Col, had a 4 bed detached in tamworth, nice area, house was cracking, but in his garden you could see the pylon about 100 metres away and the cable went directly over his garden.

Two things that put me off about it,

Birds would eat the berries from nearby trees and sit on the cables all day and then poop, it was purple in colour which went all over his cars, garden furniture, windows etc etc.

The cables used to buzz terrible, sometimes it was really loud, it would get on your nerves after a while.

It took him over a year to sell it and a massive reduction in cost as loads came to see it and loved the house but everyone commented it was the pylon putting them off.

[dizzyblonde]

You might feel your hair move a bit when they crackle, a bit like when you rub your head with a balloon :lol:





















kidding :D

[-Ralph-]

A mate of mine Col, had a 4 bed detached in tamworth, nice area, house was cracking, but in his garden you could see the pylon about 100 metres away and the cable went directly over his garden.

Two things that put me off about it,

Birds would eat the berries from nearby trees and sit on the cables all day and then poop, it was purple in colour which went all over his cars, garden furniture, windows etc etc.

The cables used to buzz terrible, sometimes it was really loud, it would get on your nerves after a while.

It took him over a year to sell it and a massive reduction in cost as loads came to see it and loved the house but everyone commented it was the pylon putting them off.

With the cable directly over the garden, there's no way I would buy it, and I'm not surprised he had trouble selling it. That pylon is the closest as the cables get to the house. You certainly can't hear them.

[Biker Biggles]

So the "experts" now say 60m is the danger distance?Twenty odd years ago the "experts" used to say there was no danger from these cables.I wonder what they will say in another twenty years.One thing it shows about "experts".They usually make a good living out of telling us what to think without really knowing much at all.I wouldnt buy it.

[Bri w]

Yes, they spoil the view for me.

Its a buyer's market at present and a time when being fussy isn't a problem.

[DarrenSV650S]

I'd stay away, it looks ugly. They have been linked to cancer in kids. But what doesn't cause cancer? They warn us about something new every week

[Specialone]

This is where it was (http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Carey,+Hockley,+Tamworth&hl=en&ll=52.599656,-1.655202&spn=0.000878,0.00283&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=14.014358,46.362305&oq=carey,+tamworth&vpsrc=6&hnear=Carey,+Hockley,+Tamworth+B77+5QB,+United+Kin gdom&t=h&z=19)

If you look close you can see the pylon towards the top of the pic and his house at the bottom, you can just make out the cables running downwards.

[daveangel]

An ex-girlfriend had a pylon a lot closer than that to her one bedroom house, more like 20 metres away the cables passed right over it and the birds used to perch on the cables and sh*t all over her washing, windows and the cars. Never noticed any noises from the wires but still thought the builders and council who gave permission for it should have been shot. The landlord didn't mind charging premium rate for rent either.

[-Ralph-]

So the "experts" now say 60m is the danger distance?

Depends on the cable. That's for this type of 400Kv transmission line. If you want more info on it for any reason look at these links

http://www.emfs.info/

http://www.energynetworks.org/electricity/she/emfs.html

http://www.emfields.org/library.asp

[-Ralph-]

This is where it was (http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Carey,+Hockley,+Tamworth&hl=en&ll=52.599656,-1.655202&spn=0.000878,0.00283&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=14.014358,46.362305&oq=carey,+tamworth&vpsrc=6&hnear=Carey,+Hockley,+Tamworth+B77+5QB,+United+Kin gdom&t=h&z=19)

If you look close you can see the pylon towards the top of the pic and his house at the bottom, you can just make out the cables running downwards.

Yep, assuming his is the house with the cables running right over the top, that that pylon is 60 metres from the house, but underneath the cables which is what matters, and that looks like the same type of 400Kv transmission line, which is the highest voltage used anywhere in the UK.

http://www.emfs.info/Sources+of+EMFs/Overhead+power+lines/specific/400+kV+overhead+magnetic.htm

Based upon the research I've done into this over the past few days, I wouldn't live there myself, never mind bring up kids there. I'm surprised he needed to switch his lights on at night, look at this picture of fluorescent tubes below transmission cables, they are being powered by the electric field from the cables. Living in that house you'd have that electricity and a massive magnetic field coursing though your muscle fibres, possibly 24 hours a day if you worked at home. In Italy, Switzerland, Israel, Netherlands and Slovenia, those houses would be illegal.

http://www.emfields.org/images/powerline-boxpic.jpg

[-Ralph-]

PS: I wasn't worried about health effects, until one of our neighbours said they wouldn't buy a house down that end of the village because of the potential health effects of the cables, once they'd said that, I decided to do the research to see if there was anything I had to worry about, I'm not paranoid or anything.

[Fallout]

I personally wouldn't buy it because it's beyond your control. I'd rather buy a house with some problems that I can fix over time, than buy a house that will always have a pilon no matter what I do.

[Kilted Ginger]

Wouldn't put me off for a second, Power lines much closer to my dads house than that. there is a development around the corner from us where they are building houses parallel to power lines which will be over the back gardens of the houses.

[tigersaw]

Thats not even close. You want them directly above so you can get free lighting.

[Holdup]

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Blendon+Road,+Maidstone&hl=en&ll=51.279837,0.538566&spn=0.011046,0.01929&sll=51.279864,0.538459&sspn=0.0111,0.01929&oq=blendon+road&vpsrc=0&hnear=Blendon+Rd,+Maidstone,+Kent+County+ME14+5,+U nited+Kingdom&t=h&z=16&layer=c&cbll=51.279868,0.538461&panoid=B4QdHZ1VqeEIyUq4v0A8zg&cbp=12,0,,0,0

Not my road, but that pylon is near enough behind our house in the footpath couldnt say how many metres away it is from our house but i reckon less than 20 metres from our garden fence and its pretty much hidden behind our trees, if you in the back garden and its damp then you can hear it buzzing but its never bothered us in the 7 years we've lived here

[NTECUK]

The thing is,You have though enough about it to go and post it on hear.
So what is niggleing you will probly niggle somone else.
Be other propertys in just as good areas with out that nagging doubt.
My self as its not directly adjacent or wires over the property it would not worry me.

[Daywalker]

At least they wont be building anything on that land in our life time

Pylons or over looked......

[m1tch_1987]

Just stick some flrorescent tubes under them, free lighting!

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_yiiPzeRfNBQ/TJMpzqNeqQI/AAAAAAAABjE/wN4gfRzHzb0/080209_fluorescent_2.jpg

[The Idle Biker]

I wouldn't buy those houses that close to those Pylons because those houses aren't nice enough to take on the health risk - perceived, real or otherwise. If you can afford to look at houses that big then then look at others, there are better options. IMO etc

[Ed]

All this stuff about health risks is a complete load of tosh.

I acted for a client who bought a house next a leccy substation. He was initially worried, I told him to fetch out the National Grid. Bloke came and the radiation was negligible. They then went in the house and the National Grid bloke turned on the microwave and the instrument went berserk.

We have a low voltage line in the field behind us, I don't even see it any more.

Short answer - no.

[DJFridge]

The fluorescent tubes stunt is cod science at it's scariest. I can light up a fluorescent tube by putting it next to a plasma ball for goodness sake.

[-Ralph-]

OK, thanks very much for everybody's input folks, it's been interesting to hear some of the views.

Of course the thread was never about helping me decide on any of the options, my mind was already set.

The house is in a specific village, where I live and want to stay for a variety of reasons, so 'look for something else' is less of an option. All the houses on that edge of the village with a countryside view, look out onto the same row of pylons. There are none on the opposite side of the same size, with the same plot and private entrance, and even if there were, when would they come onto the market? It's come onto the market at the right time, and other than the pylon, it's the 'cream of the crop' so to speak. There's no such thing as a house with no compromises, unless you have a very short tick list, a wider search area, and a very big budget.

Visually the pylon doesn't bother me. Where in the countryside can you go nowadays, where you can't see a pylon? It's just part of the landscape IMO.

Healthwise it's an extremely small chance of cancer that would become a very small chance if we were three times closer. By being non-smokers we are probably doing much better for our child than by not buying that house. I am getting an EMF survey done this week as a precaution, and if 'dangerous' levels of EMF were detected I would think again, but EMF is a pretty exact science by the look of things, it's the effects of EMF on humans which is not. In perspective, kiddies who do live close enough to hear cables humming and get poo'ed on by the birds, are not falling in great numbers or we'd have proven a link long before now.

So I pretty much knew how I felt about it, the point of the thread was to ask other people how they would feel about it, so I could gauge whether if I ever come to sell the house, what proportion of buyers would be put off.

Small sample size I know, but this poll looks like half of buyers might be put off buying the house because of the pylon. Though the house went on the market in December with three viewings on the first Saturday and our offer was one three offers on the Monday morning.

Assuming the EMF survey is as expected, I'm still going to go ahead, but thanks again for all the votes and comments, because it has helped me to carry on with my plans with my eyes open about the realistic prospects of resale.

[grimey121uk]

Slight de-rail but A few years ago I was debating with a mate of mine at work about nuclear power and he was ranting on about the dangers and people living nearby would be exposed to radiation levels well above normal. On doing some research and it turns out that living next to a coal powered station exposes the locals to elevated levels of radiation plus elevated levels of heavy metals.

My point is why get hung up about about a small theoretical risk which is mainly scare mongering when there are far greater concerns out there

You would be better of checking the boron levels for example a there has been many studies linking increased boron levels with increase cancer

[-Ralph-]

All this stuff about health risks is a complete load of tosh.

I acted for a client who bought a house next a leccy substation. He was initially worried, I told him to fetch out the National Grid. Bloke came and the radiation was negligible. They then went in the house and the National Grid bloke turned on the microwave and the instrument went berserk.

We have a low voltage line in the field behind us, I don't even see it any more.

Short answer - no.

The presence of EMF thing certainly isn't bollox Ed. A electric cable creates a magnetic field, it's hard science, fairly consistent, measurable and it increases exponentially the closer you get to the cables. Ask any electrical engineer.

http://www.emfs.info/Sources+of+EMFs/Overhead+power+lines/specific/400+kV+overhead+magnetic.htm

'Safe' EMF level is supposed to be 0.4 microTesla average over a 24 hour period, a hair-dryer creates 30 microTelsa right next to your head, but you only use it for 5 minutes at a time, and because it's only 240v and low current, on the other side of the room it's not even measurable. Background EMF from household devices is supposed to 'average' 0.01 to 0.2. So expect to average 0.2 in your house on any given day, then throw the main isolator switch at your meter for 24 hours and expect to get 0.01.

Thing with the 400Kv cables is, move you house 60 metres from the cable and you'll get 0.4, even when the isolator switch is thrown. Have the cables running over your roof and you'll get 10 microTelsa, that's 25 times more (it depends on current draw, so 9 at night will be higher than 3 in the morning, but I'm simplifying things).

What is up for debate, it whether or not a higher microTelsa level affects human health. A few studies have been done that say it does, and the World Health Organisation advises governments to restrict building of houses, schools, etc, within 60 metres of power cables, and to run power lines through corridors where there is no building. The UK just hasn't decided the evidence is strong enough to pass the regulation yet, but I listed the countries who have decided to make it law above. The is also of course the economic impact, if you pass that law, does every house within 60 metres suddenly become unsellable, and the govnmt are forced to buy it?

EDIT: Italy, Switzerland, Israel, Netherlands and Slovenia

[speedplay]

I know that house!
I wouldn't buy it as I know how it was built....

But in answer to the question. Pylons wouldn't bother me at that distance but would bother a lot of other people which has to be considered for future resale.
As already stated. It's a buyers market at the moment and you can get quite a bit for your money if you look around.

[Balky001]

Ralph, if its definately the house you want then you just need to be satisfied from the H&S aspect.

I think you will find it more difficult to sell in future but you have already said you are getting a £30k price drop so its already built in the price My only concern would be how long it might take to sell if you needed to, and the looks of the thing. If it doesn't bother you then its not an issue

speedplay - what's your concern with the build as there's no need to put doubt out there unless its something pretty categoric but if it is I'm sure Ralph would appreciate the info

[plowsie]

It wouldn't bother me, no real reason, just wouldn't.

Is that Grange Park Col?

[-Ralph-]

Is that Grange Park Col?

You have a PM

[Dicky Ticker]

You can see them which is more than can be said about what is underground in a new housing complex,gas,electric and sewage which can be problematic. Having researched it yourself and knowing your thoroughness plus my own thoughts it would not bother me one iota.
Nice looking house in a cul-de-sac------ace,go for it,and good luck.
Regarding the price ---all things are relevent when buying and just as relevent when selling but I can't see the housing situation becoming any easier in the future and providing you are not looking at short term you must be in a win situation.
What do I know worth knowing that you don't already know yourself so in the end it must be down to yourself and S

[Roberrrrt]

What surprises me is that if I am correct in assuming that this is a reasonably new-build house on what looks like a larger development, that they've chosen to site the high-end detached properties near the pylons. Surely it's more profitable to stick the affordable housing down there where percentage value decrease is lower in proximity to pylons.

Admittedly there are probably other site constraints not reflected in that photo that have a bearing on this.

Oh, and must-not-start-rant-about-copy-paste-standard-housetype-design..... ;)

[punyXpress]

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01491/Dungeness1_1491567c.jpg






It's just a shame the estate agents failed to mention that it was in the shadow – quite literally – of one of Europe's biggest nuclear power stations.





But then pointy owners say their's is best!

They did say that the Fylingdales radar would produce 4-headed sheep. I only ever saw a 3-header, but it DID have 4 fne's, which would keep a badger happy! ;)

[Biker Biggles]

What surprises me is that if I am correct in assuming that this is a reasonably new-build house on what looks like a larger development, that they've chosen to site the high-end detached properties near the pylons. Surely it's more profitable to stick the affordable housing down there where percentage value decrease is lower in proximity to pylons.

Admittedly there are probably other site constraints not reflected in that photo that have a bearing on this.

Oh, and must-not-start-rant-about-copy-paste-standard-housetype-design..... ;)

They put the "affordable" bits next to the pikey camp behind the camera:D

[-Ralph-]

What surprises me is that if I am correct in assuming that this is a reasonably new-build house on what looks like a larger development

Yes, you are correct. As with all new developments some of the houses can be quite squashed together, small gardens, overlooked, etc, as the builder wants to get as many houses on the land as possible. What they seem to have done is put as many of the big houses as they can around the perimeter so they get the views and the larger plots which are not overlooked. They seem to have prioritised this over the pylons, and I think they are probably correct as this poll is showing about 50/50 between people who would bother and people who wouldn't, so if the first buyer who comes along doesn't like it, the chances are the next one will.

There are some nice plots on the other side of the development, but the rear gardens would be in the shadow of the house on a summers afternoon, I've google mapped all the way round and none have a private frontage (we will own that roundabout and half that cul-de-sac and there is no public right of way), and how long would we need to wait for one we like to come onto the market?

[tigersaw]

I've google mapped all the way round and none have a private frontage (we will own that roundabout and half that cul-de-sac and there is no public right of way), and how long would we need to wait for one we like to come onto the market?

As do I, but its not a good thing. Storm drains are blocked and its down to us to repair, the bin lorry has damaged the surface and thats now our problem, no public right of way means diddly squat as there is assumed access so you cant stop anyone.

[punyXpress]

You might not think it's a possibility, but could there be further development between the house and the pylon?

[-Ralph-]

You might not think it's a possibility, but could there be further development between the house and the pylon?

Never say never.

[-Ralph-]

As do I, but its not a good thing. Storm drains are blocked and its down to us to repair, the bin lorry has damaged the surface and thats now our problem, no public right of way means diddly squat as there is assumed access so you cant stop anyone.

You are always responsible for the drains under your front garden. Just that my half front garden will be tarmac.

Assumed access is for services, deliveries, etc, it doesn't allow Tom, D1ck or Harry from across the street to park a car.

Why don't you put your bins at the entrance, so the bin lorry doesn't drive up it?

[tigersaw]

You are always responsible for the drains under your front garden. Just that my half front garden will be tarmac.

Assumed access is for services, deliveries, etc, it doesn't allow Tom, D1ck or Harry from across the street to park a car.

Why don't you put your bins at the entrance, so the bin lorry doesn't drive up it?

You'd be surprised who drives up into our 'private' stretch of road. Lost lorries, google maps (who I chased out and had the video removed), and and Tom D1ck or Harry I'm afraid. Since there are 5 houses in total, leaving the bins out is a nono because someone always forgets, and there are so many different bin days you lose track.
As far as the storm drainage, that will never be repaired because some of the houses refuse to contribute.

Its just my lesson learnt, next house will not have any shared private roadway.

[-Ralph-]

Yeah, I understand your situation I'm not sure I'd like to share between five houses. Two should be OK and the line is drawn down the middle, so if the storm drain is underneath my side, it's my problem, if the kerbstones need replaced on my side, it's my problem, etc

[-Ralph-]

So, just in case any of the electronics students are interested, I have received the EMF meter for the survey.

I can't go down and wonder round there in the dark tonight, as somebody still lives there, so I went to the same power lines a bit further down the line, stood directly underneath then walked away, measuring my distance from the lines using a GPS track on my mobile phone.

The meter measures 0 - 5 microTelsa. Directly under the cables it's off the scale, the meter can't measure it and is bleeping like a stuck key on a keyboard

Directly underneath in excess of 5 microTelsa.
20 metres away it's 1-1.5
60 metres away it is just over 0.4, (the level at which it supposedly becomes dangerous)
100 metres it's 0.15
180 metres it's 0.1

Even at 180 metres it's definitely the EMF from the cables being picked up, as the sensor is directional, turn it away from the cables and it drops away. It was just before 8pm, so I think that'll be the time in Winter that the cables are carrying the most current.

Walking round our current rented house, the only area above 0.2 was the under stairs cupboard where the main cable comes into the fuse board, 2 feet from a big plasma TV, or about a foot from a switched on kettle or toaster. 1 foot away from an unused plug socket it's 0.1. Just walking around the middle of any given room, it's less than 0.05.

The microwave does make the meter go mental, but you need to be less than a foot or two away for that to happen, and that's not really surprising since it uses electromagnetic waves to agitate and cook the food. It's not on 24 hours a day either.

[tigersaw]

I've worked on radars so much I'm probably immune by now. And sterile, hopefully