Checking Out Land
There are two sides to checking out a potential building site -
- Is it where you really want to live?
- Are there any serious problems or drawbacks with the particular site?
Location
The main green issues are about -
- Transport and breaking dependence on the car. Check for the proximity of public transport; see if the area is easily cyclable and walkable
- Not spoiling environmentally sensitive land. You may need to carry out an environmental survey
Other more personal deciding factors may include the following -
- Is it a good place to bring up children with schools nearby?
- Are you close enough to a wide range of cultural experiences?
- Do you want to be close to the countryside?
- Is there a sense of community?
- Are there local shops?
- What about the views?
These are just a few of the many considerations you may have. Although the whole idea of ‘quality of life’ indices needs handling with care there are several types of index which can be used to get an idea of an area -
- You can see the neighbourhood statistics here
- If the site is rural there is a lot of information at the Natural England site
- Crime statistics by postcode are here.
Various local authorities have web sites which go into the quality of life issues in their area, e.g. The one for Leicester. These can be useful if land comes up for sale in an area you don’t know well. Search in your search engine under “quality of life” and then the name of the local authority.
If you become seriously interested in a site then it may be useful to get first hand information about what it is like to be there over a longer period. A slightly unconventional but extremely useful way is to get permission to either camp there or caravan there for a couple of days. It is amazing the amount of detailed information you can pick up by doing this. There may be quite subtle but important considerations about things like where the sun comes up, the microclimate, the views and a sense of privacy or exposure - how close the neighbours actually are! You may get a feel of the land, the history behind it and the character it has.
Problems and drawbacks
These fall into four main categories -
- Obviously ascertainable ones such as legal restrictions on the site, e.g. covenants or rights of way or wayleaves over the site. A solicitor will sort this out. Also things such as parking difficulties in the area or poor roads
- Non-obvious problems of which there can be many. There might be seasonal or intermittent problems such as invasions by tourists, noise from pubs, intermittent industrial noise, traffic or pollution, certain types of crime, agricultural smells such as pig farms, there might be night time noises from industry, railways or fire stations. There could be difficult winter conditions. Obviously the best way to find out about all this kind of thing is to talk to as many locals as possible
- There is the rather more long term question about what the area is going to be like a good few years down the line. There may be plans for drastic changes to the road system, increases in the population density in the area or plans for industrial development nearby. This is best tackled by studying the UDP which tells you the long term planning policy for the surroundings.
- Finally there may be physical problems with the land itself, such as contamination, tree roots, drainage, old workings, etc. and they should come to light when you have a survey done
