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Landfill Sites

18 Aug 2014   |   0 Comments

It seems that celebrities and their mansions aren’t immune from environmental problems affecting their homes.

Robbie Williams is currently in the press as he is struggling to find a buyer for £5.5 million pound home in Marlborough, Wiltshire with reason to believe that it’s due to a nearby landfill site and the pungent smell that it is omitting.

Robbie’s home, Compton Bassett Manor is just 820 yards away from Lower Compton landfill site and it is here that the smell is considered most offensive.

The landfill site is operated by waste management firm Hills who claim that a heavy rainfall over winter drenched uncovered rubbish, which, when subsequently buried caused huge amounts of gas to be released when the decomposing rubbish mixed with the warm weather. Hills currently have a de-odourising system in place however it currently isn’t disguising the awful smell.

Robbie Williams bought Compton Bassett house for £8.1 million in 2009, however it is assumed that due to the landfill and the stench, it has affected his house price and he recently reduced the price earlier this year to try and attract a buyer. Residents are convinced it has also affected their house prices and businesses as no one wants to live or stay close to a smelly landfill site.

The Wiltshire village residents have complained to Hills, however they are fed up as nothing seems to be happening. Even Parish Councillor Dr Peter Alberry recently wrote a letter to the Environmental Agency complaining about the smell and asking for action from Hills, he also requested information, through the Freedom of Information Act, on the dangers the gases could pose to local residents.

But it isn’t just Robbie Williams whose house is affected, Michael McIntyre also lives nearby and if the wind blows the other way the stench affects his home in the neighbouring village.

Nobody wants to live next door to a landfill site and the potential health and safety dangers that can arise. It is not only the smell that people should be worried about; it’s the risks to you and your family’s health.

For as little as £50.00 this problem could have been avoided or at least considered further, environmental searches are quick and easy to obtain and could save you thousands of pounds in the future.

So if you are buying a property and you are worried about the environment around your potential home, make sure you contact ewillmott@conveyancingdata.com