Need advice and help on property near to power lines

Hi All,

So last week saw this property in a good location opposite to park for first home. Plan to use this for long term.
But the problem is high tension power lines across the road.The distance from property boundary to Power line is ~25 metres. The house is not exactly opposite,but diagonally opposite to the transmission tower shown in below pic . It looks like a 275 KV line.



Did some fair bit of googling and found LMI wont be given (Home Loan Experts | Specialist Mortgage Brokers) . Is that true because I didn't find that info in CBA website
Secondly, having small kids, will it be dangerous in terms of radiation ?
As this is first home, is it worth going for it. Agent is quoting premium price as it is good locality and in front of park.

Thanks in advance.

 

I was doing some research for my brother and in our council the buffer is 10m, so 25m is greater than what is usually stipulated. I know there are some townhouses within 12m of such lines, which is more problematic. Although I should add that councils develop such buffers, officially based on other reasons such as earthworks, aesthetics etc.

I suppose one thing you could do is hands on research, if radiation is indeed a problem (and it is an established community), then there should also be some history.

Well here is the official story. The claim is that power lines are not a strong source of radiation, i.e non-ionizing radiation.

Power lines and cancer myth - Cancer Council Western Australia

But look at this article.

Powerlines cast cancer cloud

It seems to suggest that if the power lines are within the limits prescribed by the WHO then the lines are NOT a danger. I do not know if Australia is using the same poor standards as NZ (as per the article above).

 

Then consider this.

https://www.epa.sa.gov.au/environmental_info/radiation/understanding_radiation/powerlines

If we take the 0.1 micro tesla as the Gold standard for magnetic radiation (the figure that should not be exceeded). Then living on the edge of an easement is borderline, it is JUST safe enough.

However, in South Australia, they are reporting that at the easement the micro tesla reading ranges from 0.1 to 0.5, which would suggest that the buffer may not be sufficient. Fortunately for you, you are 25 metres away, not directly at the easement.

This is important even if the gold standard is higher, for example in the Netherlands a figure over 0.4 micro tesla has been described as the number not to exceed. Electromagnetic fields in daily life | RIVM

but this is still a problem if in Australia we have a range of 0.1 to 0.5 at the easement.

Other things to consider is the voltage, is it 275,000 volt transmission line, 66,000 volt etc.
What are the differences in the easements by council. The standards I have referenced in this post are for the 275,000 volt lines.

What does this all mean? It does seem that reputable institutes and research bodies are prescribing these guidelines, but under the belief that exceeding these levels presents a POTENTIAL for cancer. It does not suggest that even exceeding these levels is definitely problematic. But I would err on the side of caution in areas directly in proximity to the easement (just my opinion, not advise).

 

Use the search function and put in power lines
Plenty of former discussion here, but in a nut shell
1, they scare people and if you have doubts so will whoever you one day try to sell to
2, these houses are usually discounted by 10-25%
3, expect to sell it at a discount
4, don't buy it

 

It is also worth noting that issues may appear in bank valuations where it is valued for under the price that you purchase it for. So you might need to prepare to fork in a bigger deposit. And so might your potential buyers in the future.

 

The way I see it

1) Acreage (fine I guess)
2) House with a standard lot/road (approach with caution)
3) Townhouse/house with minimum setbacks (hell no)

It seems to me that you are in category 2.

 

You would need to look at the insurer's website not the bank's to find whether the LMI will provide cover.

 

Thanks all.

 

Awesome information. Thanks a lot. Have decided that being a first home buyer it is not worth the risk,especially in this volatile market conditions.