A piece of land has become available which is very near to the wastewater treatment station in a town near where we live. The price is attractive and there are opportunities for us to develop the land and subdivide. There appears to be no issues with the station itself like odour, but the ponds are visible from the piece of land. My husband sees it as an opportunity, but I am struggling with the location and feel it is risky. At the end of the day, we both need to be on the same page with what we decide, but would welcome others thoughts or experiences if they have bought near a wastewater treatment station.

apple27 - 2021-02-27 19:52:00

the stink is to die for, the stink is revolting, the stink is disgusting, the stink.

gabbysnana - 2021-02-28 09:37:00

I wouldn’t want to live near one. Anything could change, even the wind.

lakeview3 - 2021-02-28 09:50:00

Would be just like living in Rotorua.

sparkychap - 2021-02-28 09:53:00

sparkychap wrote:

Would be just like living in Rotorua.

depends where you live though....many places aren’t affected at all.

lakeview3 - 2021-02-28 09:56:00

lakeview3 wrote:

depends where you live though....many places aren’t affected at all.

Exactly, so how you know the OP will suffer? Modern treatment plans are very effective at controlling odour.

sparkychap - 2021-02-28 10:05:00

It doesn't appear to have odour issues. I have talked to the council, scanned for news stories and also talked to locals, and no issues. I'm more concerned about the resale. The piece of land is large - more than what we could usually afford, so it could be a good investment.

apple27 - 2021-02-28 10:07:00

apple27 wrote:

It doesn't appear to have odour issues. I have talked to the council, scanned for news stories and also talked to locals, and no issues. I'm more concerned about the resale. The piece of land is large - more than what we could usually afford, so it could be a good investment.

So, if these are issues that could affect resale, they are arguments for ensuring you buy at the right price too.

Can the plant be screened at all with fast growing trees?

Another consideration, though, is that a large piece of land is only a good investment if you can do something with it. The challenge often with large lifestyle blocks is that you spend along time maintaining the land and not enjoying it.

Edited by sparkychap at 10:22 am, Sun 28 Feb

sparkychap - 2021-02-28 10:20:00

Yes sparkychap, we can screen in a limited way, but the building site would mean that we can effectively turn our back to the sight of the treatment ponds. I'm struggling with the 'snob' factor of just living across the road from the poo tanks tho!

apple27 - 2021-02-28 10:23:00

sparkychap wrote:

So, if these are issues that could affect resale, they are arguments for ensuring you buy at the right price too.

Can the plant be screened at all with fast growing trees?

Be careful what you plant and where you plant it... Mangere sewage plant put in a band of trees along one side as a screen/ stink filter. As the trees grew they sucked the water from one side of the site, the clay shrank and buildings tilted.

masturbidder - 2021-02-28 10:26:00

apple27 wrote:

Yes sparkychap, we can screen in a limited way, but the building site would mean that we can effectively turn our back to the sight of the treatment ponds. I'm struggling with the 'snob' factor of just living across the road from the poo tanks tho!

Is it near any of the holiday home areas?

sparkychap - 2021-02-28 10:46:00

Well if you have doubts then that is your answer. I would stay well away, and most think the same, even you, it sounds like you are trying to convince yourself. Say no if in doubt.thete is a reason it is cheaper. You will be trying to convince others it is ok too , seen it before in other circumstances. If you don't care what you or others think, then buy.

msigg - 2021-02-28 10:57:00

msigg wrote:

Well if you have doubts then that is your answer. I would stay well away, and most think the same, even you, it sounds like you are trying to convince yourself. Say no if in doubt.thete is a reason it is cheaper. You will be trying to convince others it is ok too , seen it before in other circumstances. If you don't care what you or others think, then buy.

.

lakeview3 - 2021-02-28 11:07:00

apple27 wrote:

The piece of land is large - more than what we could usually afford, so it could be a good investment.

if its cheap to buy then it will be cheap to sell.
its cheaper because not many people will want to live next to sewage plant, hence you will have that problem when you want to sell.

tweake - 2021-02-28 11:13:00

Yeah, you are right msigg. I guess I'm writing here to just check myself that my reasons are valid for not being keen. When we were younger, we lived in less desirable neighbourhoods, because you have to start somewhere. Now, not so much and I take great pride in our house and garden where we live. My husband is dead keen on this section, and he won't proceed if I'm not happy, but the treatment station keeps being a stumbling block for me.

apple27 - 2021-02-28 11:13:00

apple27 wrote:

Yeah, you are right msigg. I guess I'm writing here to just check myself that my reasons are valid for not being keen. When we were younger, we lived in less desirable neighbourhoods, because you have to start somewhere. Now, not so much and I take great pride in our house and garden where we live. My husband is dead keen on this section, and he won't proceed if I'm not happy, but the treatment station keeps being a stumbling block for me.

the fact is you have no control over what may happen at the treatment station in the future, it is already there, there is a chance it could expand or they may change their processes or start carrying out other associated processes. I wouldn’t go near it.

lakeview3 - 2021-02-28 11:18:00

I've heard of people buying land and then finding out it's contaminated. So you probably need to check that out or it could be expensive. https://www.mfe.govt.nz/land/risks-contaminated-land/my-land
-contaminated/how-find-out-and-what-do-if-land-contaminated

athena2 - 2021-02-28 11:21:00

Posts 8 and 14 relevant. Also, is the location's population growing quickly so that the council may need to expand the facility soon?

amasser - 2021-02-28 11:23:00

amasser wrote:

Posts 8 and 14 relevant. Also, is the location's population growing quickly so that the council may need to expand the facility soon?

see post 16

lakeview3 - 2021-02-28 11:29:00

Thanks everyone. I think we will keep looking for the right bit of land.

apple27 - 2021-02-28 11:40:00

Whanganui's new water treatment plant was completed mid 2017. It definitely emited a revolting smell over nearby land and buildings late Nov 2018 or 2019. This is the result of our state of art construction, I would hold no hope for your situation.

lyma1 - 2021-02-28 14:08:00

lyma1 wrote:

Whanganui's new water treatment plant was completed mid 2017. It definitely emited a revolting smell over nearby land and buildings late Nov 2018 or 2019. This is the result of our state of art construction, I would hold no hope for your situation.

reminds me of working on homes downwind of the auckland rosedale plant, that was gut wrenching.

tweake - 2021-02-28 14:19:00