House prices unaffected by waste incinerator plants and wind farms

New report suggests that plants have 'no significant effect' on long term property prices.

The move will give local people's concerns about nearby wind farms precedence over the need for renewable energy (PA)

Analysis of property prices around three 'Energy from Waste facilities' or waste incinerator plants by Cranfield University appears to reassure nearby residents.

The study looked at three plants in the UK that have been operational for at least seven years and concluded that there was no significant negative effect on property prices at any distance within 5 km from the plant.

"Energy from Waste is widely seen as an essential part of an integrated waste management solution, but the main constraint on its uptake has been the negative perceptions of politicians and the public, and the subsequent opposition to planning applications," said Dr Stuart Wagland who led the study."This stems from a historic memory of ‘dirty’ incinerators of the past, but regulation and policy has ensured that modern incinerators are vastly improved."

The report follows research from the Centre for Economics and Business Research which indicated that wind farms at seven sites in the UK have not forced down property prices within a 5km radius of turbines.

Maria McCaffery, Chief Executive of RenewableUK, the renewable energy trade association which carried out the study, said: "This is the first deep dive into real data on this issue. At last we have a detailed independent analysis into what actually happens to property prices before, during and after wind farms are constructed, over a period of nearly 20 years.

"Having analysed more than 82,000 property transactions the report concluded that local house prices continue to perform just as they would have done whether or not the wind farm had been built, remaining in step with what’s happening to average house prices in the county as a whole."

Preliminary findings from a report due out later this year from the LSE appear to suggest exactly the opposite result, indicating there is a drop of up to 15 per cent in value due to nearby wind farms.