Britons 'unaware of brownfield status'

More than a third of all UK homeowners are unaware whether or not their home stands on a contaminated brownfield site or not, according to new research from OneSearch Direct.

The firm's study also found that 26 per cent of property owners do not know whether or not their home is on a flood plain, despite the fact that some 88 per cent would not buy such property if they knew that it resided in such areas, according to Country Life.

OneSearch Direct has said that an environmental search which would enable a buyer to know such details should be included within the government's Home information packs (Hips).

"With the government planning to build three million new homes by 2020, many on flood plains in areas like the Thames Gateway, it seems absurd that this information is not made readily available in the Hip – especially when these properties are not automatically covered by insurers," said the firm's managing director Ronnie Park.

Home information packs (Hips) were this week criticised for slowing the market down by the National Association of Estate Agents.

PlotSearch only lists plots that you can build on - no greenbelt or agricultural land

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