There are no restrictions on how close new homes can be built to power lines in the UK. That means planning permission should not be refused on EMF grounds.
But where development is proposed on a site crossed by an overhead line there are good operational and amenity reasons – not to do with EMFs - for not siting built development directly beneath or immediately adjacent to overhead lines. Instead these areas could be used for car parking, storage areas, transport routes, sustainable urban drainage, landscaping etc.
More information on the land use options available, and on a recent initiative to enable better quality development near power lines is available on National Grid’s ‘Sense of Place’ website.
