My house wants its fields back

[JoceAndChris]

Isn't it - it's an interesting read as it's people's real experiences of farming and smallholding, fascinating- to me at any rate. What did come out of this thread was that it's unrealistic to expect to make any money from increasing the land, so I'm glad to be attempting something with eyes wide open (for a change!)

I think back in November we couldn't stomach another loan, the financial mood must be more optimistic as now we can.

 

[Schoolmarm]

Try to find out how much the other person sold all the 150 acres for. Obviously a lot of that will be prime arable but it will give you an idea of top prices paid per acre. You really don't want to pay more than that.

It will be on land registry I bet,and we are both experts at looking up house prices :lol:


The good thing, hopefully, about buying 5 acres is you SHOULD avoid the extortionate prices paid for adding teeny bits to gardens. Don't let them think you are that kind of buyer.

 

[Pford75]

If you want to keep animals, you will need a holding number from DEFRA. Worth browsing their website and getting copies of a few of their forms. I believe (but am no expert) that the designation of arable land vs. animal rearing land is different and not guaranteed (ie. you have to request permission). But as I say, im no expert.

Do bear in mind that smallholding animals is not easy now. Getting the animals to slaughter is so difficult now (since DEFRA have all kinds of rules/regulations about the type of transport etc.) that it can be very costly, unless you know someone who is happy to move your animals with theirs or you are prepared to slaughter the animals yourself

 

[FamilyWiggs]

I think you can only slaughter poultry and pigs on your own land these days (unless you comply with all the abbatoir regs which is unlikely).

Even then, you can't feed your pork to anyone else (even family) legally - otherwise you are classified as a supplier and subject to all sorts of other regs.

The days of the local abbatoir are, sadly, long gone. Thanks mainly to EU legislation...

 

[Pford75]

This article seems to indicate that home slaughter of sheep is permitted for personal consumption

http://www.countrysmallholding.com/index-of-articles-sheep-killing-and-butchering-sheep--212299

and further confirmed by this Herefordshire County Council website

http://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/bus...px?id=182900&classification=Eng;Busi;Adv;AHaW

We slaughter our own sheep (shotgun), but are lucky enough to have the room for a cold store and hanging larder

 

[Moo]

Apart from all the form-filling, I doubt whether Joce had slaughter (diy or commercial) in mind when she mentioned the idea of having animals on the land. Vast vets bills to stave off the effects of geriatric illnesses, perhaps, plus the cost of having hand-engraved headstones for them all, perhaps. But killing and eating them ... ?

 

[jocelyn plummer]

oooooooppppppps!

 

[JoceAndChris]

:lol: :lol: :lol: Moo knows me too well!

I once thought I'd be able to drive them to the abattoir, but the reality is I look into those trusting eyes and fall hopelessly in love... I really, really admire those of you who rear animals and then eat them but I just can't.

I'm even finding the thought of selling my girls' future babies rather too much.

The perfect use for the space, which by the way is in an unbelievably prominent position, visible from all over town, with no houses overlooking except mine, would be a lovely folly surrounded by rare breeds.

Flamingoes would be fun. Or camels. As it's a place where people come to watch the sunset, walk their dogs, play with their kids and a kite, I think the council and the local public should support me on this one.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Try to find out how much the other person sold all the 150 acres for. Obviously a lot of that will be prime arable but it will give you an idea of top prices paid per acre. You really don't want to pay more than that.

It will be on land registry I bet,and we are both experts at looking up house prices :lol:


The good thing, hopefully, about buying 5 acres is you SHOULD avoid the extortionate prices paid for adding teeny bits to gardens. Don't let them think you are that kind of buyer.

Thanks so much for the advice - I'm not finding this land sale anywhere. Doesn't we it take a longish while for prices to get registered online?

 

[skier-hughes]

Just be brazen and ask the auctioneer or land agent who sold it.

 

[JoceAndChris]

OK - will do - good idea.

 

[Flyfisher]

Joce, you could open a sanctuary for bull calves from the dairy industry (a topical subject for anyone who listens to The Archers ).

Seriously though, this sounds like a great stroke of luck and I hope it works out. From your brief description of the land it sounds pretty much worthless to anyone except you - something that the purchaser has already figured out, hence his approach.

I wonder if it would be worth talking to an estate agent to get a valuation of your house with and without this extra piece of land?

 

[LadyArowana]

How about some Llamas or Alpacas ?

 

[JoceAndChris]

Oh, stop! Too cute!

Thank you so much for all your help and interest. I'm trying to get hold of the senior person at Humberts to chat about valuations of the house with and without extra land. As this will be financed by an increase in our mortgage, I think it wouldn't be particularly sensible to do it unless it does add significant value. There are a lot of horsey people here in Lincs and it's occured to me that our 40 by 20 feet brick built workshop, which has seemed something of a white elephant, could probably make quite a nice stable.

I've just been sent the map, the big field between us and the Crematorium is divided in 4 lots: 3 acres, 2.38 acres, 2.97 and 5.93 acres. The 2 lots, making up 5.38 acres that are directly in front of our hedge are the most interesting (I'd like the lot but we won't be able to afford it)

Apparently you need Planning Permission to extend the curtilage of your garden, whereas you don't if you just want to fence off a section for livestock.

No-one I've spoken to thinks there's any chance of development on this land, and to grow a crop on it is pretty difficult too. This makes the land not very attractive to anyone but us I guess.

At certain points of the year the hill erupts in little springs, and the gradient is very steep just behind the Crematorium, making it an unattractive purchase for them I hope.

I'm trying not to get too excited as he seems very unlikely to dip below 5k per acre.

 

[yamin]

the graves encroached right up to my ha-ha :shock:

How uncomfortable, there must be a law against that...... :lol:

 

[Flyfisher]

Apparently you need Planning Permission to extend the curtilage of your garden, whereas you don't if you just want to fence off a section for livestock.

What absolute nonsense. :twisted:

Sorry, not your statement Joce, but the need for PP. I wonder how they define "garden" anyway.

Don't forget that you may not need to 'extend' anything. I don't see why you need to merge the house and the land into the same title in the first place (although perhaps the mortgage company might have something to say about this). Our place is split across four separately identified titles.

 

[worms]

Plant an orchard! Then defy DEFRA to tell you it is not agricultural or an estate agent to tell you it is not part of the garden!

 

[johnandrew]

Apparently you need Planning Permission to extend the curtilage of your garden, whereas you don't if you just want to fence off a section for livestock.

What absolute nonsense. :twisted:

Sorry, not your statement Joce, but the need for PP. I wonder how they define "garden" anyway.

I understand that there are very good reasons for not allowing people to easily extend the curtilage of their garden into agricultural land. It opens up the possibility of future development quite apart from the potential effect on the landscape of all those gnomes and garden statues.

Although, Worms suggestion of an Orchard sounds interesting.

John

 

[Flyfisher]

Surely the designated building line for a settlement would not be altered by extending a 'garden' into an adjacent field, so I don't see how it could make things easier to develop. Anyway, if development is deemed undesirable in a particular spot, regardless of the land designation, then surely PP would not be granted? It just seems to me that we need permission to do anything these days or can't do things without excessive bureaucracy. As previously pointed out, even keeping a few lambs for the freezer is now a bureacratic nightmare.

Fair point about gnomes though. :lol:

 

[JoceAndChris]

The estate agent said that the reason why councils have to be vigilant about people extending their gardens is because a good eye has to be kept on agriculture not losing too much land to private gardens. He said if they didn't control it significant chunks would be lost and farming in the UK would suffer.

I don't really understand the wider implications of these things.

An orchard is a different matter again, but judging by my mini-orchard, fruit trees are not overly keen on life on a windy hillside!

the graves encroached right up to my ha-ha :shock:

How uncomfortable, there must be a law against that...... :lol:

Indeed! :lol: