Daydream fund challenge part 4

COOLTRIKERCHICK

alfie_1 wrote: »

my thoughts and good wishes to you and your stepdad...

thank you Alfie...


I notice one of the spaniels have been found that went missing for beaulie sp ?

twiglet98

Happy new year to all the Daydreamers, from a regular lurker who greatly appreciates the practical tips and points of view on here.

When I moved here over 20 years ago this was close to a dream - a semi detached 1920s former farm cottage on a level half-acre, adjacent to a 40 acre block of farmland planted up as new woodland. There's a brick barn and 2.5 acre paddock between my garden and the woodland, and I've rented them for our ponies for 20 years. Now the owners of the wood and paddock have decided to sell.

They are instructing their agents to offer me first bid on the paddock and barn. I don't have a guide but can’t afford it at any price.

My deeds have an easement allowing the landowner vehicular access across my driveway and garden "for agricultural purposes". It should be clear to prospective buyers that there is no public right of access with vehicles - or horses - across my land and I think that would limit its appeal. It is surely not an obvious development opportunity with this restriction on access, though perhaps this is easily overcome and I'm ignorant as to the law. My neighbour and I do not want to allow any more access than at present.

I don't know who buys this size and type of woodland - it's still a young mixed wood. It should have investment potential but it will be years hence before they could harvest timber for commercial gain. As a nature reserve it is very good, and a joy to live next to, but that makes nobody any money. The public footpath is used by only a handful of people anyway. I'm wondering if anyone buying the wood would buy the paddock and barn too - and still rent it to me - but suspect an investment buyer would want the patch of grazing. The barn is another entity, and it's anyone's guess what its appeal might be.

I think it makes sense that the paddock and barn SHOULD attach to my property, and if I can't buy them, maybe now is the time to put my house on the market too, "with adjacent paddock and barn for sale by separate negotiation". My house needs a lot of work, the garden needs work, and every year older it’s harder to keep up. This could be time to kiss it goodbye.

I just can’t straighten out in my head the best way forward, and can’t keep my head in the sand hoping the nightmare will go away!

If anyone has experience of buying grazing land, or woodland, or issues regarding access, I'll be very grateful if you'd share your experiences.

ukmaggie45

Welcome twiglet98, nice to meet you. I can't really help much with your dilemma, other than to tell you what my cousin and her husband told me. Woods need a lot of work.

When my parents died I was left an inheritance, and at that time there was a patch of woodland for sale in Wales, near to where I used to visit my Grandparents as a child. And near to where my cousin lives now. I didn't indulge, as it's a fair old trek from where we live, but always kinda regretted it. But last year we visited the area, and also managed a brief visit to my cousin. I admitted to having been tempted by the woodland. She and her husband told me in no uncertain terms that looking after woodland is something that needs a lot of work. They have a friend who owns woodland near them, it needs constant care. It's definitely something for a Daydream, but might be harder to deal with in reality.

So who knows who would buy a young woodland. You say it's wonderful as a nature reserve, might it be worth trying to get an environmental charity interested in it? RSPB, Butterfly Conservation, or someone like that?

I'm not sure you could put up your home for sale with the paddock and barn "for sale by separate negotiation" as you don't own the paddock and barn. But I'm a city dweller so don't necessarily understand how these things work. To me the insinuation from those words is that you own those extra bits of property but are prepared to sell without them (often folks don't want the extra land and work involved if they just want to buy a house). I'm sure someone else will be along soon who knows better about this kind of stuff.

Davesnave

Hi twiglet, thanks for de-lurking, even if you have set us a bit of a poser!

Access easements vary, but "for agricultural purposes" means exactly that, so as you've deduced, equestrian should not count.

The private road next to me has an easement allowing a farmer access for agricultural purposes. There are a couple of residents who moan frequently about large tractors using the lane, as the legals pre-date the invention of such large vehicles, but it seems there's nothing in law to prevent these using it. Of course, in the old days, cows would have been driven up and down the lane all the time.....and that would have been messier!

Our own easement for the same lane is the all-encompassing "at all times and for all purposes," which would even allow access for a new build here, I think. However, I don't see that there's any way someone could develop the paddock/barn reached across your land.

I'd guess that 40 acres of immature woodland might have limited appeal, mainly to those who seek long term, possibly tax-efficient investments. If there are sporting rights attached, that might create more interest though.

It's impossible to guess whether the paddock might still be rented to you in the future. If a company buys the woodland I'd say it's more likely, as 2.5 acres isn't much of a commercial proposition, given the access constraint.

Davesnave

CTC, my nephew was in hospital with awful abdominal pain in the run up to Christmas.

He did have a MRI scan and many tests for different ailments, but after a couple of weeks, they were no closer to working out what he'd been suffering from.

He gradually recovered, made it home for Christmas and went back to work today.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

Still awake at silly o'clock AGAIN!!


Hi Twiglet98.. I have read your post, but it hasn't sunk in properly.. so once I get some sleep I will re- read it..
Davesnave... thanks for that. it might be, that as you say time and rest in Hospital will be the healer..
Head the lady with Ebola is very poorly now, and there is antoehr suspect case.
Also some trouble with a boat/transporter just of the isle of wight.. and an over turn boat in Scotland...

alfie_1

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

thank you Alfie...


I notice one of the spaniels have been found that went missing for beaulie sp ?

apparently so... in fareham !! so aprox 25/30 miles away ... moved fast , i hope they find the other one

alfie_1

anyone has experience of buying grazing land, or woodland, or issues regarding access, I'll be very grateful if you'd share your experiences. well as it happens friends are doing exactly this... dont panic yet ! bear in mind that if YOU control the access [with neighbour ?] then you may hold the key... IF building potential is there [sadly the wood is not established so may not be an obstacle] then your house/s is worth more as a planning plot than as it stands. why not ask the agent dealing with that plot [agricultural ie horses helps lessen the agri tie] if potentially a building plot..... if so, chat with your neighbour as your plots WITH houses could be a good combined plot for building. just a suggestion as friends plot [albeit bigger but has/had agri tie] has gone from 1m - to potentially 7m+.... ask yourself if a) do you want to be there if they build next to you? b) are you happy to move if you can ? you may be the key to the whole plot being sold........ regs are changing re PP as gov says houses MUST be built... ...........p.s. im meaning if the barn/paddock has building potential if buyers of wood keep the wood but intend to build on other plot.... if that makes sense. by registering your interest to sell too can make buyers more interested [builders] cos you have original pp.

alfie_1

right im offt to zumerzet .... have a good day y'all..

I_have_spoken

Been knocking the cannas out of their pots. These didn't do every well this year and I'd left them expecting to just chuck them away. However, after cutting down the foliage I couldn't bring myself to throw away what seemed to be 10 robust tubers, given how much they cost in the shops. Maybe they didn't get regularl water/feed in the pots and were all jammed in too.

The problem is, I now have maybe 20 tubers all told and they are such big plants, so been thinking about where to get more space in the garden for herbs etc. I reckon I could put window boxes below the kitchen window. It faces due south, but would add a 'T-piece' to the downpipe off the conservatory to feed water into a sump with capillary matting wicks into the soil.

That way, it would almost self-water except in the one week of nice weather we get :rotfl:

Artists impression...