Buying grazing land

Rose_Crow

Hi everyone,

Not sure if I'm posting on the right section, but here goes. I need to know everything there is to know about buying land for grazing horses on. I'd like to learn as much as possible to see if it's a viable option. It has always been my dream to have my horses living at home, but as that could be some way off, my other option is to buy my own land, jointly I imagine, with my sister.

I live in north Essex, have a mortgaged house with my OH and a loan for my car. I have no other debts apart from these. If / when things get a bit more serious, I will speak to a financial advisor, but just get my head around things I have a few questions.

What sort of loan would I need to take out in order to buy land? I am working on £9k an acre based on some land selling recently in my area. No idea how much I would end up with, or what I can afford at the moment.

How does one find out about land for sale?

I'm just wondering what my chances are of getting a loan when my name is on our mortgage (£120k I think), though OH pays for all of it at the moment. Is grazing land considered an investment? I can't imagine I would lose money on it, and that when I came to sell it I'd be able to get back what I paid.

I have other questions regarding planning for a small stable yard, field shelter etc. but will save those for another time / forum.

TIA!

Rose_Crow

Bump.......

Guest101

8 months on and you've not sought clarification on the issue?




I don't know the answer, and I suspect many wont here, but surely if you were serious about this, you'd have spoken to a broker by now?

Ozzuk

A few thoughts spring to mind:

1. IMO land is rarely a bad investment long term, but it depends on how much it costs and what you buy
2. Security...horses nowhere near your property? I'd be stressed worrying about them
3. Change of use - I'm pretty sure you can only have horse on 'grazing' (agricultural) land if they are only fed from that land - ie, if you feed them extra then you need to apply for change of use
4. Stables...planners are wise to people chucking up stables with the hope of getting permission for a house at some point. Doesn't mean it can't work but expect up hill battle (if that is your goal)

If you are a horsey person, join a horsey forum, this will be a very common topic and you'll get much more tailored advice and experience. Horses aren't very moneysaving I know that for a fact

DaftyDuck

Some of the issues have already been covered, but I think Ozzuk is right: you'll get better information from a horsey forum.

Change of use from agricultural to pasture land is not always possible, but will be necessary if the horses are removed from the land for stabling, recreational purposes, or if the fields are subdivided into paddocks. Erection of temporary "field shelters" may well be permitted, whilst anything on hard-standing is likely to require planning permission. Having horses pottering around, with the occasional jump isn't exactly discrete.

Different planning authorities have very differing attitudes and I suspect much of Essex takes quite a hard line on this because of other demands on the land. It's certainly more lax here in Norfolk than it was in Cambridge, as the place I'm now in was run as a stud farm for 10 years, with no change of use from agricultural. No complaints were made, and the planning office did grant permission for some stables in the farm buildings, never questioning where said horses were grazing...

You can find farms and land on websites Like This One, but they are pretty pricey down in Essex. Your budget per acre is fine, so long as the land has no hope of ever getting planning permission for other uses and... sadly, getting pp for stabling & horses is often seen as a first step to housing.

No idea about horsey forums to visit. We have, however, inherited a horse from the previous owners... nobody wanted him, the poor s0d. So, we are lumbered with the ugly brute... Lasagne?

.... he's very sweet, and much loved already....

ripplyuk

OP, are your horses kept at livery? If they are, I'd advise renting some land of your own first, rather than buying. It's not easy to manage horses on your own land without the benefits that come with a yard eg stabling, hay storage, dry standing for the farrier/vet etc. Unless you have a huge amount of land, you'll find you spend more time poo picking, weed spraying, repairing fences and fertilising/seeding than doing anything with your horses.

lincroft1710

Look at auction sites, many often have parcels of grazing land for auction. Your £9K is probably nearer £10K now.