Greenbelt on back of house, Farmer assures wont build on it? To trust or not to trust?

GoldenOldy

My cousin has seen a house which is built on former farm buildings which the farmer still owns.
the farmer assures him that it took 10 years to get planning, and they only did so because it was built on the footprint of  former concrete buildings.apparently they got a ‘q’ ? planning permission, then changed it ( i didnt quite understand that part)
Anyway the house that my cousin is looking backs on to the farmland that the farmer still farms.
The farmer has assured him that all the acres and acres of farmland will continue to be farmed and will never be built on, as its greenbelt, and the farmer also cares about the buildings they have already put up.
It might be me, because I am old, but can you really trust such a claim? My nephew thinks the farmer cares about the new builds and thats why he has made them quite big…otherwise he would ave rammed more into the area,
Am I a cynical old goat? 

comeandgo

Who’s to say when a green belt piece of land changes?  It happens all the time as councils need to build new houses to satisfy the increase housing the government wants.  Nobody can guarantee what happens to the land surrounding them.  If your cousin is desperate for no new buildings he should buy the land from the farmer.

Section62

GoldenOldy said:

My cousin has seen a house which is built on former farm buildings which the farmer still owns.
the farmer assures him that it took 10 years to get planning, and they only did so because it was built on the footprint of  former concrete buildings.apparently they got a ‘q’ ? planning permission, then changed it ( i didnt quite understand that part)
Anyway the house that my cousin is looking backs on to the farmland that the farmer still farms.
The farmer has assured him that all the acres and acres of farmland will continue to be farmed and will never be built on, as its greenbelt, and the farmer also cares about the buildings they have already put up.
It might be me, because I am old, but can you really trust such a claim? My nephew thinks the farmer cares about the new builds and thats why he has made them quite big…otherwise he would ave rammed more into the area,
Am I a cynical old goat? 

It sounds like Class Q permitted development - conversion of an agricultural building into a dwelling, then possibly applying for full consent to tweak things into an overall more acceptable development.  Once the LPA accept the principle of Class Q conversion they may be willing to accept a design which wasn't allowed under Class Q, but is more practical or has a lower impact in some way.

The short answer regarding trust is "no".  If you don't own the land (and aren't the beneficiary of a covenant) then you have no real say on how that land may be developed in the future.

'Greenbelt' is no longer the protection it used to be.

GoldenOldy

Thankyou. I am getting a bit wary in my old age when people are selling things…feel that promises are not always to be trusted as such.

km1500

you can never say never there is no assurance 

For all you know there might be an aerodrome built there next year

p00hsticks

And depending on the usage (which can always change), farmland in itself isn't necessarily that attractive to live next to... manure heaps and piggeries wouldn't be my choice to look out onto (and smell) on a daily basis... 

ManuelG

The only way to absolutely guarantee land won't be built on is to own it yourself.

That being said, What's the demand like around there, and infrastructure to support more houses? It might be easier for a prospective builder to try elsewhere

GoldenOldy

ManuelG said:

The only way to absolutely guarantee land won't be built on is to own it yourself.

That being said, What's the demand like around there, and infrastructure to support more houses? It might be easier for a prospective builder to try elsewhere

Actually, theyve put roads in and it wouldnt be beyond the realms of possibility to extend them further, i think.

Murphybear

If the farmer dies you have no idea what whoever inherits the land may do.  They may sell the land to the council or developer.  

ReadingTim

It's not really a matter of trust, it's a matter of control - and you have no control over something you don't own.  

jimbo6977

Trust a farmer where land is concerned? I wouldn't. In fact I wouldn't even consider buying the house in the first place. Many and varied are the stories of farmers stitching up unwary purchasers. Leylandii prisons, ransom strips, the sudden relocation of slurry pits....