~5 acres wanted for sale or rent in central Durham (around DH1 area) please

Hello all,

I'm looking for a small piece of land in or very near to DH1 (although I'll consider other postcodes nearby) to begin my market garden and land based business.

I have contacted someone that I think might be the land owner but they may have ignored my letter for whatever reason they have.

I'd be very grateful if someone could offer some land to sub-let from a local farm, or a lease or purchase.

Thank you in advance,
Suzi

 

[onesiedale]

Hello all,

I'm looking for a small piece of land in or very near to DH1 (although I'll consider other postcodes nearby) to begin my market garden and land based business.

I have contacted someone that I think might be the land owner but they may have ignored my letter for whatever reason they have.

I'd be very grateful if someone could offer some land to sub-let from a local farm, or a lease or purchase.

Thank you in advance,
Suzi

5 acres is a fair chunk if you are just setting up a mkt garden. Are you already growing stuff?

You have got nothing to lose by just rocking up on a farm yard, introducing yourself and asking.
Quick look on Google earth throws up some arable land around there and a couple of farms/farm yards.
The worst that can happen is they tell you to clear off. If they say no, they may know of somewhere else.
With a project like this, it is almost as important to align yourself with someone who is of the same mindset.
You will only find that out by meeting them.

 

[66Longhorns]

Having farmed in DH1 twenty years ago I would speak to John Turnbull of Youngs Chartered Surveyors. He was the agent for the university and the bishop and would know the score locally.

 

[livestock 1]

It you drive three and a half minutes up the road and speak to Mark he will sell you his all ready to go if you offer him the right money

 

[SnooziSuzi]

Just move in and see what happens? What is the worst scenario? Sounds as if the church will do nothing...except maybe open a coal mine (unlikely) or an oil well (even more unlikely) on the same land.

Do you know, I had thought of doing that

I figured the worst the owner could do was kick me off and sue for damages which would be minimal seeing as it's been fallow and full of weeds for years

 

[SnooziSuzi]

Having farmed in DH1 twenty years ago I would speak to John Turnbull of Youngs Chartered Surveyors. He was the agent for the university and the bishop and would know the score locally.

I'll do that! Thank you

 

[SnooziSuzi]

Do you know, I had thought of doing that

I figured the worst the owner could do was kick me off and sue for damages which would be minimal seeing as it's been fallow and full of weeds for years

Which farm is he on? There's lots round by us so I don't know what direction you're thinking of.

 

[curlietailz]

I read something about that recently too. It's true. Too few people have proper access to land, and not just for growing on - for just walking on in England. I know Scotland is different, and that comes with its own problems.

When you get your market garden I assume you will be allowing public access to walk on then ?

if you are interested in land you need to contact the local land agents
YoungsRPS
H&H
George White

Spring to mind

 

[Dry Rot]

I' be quite interested in leasing a few acres for a project like this, but unfortunately it might be too far to commute! There would be a very tight lease though. I've had liveries and experience makes you cynical!

 

[curlietailz]

Do you know, I had thought of doing that

I figured the worst the owner could do was kick me off and sue for damages which would be minimal seeing as it's been fallow and full of weeds for years

Ah
Isn’t that rewilding tjough
This is what all the enviro people want

 

[SnooziSuzi]

5 acres is a fair chunk if you are just setting up a mkt garden. Are you already growing stuff?

You have got nothing to lose by just rocking up on a farm yard, introducing yourself and asking.
Quick look on Google earth throws up some arable land around there and a couple of farms/farm yards.
The worst that can happen is they tell you to clear off. If they say no, they may know of somewhere else.
With a project like this, it is almost as important to align yourself with someone who is of the same mindset.
You will only find that out by meeting them.

5 acres because there are other elements that I want to do on the land besides just market gardening and also because the piece I really really want happens to be 5 acres

I have some experience helping on a farm mixed and (I know you'll roll your eyes at this) I've had an allotment for the last 20 years and I feel like I can scale up the growing and have the lifestyle I really want.

The trouble with rocking up to a farm and offering help is that it's hard to catch the farmer because you're all always out doing your farm work and I currently work full time so probably wouldn't be available when the farmer needed help, plus, there's no guarantee that it would be anything more than free help for the farmer

 

[SnooziSuzi]

I' be quite interested in leasing a few acres for a project like this, but unfortunately it might be too far to commute! There would be a very tight lease though. I've had liveries and experience makes you cynical!

I'm totally up for going into partnership with like minded people, and as you say, the lease would have to be watertight

 

[curlietailz]

Hello all,

I'm looking for a small piece of land in or very near to DH1 (although I'll consider other postcodes nearby) to begin my market garden and land based business.

I have contacted someone that I think might be the land owner but they may have ignored my letter for whatever reason they have.

I'd be very grateful if someone could offer some land to sub-let from a local farm, or a lease or purchase.

Thank you in advance,
Suzi

Have you considered the land may be in an environmental scheme and will have to remain “for nature” so is why it’s just left

it may be under option to a developer who is waiting to build on it
If it’s classed as agricultural it will need planning permission to be changed into a market garden but certainly will need planning for any structures … green houses sheds etc
And you mention other uses. Again planning permission

 

[SnooziSuzi]

Ah
Isn’t that rewilding tjough
This is what all the enviro people want

One man's weeds are another man's wild plants, I guess

 

[curlietailz]

Actually
Why not put a map of the land up here. Someone will know who’s it is ?

 

[livestock 1]

Is it along the road down past the prison?

 

[SnooziSuzi]

Actually
Why not put a map of the land up here. Someone will know who’s it is ?

Here's the boundary search I got...

The particular field I'm interested in is in the blue box. The boundary is what LR say the Church Commissioners for England own the mineral and mining rights to but doesn't show who owns the land.

If I can't even find who owns it, I can't start any discussions, although I will follow up on the chartered surveyor suggestion already given.

 

[SnooziSuzi]

Is it along the road down past the prison?

Not that far. It's next door to the Newton Grange car park. I just added the boundary map I got from LR in another reply.

I know that it's in a prime location for development and that that will hamper the discussion so I'm open to other land, even a corner of an odd shaped field that's got bad drainage! Just so long as there's no risk of chemical drift because I want to use permaculture to grow my veg organically

 

[livestock 1]

Not that far. It's next door to the Newton Grange car park. I just added the boundary map I got from LR in another reply.

I know that it's in a prime location for development and that that will hamper the discussion so I'm open to other land, even a corner of an odd shaped field that's got bad drainage! Just so long as there's no risk of chemical drift because I want to use permaculture to grow my veg organically

A lot of that land will likely be on a option for building by developers. That could explain why it’s had nothing done with it. They pay a figure to use it to build on to the owner within a given time 10/20 years.
Go and look at the town and country plan and speak to some farmers they will tell you who’s it is or not

 

[Highland Mule]

Certainly looks expensive, that close to housing.

@SnooziSuzi , you had an option on a smaller site a few years ago, what happened to that one? At the time, you reckoned that £2k/ year was outside of your budget - has something happened to give you much more money now? Frankly, I’d be cautious investing in land unless you had a very comfortable buffer, given the way the world is going. From an outside perspective, and with no local knowledge, that site is going to be a load of money (half million plus), if and when you find the owner.

 

[SnooziSuzi]

Yes, things have changed for me and I never did have an option on the land; it was just another piece I was looking into but it never came about.

One of the things that has changed for me now is that I'll have an opportunity to push harder for what I want, and the means to devote more time to it. All I need is that piece of land to get it started

And yes, that particular piece of land is my 'shoot for the stars' piece but I'd be happy to land on a smaller piece, further away if necessary to get started.

We all have to start somewhere.