Host farm help

Hi all,

We've been looking for a host farm to rent us 4 acres to set-up a market garden and short of knocking on farm doors we've tried all we can think of? We're not wedded to any particular part of the uk and have tried contacting:

Dozens of Dairy farms & Livestock farms
Farm shops with land but no veg grown on site
National trust
Forestry commission
Church of England
Land websites

We're always in competition with the 1000's of equine interests and we invariably get priced out - understandable in some respects but incredibly frustrating.

Our needs aren't particularly straightforward in that we need an electricity supply, water supply (we'd meter both and pay for that) and either the use of 55-60m2 of covered space or permission to build it ourselves (i'm a timber framer / tree surgeon / builder by trade).

We've offered to take a leave no trace approach and commit to returning the land and buildings to their current state but we're struggling to find anything. We have a £50k start-up loan business approved and ready to go but the window for us to accept is approaching. We'd be looking for a 6 year tenancy - 5 to cover the loan repayment period and an extra year to get moved on if we all decided that it was time to do so at that point.

Where else could we try?

Thanks for reading!

 

[Warp Land Farmer]

What are you expecting to pay to be out bid by hos folk??

 

[wheresthedog]

If we got all the above without having to build our own pack / chiller / tool storage shed and wouldn't have to pay for a new electricity supply then there would be £3750 a year in the business for the 4 acres and building use (with metered utilities on top)

 

[wheresthedog]

This is £5400 per year! https://rentrightcommercial.co.uk/p...utm_source=Lifull-connect&utm_medium=referrer

 

[Formatted]

Yeh for a field with a water trough in it? If you want a field which has a barn or where you might be able to get permission to build a barn you're going to be paying a lot more and the price will go up the closer you get to a city.

 

[GeneralBobLopez]

Hi guys,
I completely relate to your dilemma! Am also looking for land to rent for a regency ag project. And finding all the same problems. To make it harder for me we’re very limited by location- needs to be south of Bham due to family commitments, and so same problem with being outpriced by horse people!
anyway, just wondering have you come across the ecological land coop? If you’re flexible on location you should get in touch with them. They are a coop who sublet to people like you guys. From memory they have holdings in south west, south east and one other location...sadly nothing near us!
best of luck and would be great to hear about it when you find somewhere.

 

[GeneralBobLopez]

Not regency ag- that sounds like a wierd period drama. Regen ag. Blooming spell checker

 

[GeneralBobLopez]

...and I said sublet but that’s wrong. They own the land.