New land owner indeed of advice and guidance

Chalmers

Member
Evening all, my name is Alex and I'm from Suffolk. Last year my father in law passed away and left my wife and brother in law 5.5 acres of land in North devon. We have been down there afew times when the land was officially passed on to my wife and her brother. And have since spend £5000 getting the land cleared as it was very overgrown as it had been left for along time without any proper care. My father in law always wanted to do something with it but once he moved from Devon to Suffolk many years ago. It got wild and ran away with him. Since my wife and her brother have got it. They are looking at a way that it could make an income.. we had a guy who cleared the land and was informed it will need cutting maybe twice a year.. as we are 300 odd miles away we were looking for options to earn an income from the land either possible build on it or rent it out. I think we are trying to rent it out so the expense of getting the land cut every year will pay for its self rather than us having to spend money on the land that we are not getting or anyone getting any use out of. It has a well that we are going to get reinstatted and a couple of iso containers on the land as well as a small shed. There is also 2 smaller wooded areas. Sorry if this is long winded. We are new to owning land and would like to get peoples advice / ideas on what to do with it rather it getting all out of control again.
Many thanks for your time
Regards
Alex
 

Chalmers

Member
Selling is not an option. It is something that will be kept in the family. I did suggest this to my wife and brother in law but was firmly told this will not happen.
 

Chalmers

Member
The ground is very good. Just spent 5k clearing it all as it was in a bad way. Lovely land and area just struggling to know what to do with it. Would like to rent it out and see someone make use of it.
 

Chalmers

Member
If you do not cash it, and I understand why, it will be a financial burden at that distance.
Could well make a good glamping site, but if you do not operate it yourself there will be very little reward
Yes that's very true. We did maybe suggest moving down to Devon just because we love the area. Just came back Friday from a weeks holiday down in croyed. We though maybe glamping but will need someone to run it. And more costs.
 

Werzle

Member
Location
Midlands
Sorry what do you mean 10 year uplift
If someone gets planning permission to build on it within ten yrs of you selling it you get a percentage of the uplift/increase in value. I wouldnt rush to sell it until you have explored if it could be built on but i would be concerned owning land so far away and not being able to keep an eye on it. You could get a land agent to let it on a seasonal grazing/mowing agreement but its only going to earn you a few hundred after the agents fees are paid.
 

andybk

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Mendips Somerset
Just find a local farmer to look after it , poss a bit of rent but it wont be much , be better to find a young lad and give him a start for looking after it (hedges , weeds etc ) , rather than established big owner , just get your agreements in place with clear rules , and vacate for a month or so a year , just to avoid any issues . We run quite a few bits like that on Mendip .
 

335d

Member
How much of it is actual grazing land? U mention 2 small wooded areas. If you had 4 acres of good grazing ground, well fenced, you could probably rent it for £150 an acre, so £600 a year. Be a long while of getting your £5k back that you spent clearing it.
As previously mentioned it’s too far away to diversify with camping etc.
 

Chalmers

Member
What were you clearing it of, and how do you know that the ground is good?
The ground was very overgrown with brambles weeds and general wild plants. It was knee deep and with out cutting it back we could make out what the ground was like. To me it looks like good firm grown but im no expert so I could be wrong.. it has a slight gradient to it as well.
 

Chalmers

Member
How much of it is actual grazing land? U mention 2 small wooded areas. If you had 4 acres of good grazing ground, well fenced, you could probably rent it for £150 an acre, so £600 a year. Be a long while of getting your £5k back that you spent clearing it.
As previously mentioned it’s too far away to diversify with camping etc.
Yes it is too far away from us to be popping down there ever few weeks. I think the wooded area could possibly be 1 acrea and the rest grazing ground.
 

MCook

Member
Trade
Location
Kent
I'm sure there would be opportunities for using the land outside of renting. The difficulty, as others have alluded to, is with the distance involved, profits are likely to be minimal once management fees are paid to whoever operates the site on your behalf. A decent land agent could be worth contacting, to discuss your options.
 

Exfarmer

Member
Location
Bury St Edmunds
I'm sure there would be opportunities for using the land outside of renting. The difficulty, as others have alluded to, is with the distance involved, profits are likely to be minimal once management fees are paid to whoever operates the site on your behalf. A decent land agent could be worth contacting, to discuss your options.
Perhaps sone local, could point to a good agent.
A good local agent will give you advice for free, within limits ofcourse
 

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