Feeding horses in field = breaking the law = Change of use of land?

Oh reading this makes my blood boil what a bunch of jobs worthy prats. What harm are you doing by giving your horses food.
Such nonsence and a wast of your time. I wish they would go and hassle the local travellers who occupy land illegally and trash it.
 
What rubbish! For a start, we were always told that horses are NOT considered agricultural - this is why our local farmer can wack up a huge outbuilding wherever he feels like it with no planning for his "agricultural use" but we had to spend a fortune getting planning for some stabling. So quite why horses are now considered agricultural when it comes to grazing, Im really rather confused. Surely farmers feed their cows/sheep etc. with supplementary food quite frequently (like licks, turnips etc.). Just tell them you dont feed them supplementary food and just do it, how could they possibly prove it unless they photographed you standing there with a feed bucket. Its like you're supposedly meant to apply for change of use to ride in your own field - I've been riding in mine for 21 years now... but then we planted nice big hedges round the field early on so quite difficult to spot me riding from the road. Its none of their business IMO.
 
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I take it the law is different up here in ScotchLand. My dad got 3 acres with his house in 94. Half is now garden the other is for the ponies. He had the council guy out as Grumbles the Neighbour was unhappy dad put a fence up blocking his view of my dads garden, and Council guy did point out that he would probably need a change of use for the farm land to garden, but he never mentioned the ponies - - -at this time there were jumps up as well etc.
 
Hi, had the same problem here in kent. They wanted me to change the use of my 5 acre holding although we only had a couple of ponies on it and the rest are sheep , pigs and poultry. The cheif planning officer came out to us and agreed we didnt need to change but that if we supplementary fed the horses then we would have to change. We make our own hay so this hasnt been an issue for us.
 
"What rubbish! For a start, we were always told that horses are NOT considered agricultural - this is why our local farmer can wack up a huge outbuilding wherever he feels like it with no planning for his "agricultural use" but we had to spend a fortune getting planning for some stabling. So quite why horses are now considered agricultural when it comes to grazing, Im really rather confused. Surely farmers feed their cows/sheep etc. with supplementary food quite frequently (like licks, turnips etc.). "

Perhaps the law is different here but farmers can't just wack up farm buildings, they do have to have planning. We have done it, last year and 10 yrs ago. I suppose farmers may be looked on differently since they are feeding people whereas the majority of horse owners are 'leisure use' which is hardly agricultural (unless we are going to eat them).
 
Why if horses are not agriculture or food producing that they get sent for slaughter for meat! Why are they being eaten then? Does make my blood boil.

I really would carry on, I have. Good luck
 
First of all, the council's word is not the law. Many people contest and win planning appeals against 'jobsworth' decisions.

I would ignore the planners in this situation - I don't say that lightly. In order to enforce their decision, they would have to demonstrate that you are doing somethings substantially different to what farmers do every day which is to feed hay and hard feed to their livestock. It would be different if you wanted stables and to ride/jump on the land but if you just want to feed, then it is no different to farming any other livestock.

I also think you should call the Daily Mail or similar and make a stink about animal welfare. Councils dislike bad publicity and a well-timed article about a council more concerned with 'rules' versus animal welfare is going to make them think twice about wasting taxpayers money, enforcing something as nonsensical as this. I would also write a letter of complaint to your MP and CC the council in on it. I think they will back down sharpish.
 
Spiritedly said:
 Just use a paddock to graze horses in, then this is an agricultural use. (If you erect jumps, ride, additionally feed then the use of that paddock is regarded as an equestrian use.)
Found this online, if your land already has permission for equestrian use then it would seem the council are in the wrong.
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This is what my LA told me. We are in an AONB. If the land only has agricultural status then technically you cannot feed the horses or ride on the paddock. So long as the horses are only grazing it is OK as grazing is an "agricultural" use. This use changes once you start bringing in feed for them. However, if the horses are used to work the land or are kept for meat then they still are classified as agricultural use. Otherwise you will need to apply for "equestrian" use - which you say the land already has.
If the land does not have permission for equestrian use but you have used the land for "equestrian" use for a number of years (cant remember the precise amount of years you need) then you wont need to apply for planning permission to upgrade the use as the land will automatically become entitled.
Hope that makes sense!
 
Well, i still think the whol thing's a load of rot to be honest. We are in Yorkshire and have had our field over 20 years. It is only classed as agricultural land yet we got permission to build stables on ot (they wouldn't allow me to build a log cabin to live in when I applied a couple of years back but I'll work on that!).

We put showjumps in the field in summer and (god forbid) we ride in the field and iit has never once been told to us that the field should be classed as equestrian or leisure use. If it helps OP, let a local farmer put a few sheep on your land for a couple of weeks in the summer - this seems to do the trick but seriously, i can't believe the council are even making an issue over this, it's ridiculous and seems liken they are thinking they can just make a bit of extra cash from you to be honest.

Out of interest which council is it?
 
CazD said:
This is what my LA told me. We are in an AONB. If the land only has agricultural status then technically you cannot feed the horses or ride on the paddock. So long as the horses are only grazing it is OK as grazing is an "agricultural" use. This use changes once you start bringing in feed for them. However, if the horses are used to work the land or are kept for meat then they still are classified as agricultural use. Otherwise you will need to apply for "equestrian" use - which you say the land already has.
If the land does not have permission for equestrian use but you have used the land for "equestrian" use for a number of years (cant remember the precise amount of years you need) then you wont need to apply for planning permission to upgrade the use as the land will automatically become entitled.
Hope that makes sense!
Click to expand...

This to me is just ANOTHER money making scheme by local councils - it makes no ends if the animals kept on the land are cows, sheep or horses in my book. I don't understand how or why they differentiate at all. What if you started riidng a few dairy cows?? P*sses me off that councils have decided people with horses on privately owned land should have to reclass the landas 'equestrian' for an extra fee when i can't see how it makes any difference as the lands is not treated much differently than taht with farm stock in!
 
I have applied for change of use from Agricultural to Equestrian several times so can probably help you.

You need to see any previous planning applications for the land you own. If there are none then your land is probably agricultural in which case you can keep horses on it but only if you do not provide any suplimentary feed.

What I would strongly advise you to do is to instruct a local surveyor to apply for planning permission for change of use from agricultural to equestrian. Once that has been achieved then apply for planning permission for stables and a feed shed. Employing a professional will get you there a lot quicker.
 
ladyt25 said:
Well, i still think the whol thing's a load of rot to be honest. We are in Yorkshire and have had our field over 20 years. It is only classed as agricultural land yet we got permission to build stables on ot (they wouldn't allow me to build a log cabin to live in when I applied a couple of years back but I'll work on that!).

We put showjumps in the field in summer and (god forbid) we ride in the field and iit has never once been told to us that the field should be classed as equestrian or leisure use. If it helps OP, let a local farmer put a few sheep on your land for a couple of weeks in the summer - this seems to do the trick but seriously, i can't believe the council are even making an issue over this, it's ridiculous and seems liken they are thinking they can just make a bit of extra cash from you to be honest.

Out of interest which council is it?
Click to expand...

you are right, it is a load of rot. Our paddock has only agricultural use yet had PP for stables over 20 years ago. when we applied for a field shelter we were turned down. I asked the LA about a mobile shelter and was told it would be best it I applied for equestrian use first - but the horses and the stables had been there over 20 years and it had obviously been used for equestrian purposes for that length of time. its just a money making exercise. We got the field shelter at planning appeal - and we still dont have equestrian use classification!!
 
montalcino said:
I own 9 acres of land with a total of 6 horses kept on it, they are turned out all year round as the local planning authority refuse to grant planning permission for stabling.

They have told me outright that I can apply for a change of use, but they will turn it down.
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In your position I'd go to appeal for the planning permission for the stables if they have turned you down. I did my own appeal for a field shelter - which was successful. I didnt bother using a professional as his cost was over £400 just to read the documentation I had prepared. I dont recall there being much, if any, cost to my doing the appeal, just a bit of time in sorting out the paperwork.

If you are sure the land has equestrian status, then just put up mobile stables.
 
Reading all of these posts it is just a complete joke isnt it. My friend and I often fancy selling up and depositing ourselves in a caravan with a load of children and living for free for a few years and get away with it too. Yet when you apply or ask to do the right thing everyone seems to get told different stories. I know my local council seem to make it up as they go along over many issues and it seems unfair when depending on which council you live under depends on what the rules are!! I often hear xyz council down the road allow this but our council will not!!

How does that work?
 
I'm glad to see I'm not the only one thinks this is a load of c**p :D

I will try and do a brief history to give you an idea of what I have been fighting against.

I bought the land in 2003, as I mentioned the deeds stated the land was only to be used for 'agricultural, equestrian and horticultural use', this was put in place by North Yorks County Council who had owned the land in the past.

When I got the deeds there was also a line which stated 'no building may be erected on the land without prior planning permission unless for agricultural, equestrian or horticultural use' I will be honest and read this to mean I did not need planning for stables and on the advice of several people including an architect and a property developer, I put up 3 wooden stables, but in an attempt to keep them as temporay as possible I put down no concrete base and placed them directly on the existing stone base that was there when I bought the land.

Erm no, according to Harrogate Borough Council, it didn't mean that, although when I asked them exactly what that line meant, all I could get off them was it didn't mean it, they couldn't/wouldn't tell me what it actually meant.

So I got in a professional planning consultant and for several years we went back and forth trying to get planning permission, twice the council drew me plans of what they would accept, we submitted an application based on this and they then turned it down, we even got to the point where my consultant had a meeting with them on a wednesday, they told him verbally they would approve the application, then rang back on the Friday saying they had changed their mind and it would be refused.

I was served with an enforcement notice and despite numerous communications I was eventually forced to remove the stables, also in this enforcement notice was to remove the hardstanding (not concrete or tarmac, a fine stone that had been laid) which had been down since the 80's. More communication ensued but HBC can be very slow to respond, once taking a year to answer a letter, anyway I refused point blank to refuse the hardstanding and they finally took me to court, I lost as the judge ruled I had been 'disobedient'.

The cost of removing this hardstanding is beyond me and as the fields have 2 seperate numbers I wrote to the council saying I would have to sell one half to pay for this, but they would need to give me planning permission to create a new entrance into the 2nd field, the council told me I could apply for it, but they would refuse it ... so I keep one field, but I can't get into it.

So now the council are looking for something else to have a go at me about, they have never let up on me in the last 8 years and as soon as they get one point out of the way, they find something else.

I kept cows on the field one summer, their enforcement officer saw them there but chose to ignore them, I have found in 2 of their planning policies so far that all equestrian related planning applications will be refused, contrary to PPS7.

I am at my wits end and I am now looking at selling all the land and finding somewhere to rent, this was a lifetime dream for me which has turned into a nightmare, the light at the end of the tunnel has well and truly been extinguished :)

Thank you to everyone who replied, many of you brought a smile to my face which has been sadly missing for a long time.
 
Personally I would be going down the sheep route. a smallish flock will be fully agricultural which they cannot argue with. And the planning exemptions for agricultural buildings would help with a field shelter. As long as the horses are incidental to the main use of the land, you are ok.

It sounds as if the covenant from the previous owners re only being agric or equestrian has been confusing because of the owners having to have happened to be the council. So it sounded the same as planning permission/class of use when it was just a title covenant. I think most people might have made the same assumption you did.
 
WTF is his problem, did one of your horse's crap outside his house, or do I smell a rat and they want the land to build some antisocial housing, seems very anti horse this particular officer/council :mad:
 
did the council trick you into removing what you had?
i thought that things aquired rights over time?
 
Have a look on line through all the successfull planning applications for stables in your area and copy the application, this is what I did for my arena. I made sure there was nothing different from a successfull one, I then took it to the planning office and got them to check it before it was submitted. I had problems getting my stables passed but no problems with the arena. I am in your area and my field was agricultural before I bought it.
 
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