Ideas of what to do with empty stable yard

[BBH]

A few years ago I built a largish yard for my horses but they have passed away now and I have lost interest. I still have 2 minis but they don't need 10 boxes.

I don't want to sell up but would like to put the Stables / barn to use.

Has anyone else converted Stables for another purpose or use ?

I'm looking for ideas / inspiration please .

 

[splashgirl45]

you could always take on a few whw or bluecross rescues.....or change stables to cattery and run a small business.or dog boarding..or convert to holiday lets....

 

[gingerfan]

What part of the country are you? In the home counties you would no problem letting out the yard.

 

[ycbm]

They make great holiday lets. Maybe as a camping barn - bunks with shared bathroom. Popular in the Peak Park.

 

[BBH]

Thanks all ,I'm in the Home Counties and very near a large competition centre so I'm sure it would rent easily however I don't want horses around any longer.

I like the idea of a doggy day centre and I have 4 acres I don't use so could add that as a dog park , I'd have to investigate a change of use but it's certainly food for thought .

 

[Dulcie]

Livery and taking in some rescues (i.e helping out whw etc)?

 

[Landcruiser]

Small business units/workshops?

 

[Goldenstar]

Storage units ?

 

[BBH]

All good ideas thankyou

 

[Fragglerock]

My non horsey neighbour converted his to garages.

 

[sherbet]

We have a local charity that runs courses for children that cant cope in main stream school they mainly have ADHD etc. They are always looking for outdoor space to hold the courses at, they would maintain the property and pay a low rent. They would also sort there own insurance etc. If they had a space that they could camp at im sure they would grab the opportunity, maybe you have something like this in your area that could benefit from the space

 

[ihatework]

Small business units/workshops?

This but with a twist - individual office pods - ideal for the contractors / working from home people who are lacking space.
I rent a small office within a unit and like getting out of the house and having other people around. Home Counties would be ideal location

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

You could change the stables to storage sheds for vehicles which are classic or storage of other vehicles

Also in the summer get hay of it and sell the hay off the field to a feed merchant etc

You could put a permanent course of x country jumps and hire out.

rent the land out to the riding club for shows

rent the land out to local car boot company

sell land for development

start a community garden

be an overflow for your local wild life sanctuary


build a local attraction like a model village community to walk round

put a lake in for the wildlife

There are so many ideas you could do

recreational activities

 

[Shay]

All the ideas are good - just watch out for chnage of use / planning permission. In the Home Counties / greenbelt there is often a requirement that land remain agricultural in use. You may not be able to convert the stables to office units or run a commercial business from there. Check with your local planning team.

 

[chocolategirl]

As others have said, kennels or cattery, or both! I wouldn’t even consider livery if I were you, and I speak from experience. There’s no money in it, more hassle than you can shake a stick at and with kennels/ cattery, the returns are much higher especially when you compare the size of the animals involved! I run a livery yard but my friend has all 3 businesses and she tells me she makes way more from the dog and cat arm of the business than the horses. I know with some people it’s not all about the money, however, you do have to consider the stress and costs of running any of these businesses. Good luck OP with whatever you decide to do.

 

[Hexx]

If you are near a competition centre, you could rent them out on a daily basis for show accommodation?

 

[BBH]

Wow thankyou all, the land is not agriculturally restricted so maybe that gives us more flexibility , I really like some of these ideas and some will definately cost more capital to transform than others but I retire in 4 yrs with a very nice pension so will have the money to invest . My plan is to go travelling which means something that once set up is low input / maintenance is appealing .

 

[BBH]

Chocolategirl, liveries are my idea of hell.

 

[Orangehorse]

You could get a local estate agent out - not the ones who only sell houses, but the ones who deal with planning, diversification, etc. They would know what previous clients of theirs had done in similar circumstances and they would also know what the local planners would go for, or equally, be against. They shouldn't charge for an initial visit and might give you some ideas that you hadn't thought about.

 

[Cavalier]

Do watch out for any impact on your mortgage if you are generating an income. Friends had to change to a commercial mortgage on part of their property due to letting out buildings to small businesses. Good luck though, there are some really interesting ideas here

 

[chocolategirl]

Chocolategirl, liveries are my idea of hell.

Lol! I’ve got some that are hell on legs, but luckily I’ve got a few that are ok so I’ll keep going..............for now anyway!��

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

One extra thing what about holiday livery - people board there for a week or so - holiday with their horse