planning permission and horses....

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show_jumper

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hi there.
i was just wondering if you could give any advice or share any experiences with regards to how you got planning permission for accommodation (temp or permenant) at your equestrian property - am looking to build a yard and want to know if there is anything i can do to make them more likely to grant me permission for accommodation.... i had heard that saying its going to be a stud and having mares and foals and stallions is a good way to go????

thanks
 
We have tried any angle we can think of, but with no success yet. Is your land classed as greenfield or brown? You can apparently get permission if you own Llamas.
If anyone has any ideas, I, too, would be very interested.
 
Yes think you're right. It took 4 years for us to get PP for our house on our 2nd farm. We got some very young calves (3 days old) and said we needed to be there 24/7. Hey presto....PP!
 
i find it amazing - lamas, alpaccas, cows - fine - have a house! BUT... if you have horses - say mares about to drop and new bor foalies - they seem to think that its fine to walk away and leave them over night!! derrr!!!! the council is a very strange thing!!!
 
we looked into this a while ago if you are breeding horses it might be granted but you have to spell it out to them why (running a livery is a nono) a wormary(sp)
crazy.gif
, plant nursary? or i think they said it might be granted if there have been attacks on horses in the area. What ever you decide to try make sure you have bundles of evidence as to why
 
you need to look at PPS7 on what was the odpm.gov.uk website

you need to show an income more than the minimum agricultural workers wage (so more than 18k p.a. after paying loans/mortgages, money for (re)investment in machinery etc

plus you need to satisfy the functional need to live on the premises. Most councils will bring in an agricultural consultant of their own (mine uses Humberts) and will pay them to rubbish your application reasons for needing to live at the yard

You CAN site the defra animal welfare leaflets (see defra.gov.uk) for any agricultural animals you keep

be warned that someone got turned down when they had 600 plus poultry - the planning inspector on appeal defined 600 poultry in proper free range commercial sheds as a 'hobby'.

It is very hit and miss (and that is what is so unfair with the planning system)

if you have a piece of land that you can locate something on that makes it 'invisible' to passers by then that is better

the other thing that is more acceptable is to apply for a conversion of an existing building, rather than applying for a new structure - that is far more likely to succeed - i.e. convert a barn, convert 4 stables into a small dwelling, etc - but you will be unlikely to get pp to replace the converted barn or converted stables with more for the animals

breeding horses carries little weight as that is 'seasonal' and therefore you would only qualify for temp accommodation (as per fruit pickers) - no need for permie accommodation

you need to demonstrate a range of activities that require on-site presence and that covers a full 12 months of the year - and horses - even colic/theft/etc just don't really count.

I have succeeded - it took me 4 years, 2 planning appns, 2 appeals and enough bank loans to fund a large mortgage to win - and it was a close run thing

You also stand no chance of getting accommodation if you apply for what your family need

ALL you are entitled to is a single persons dwelling - sufficient to tend the livestock - the needs of the animals is all that the planning system needs to cater for, not the needs of the family

so I ended up with one living space with kitchen/living area, tiny bathroom with minute bath and a small bedroom - all that was 'needed for the livestock'. If I'd applied for a two bed. dwelling with a separate kitchen to the living area it would have been turned down as unnnecessary for the welfare of the animals

and i've got a combined smallholding with my horses so could cite 365 day necessity.

don't go down this route if you don't have to - leave 'greenfield' sites to someone with enough money to 'contribute' to the local community via 'planning gain' (we used to callit bribery but it's not - it's legal under section 106 agreements for say supermarkets to pay for a new roof on a village hall or whatever in return for getting PP).

having been there and got the T shirt and looked at the financial, stress, health and realationship costs to me of this I'd say do NOT do it. Instead save your money - put it in the bank - and wait till you can afford a property that already has a dwelling and stables.

just don't go where I've been - it really really is NOT worth the hassle until the planning system is changed - and that might happen in the next 5 yearrs - so get saving the cash and be patient.....
 
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