pros and cons to buying a bit of land

Boxers

Boxers

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we might possibly be able to buy about 6 acres from our neighbour. the land is grass and as far as I know has never had any animals grazing on it. He cuts haylage and hay from it every year which he sells.

So if we buy this to use as pony paddocks what (if anything) will we have to do? Can we just buy it, fence it and use it? Or are there any regulations we will have to abide by?

Also, with regard to mobile field shelters. Does anyone use one as a full time stable? What do you put on the floor? Or do they have floors?
 
Yep,you can fence it and use it straight away,divide up into manageable paddocks if you like as well, no problem.

As for mobile field shelters, they shouldn't need planning permission as long as they are moved periodically to allow them to be 'mobile'. However,a friend of mine is not allowed to use one,for one reason and another with her local authority,so it is best to check!!
 
Providing it is secure, you can just put your horses on there and let them graze. As it was regularly used for hay/haylege it will be quite rich, so you will need to be careful of weight/laminitis.
Having your own land is the best thing ever, nobody to annoy you, steal from you, tell you what to do/not to do etc. On the other hand, some people miss company and you will have to do all the maintenence yourself.
 
My field has two stables and a 'field shelter with a door', it's simply a stable with rubber matting put straight onto the ground as they weren't allowed to put down anymore hard standing.
 
Have you checked whether it has a water supply, otherwise that is a problem? I have converted a field shelter into stables and have left the dirt floor as it is. It works well.
 
While your talking to planning about a change of use, ask if there any restrictions regarding the land. We have our own land and it is in an area of outstanding natural beauty, so no 'structures' of any kind are allowed, not even mobile field shelters.

Also, look into rights of access; do you own the access lanes, who else has a right of way over them and what condition do they get into in the middle of winter.

Owning you own land has a lot of advantages, but it does mean you become a proper DIY, as you have to do everything for yourself. Including visiting twice a day with food and water when the ground is under a foot of snow, or poo picking when it's pouring with rain and the ground is all soggy and muddy. That said, we wouldn't ever go back to a yard or rented land.
 
I am not convinced by the whole change of use, i don't think you have to do this at all - although ity may depend on individual councils.

We have never had to do that and our land was for agricultural use before we bought it. We have also put two stables and teo field shelters on the plot and also had electricity put in.

Ours is greenbelt with special provisions as well yet we have not come up against any planning issues in the 20 odd years we've owned it. Well, other than me putting an application to build a log cabin fopr me to live in down there but I didn't think I'd get that passed - felt it was worth a punt though! Lol

I have never known of anyone asked to remove their horses from land as they didn't apply for change of use. If they did stipulate this you would be able to put in ity retrospectively as far as I am aware. Personally i wouldn't bother. If you are questioned then have an arrangement for a local farmer to maybe graze some sheep on there for a month or so and then it is still 'agricultural'! Lol
 
ladyt25 said:
I am not convinced by the whole change of use, i don't think you have to do this at all - although ity may depend on individual councils.

Personally i wouldn't bother. If you are questioned then have an arrangement for a local farmer to maybe graze some sheep on there for a month or so and then it is still 'agricultural'! Lol
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It will depend on individual councils, some are more strict than others and grazing sheep on it doesn't mean it stays agricultural. You could keep quiet and go with the flow but be prepared that at some point you may need to change the use of the land.

I am also in an area of outstanding natural beauty and even mobile shelters aren't allowed. Before you put anything up, check with your council.

Check for rights of way and whether you own the mineral and sporting rights of the land.

It is also worthwhile to look into liability insurance, if some plonker injures themselves whilst trespassing on your land, they can claim from you. Madness, I know but again, worth looking into.

You will need a solicitor (or conveyancer - sp?) to go over the deeds to the land anyway when you purchase it and they will let you know of any covenants, rights of way etc.

You will need to have the implements to maintain or have someone who can do it for you.

What I would say is, go for it, if you find you have more land than you need, you can rent some out or cut your own hay but if you miss the opportunity of buying it, you will regret it down the line.
 
You do not have to apply for change of use if just using it for horse grazing and hay production, both of which are agricultural activities. If you start putting jumps out or riding in it frequently and someone complains then you will need change of use to equestrian use.

Some councils can also be funny about dividing fields up, you would have to check.

Mobile shelters do not need permission in some areas but in AONB, SSSI, etc you do need permission and you may not get it.

Pros far outweigh the cons but you have to consider the costs of putting water in (if not already there), hedge trimming, rolling and fencing. The costs dont just stop at the purchase if you want to look after the land properly. If there is any road frontage then the hedges MUST be kept tidy or the council will get stroppy! And this has to be done within specified dates throughout the year due to nesting birds. Your local farmer/contractor would be able to tell you about this though.
 
I think you will find that if you put in any kind of planning permission you will have to have change of use. When we put up our stables on they tried to enforce the change of use but we argued against as the land had previously been used as a Stud. If you don't tell anyone they wont know!
 
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