Stables in the garden

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lauraxxx

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Has anyone built stables in their garden?

Basically I’m looking at a property which has a large garden which could definitely fit stables and still have at least half the garden left!
It does also have land but is agricultural so as I understand, if the horses just graze it and aren’t fed/rugged eyc on the land I wouldn’t need to change use
Basically, I’m trying to be cheeky and sneaky! 😂
The majority of the land is going to be used for hay making so there will be done agricultural work being done
 
canteron said:
A lot depends on your neighbours and how much they enjoy moaning. Maybe worth a chat with the council/planning advisor would be good to ensure you have your ducks all lined up!
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Yes would definitely speak to the council before I did anything just looking if anyone had done it. Basically, it’s farm which has been spilt into 3 lots and the other 2 lots are horsey people too. Other than that’s, there’s no really any neighbours other than a house at the very bottom of the land but the garden is hidden by a hedge
 
What's the difference in having horses on the property fed and rugged versus not?

Very unfamiliar with the nuances of planning permissions lol
 
Yes I built stables in the garden in 2024.
I had to have planning and I applied for equestrian use - it wasn’t an issue and relatively easy.
 
FieldOrnaments said:
What's the difference in having horses on the property fed and rugged versus not?

Very unfamiliar with the nuances of planning permissions lol
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If it’s classified agricultural you can’t do the above, has to be equestrian use which is a different classification, can only graze it
 
FieldOrnaments said:
What's the difference in having horses on the property fed and rugged versus not?

Very unfamiliar with the nuances of planning permissions lol
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Because the land is classed as agricultural horses can only grass. If you want to rug, feed, ride etc the land has to be equestrian. Stupid rules as the horses are eating the same grass!
 
Traks said:
If it’s classified agricultural you can’t do the above, has to be equestrian use which is a different classification, can only graze it
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That seems odd to me, I can’t imagine the horses being given a feed and a rug would impact the land itself, so wonder why it’s so oddly specific?
 
dixie said:
Yes I built stables in the garden in 2024.
I had to have planning and I applied for equestrian use - it wasn’t an issue and relatively easy.
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Thank you, I’m hoping planning on the garden rather than in the land which is classes as agriculture would be easier and more straightforward. If you don’t mind me asking, how much did the planning cost roughly?
 
FieldOrnaments said:
What's the difference in having horses on the property fed and rugged versus not?

Very unfamiliar with the nuances of planning permissions lol
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I am in the process of applying for change of use from agricultural to equine, one with retrospect planning as the equines are already there. Ironically you don't need a Biodiversity Net Gain assessment if it is retrospect, saving money.

I bet a lot of fields with horses grazing, and with rugs on, being fed hay are on agricultural land, this is illegal! 'it is not supposed to be their permanent field and they should be moved to an equine base'. a quote from an enforcement officer. I expect no one checks or complains though and i have never asked the farmer about the fields I have rented. I am on a steep learning curve at the moment, liaising with my planners and the council.
 
I would suggest talking to other horse owners in the area and find out what the council's attitude is to horses on agricultural land.
 
Carrottom said:
I would suggest talking to other horse owners in the area and find out what the council's attitude is to horses on agricultural land.
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I think the council do turn a blind eye, but if it is brought to their attention, as in my case, they have to act, as it is law. The irony was they visited my field as someone complained about my field shelters, which are on skids, so the enforcement officer was not at all concerned about them, but obviously saw the donkeys etc., hence the retrospect planning permission application.

Sorry have gone off at a tangent, but frustrated as going through the process.
 
FieldOrnaments said:
What's the difference in having horses on the property fed and rugged versus not?

Very unfamiliar with the nuances of planning permissions lol
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If the horse requires a rug for genuine welfare reasons, that’s ok, same as we sometimes have to put raincoats on newborn lambs, or calf jackets.
Riding round said fields is a whole different issue, likewise hay nets, ring feeders. If you always run some livestock with your grazing horse, like a mini flock of sheep, it is far more difficult to argue the land is no longer agricultural. There is very wide regional variation in implementation, too.
 
lauraxxx said:
Because the land is classed as agricultural horses can only grass. If you want to rug, feed, ride etc the land has to be equestrian. Stupid rules as the horses are eating the same grass!
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Although you could rug, feed and ride a cow on it. It's beyond about time that horses were counted as large grazing animals like cattle and not some weird, overgrown house pet.
 
I suspect it is a historic sort of thing to protect those farmers thay have hill pony herds or do a bit of native pony breeding which is fairly common in Wales and Cumbria although a dying breed of farmer I think. I think breeding stock are treated differently as well as they are a 'business' and therefore not a leisure pursuit which is what the planning laws are 'trying' to separate. But it agree it is a fairly arbitrary rule.
FieldOrnaments said:
Sorry to hijack a bit but it's so odd
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The consequences being it will be easier to get planning to build on the land when it is proven it hasn't been used for agricultural use for a number of years.

Just an a side but big development companies will buy up agricultural land and leave it fallow for a set number of years before applying for planning as they can say the land hasn't been farmed for so long etc. Massive scam imo.
 
From a business and taxation point of view there is a big difference between equestrian (leisure) and agricultural businesses. Ag businesses are exempt from business rates, equestrian businesses are not. Hence the requirement to have land properly classified. There is a slightly grey area where some horses are treated as agricultural (formerly working farm horses, but would also include horses raised for meat if we did that here, and I think also studs). It's not a hard and fast rule but they are usually distinguished by living out without rugs and hard feed for the purposes of the classification (bit daft as they may well be stabled and I don't see why such horses wouldn't sometimes need rugging, although I suppose this is based on whether they are clipped).

Stables in a garden are usually exempt from planning permission in the curtilage of the dwelling - I think this is a historic rule probably from when someone might keep a riding or driving horse but I believe it still stands, although might be different for a conservation area or listed building. I don't think you could then graze the horse in a garden (although I have done in mine, about half an acre of old orchard, not with a stable but I thought it would be fun to have my horse and the children's pony at home for a bit. The neighbours adored it but I would probably have had to move them if anyone complained).
 
Abacus said:
Stables in a garden are usually exempt from planning permission in the curtilage of the dwelling - I think this is a historic rule probably from when someone might keep a riding or driving horse but I believe it still stands, although might be different for a conservation area or listed building
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Them being stables doesn't have a lot to do with it. Outbuildings of a certain size come within permitted development, so long as they are not living accommodation for humans, not more than 50% of the curtilage, not forward of the front elevation of the house, not in a restricted area (heritage site etc), and a couple of other restrictions.
 
DabDab said:
Them being stables doesn't have a lot to do with it. Outbuildings of a certain size come within permitted development, so long as they are not living accommodation for humans, not more than 50% of the curtilage, not forward of the front elevation of the house, not in a restricted area (heritage site etc), and a couple of other restrictions.
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I stand corrected - thank you. I know a few people who have done this.
 
Several people in our village, myself included, have whole yards built in the garden without planning. Totally legal. I think it has to be a minimum of 12 metres away from the house but that was the only condition. Conservation areas and AONB may have different rules. Oddly when I bought my land and wanted stables on that I had to have full planning.
 
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