WWYD Yard - New housing estate going up...

[indie1282]

I may be worried over nothing but thought i would try and get some input from people that might be in the same position!

Quick background - i am on a yard that i really like. It pretty much ticks all the boxes and the horses are happy, plus it's 2 miles down the road so really handy.

The issue is that there is going to be a new massive housing estate ( approx 500 house ) being built right next to it. There is a lane that runs along the side of the fields that we use to access them and the new houses are going to be built right up to the boundary hedge. So there will only be a lane between the houses and our fields. There is also plans to have footpaths coming out from the estate in to the lane, I'm not entirely sure that they can legally do that as out YO owns the lane and the boundary hedge but that's still unconfirmed... the lane is currently also a footpath.

I am worried that people are going to either go in the fields with the horses or feed them, i can already see disaster happening. The field that mine are usually in are one field away from the lane but potentially they could go in the field next to the lane for some part of the year. The yard is separate so should be ok but the YO has had people wondering around previously think that it's a public right of way...

The other issue is that we dont have many yards in our area, there are a couple that are 10 - 15 miles away and the horses would need to in overnight in winter which i dont really want. I am thinking of doing a scout around for fields, it is a really horsey area but no one ever moves from their fields/yard most probably because it is very central to the town.

Am i being over cautious or would you be concerned? I reckon i have about up until Christmas before building work is finished ( most likely after ) so i am not desperate for time.

 

[Gingerwitch]

Hiw many horses are on your yard as it may pay to wait it out and see what actually happens. If however it's a huge yard 40 plus and everyone starts to move or go on wait lists you may want/need to jump sooner

 

[Birker2020]

I may be worried over nothing but thought i would try and get some input from people that might be in the same position!

Quick background - i am on a yard that i really like. It pretty much ticks all the boxes and the horses are happy, plus it's 2 miles down the road so really handy.

The issue is that there is going to be a new massive housing estate ( approx 500 house ) being built right next to it. There is a lane that runs along the side of the fields that we use to access them and the new houses are going to be built right up to the boundary hedge. So there will only be a lane between the houses and our fields. There is also plans to have footpaths coming out from the estate in to the lane, I'm not entirely sure that they can legally do that as out YO owns the lane and the boundary hedge but that's still unconfirmed... the lane is currently also a footpath.

I am worried that people are going to either go in the fields with the horses or feed them, i can already see disaster happening. The field that mine are usually in are one field away from the lane but potentially they could go in the field next to the lane for some part of the year. The yard is separate so should be ok but the YO has had people wondering around previously think that it's a public right of way...

The other issue is that we dont have many yards in our area, there are a couple that are 10 - 15 miles away and the horses would need to in overnight in winter which i dont really want. I am thinking of doing a scout around for fields, it is a really horsey area but no one ever moves from their fields/yard most probably because it is very central to the town.

Am i being over cautious or would you be concerned? I reckon i have about up until Christmas before building work is finished ( most likely after ) so i am not desperate for time.

This happened to a friend of mine, in her case her yard was sold and a housing estate built on it so she moved to another livery yard.

If you go to the Land Registry and pay £8 you can get Office Copies which will show who owns the land you are talking about and it will show boundaries and any covenants bestowed upon the property and any easements and rights of way. I used to work in Residential Conveyancing.

Personally I'd jump ship straight away, like Gingerwitch says I wouldn't hang around

 

[Equi]

I think stay put for now and see how things develop. The yard can always put up a second fence filled with eletric to prevent anyone getting to the horses.

 

[Griffin]

I would talk to your local/regional BHS Access officer about the footpaths. Presumably, if your YO owns the land and footpath, unless there is a compulsory purchase order, the general public won't be able to use it?

I would also speak to the developers and have a look at the plans on your local authority planning website. I wouldn't necessarily be put off by a housing estate being built nearby unless it was being built over land that I used or hacked on. In some respects, having housing overlooking your fields can be useful for security.

 

[TheHairyOne]

We have been having housing spring up all around our place so I sympathise with you. However, whilst the people moving in have no idea what to do with horses on the road, they are also generally not country people and fear them on the ground. Terrorising lockdown walkers (by standing still or walking past them) has been a source of great entertainment for us all.

If you like the yard Id stay put and see is my advice.

 

[indie1282]

Thanks for the replies.

It's a farm and there is only 3 other people there so 4 in total including me. TBH i dont they will be that bothered, one lady has her horses on the other side of the farm so won't be near the houses and the other 2 dont seem worried.

Sadly it's a very big developer and the YO is on their own and although they are fighting them tooth and nail it's costing to hire a solicitor which they dont have the funds for. I think the developers are using the bulldozer ( literally ) approach and expecting to not get any resistance.... already they are accessing part of the land that they shouldn't be so it's a constant ongoing battle. YO is in legal talk ref usage etc...

The field has a hedge boundary so is pretty well fenced but i know how people can be persistent...

 

[PeterNatt]

A bit of advice to everyone:
In the event of any planning application going in on a property that may effect Rights of Way, the local lanes or roads or your yard you should always put in a comment to the local planners at the planning application stage as one can sometimes achieve benefits as a result of this (new bridleways etc.) In this case the owners of the land which included the track that the dispute is about should have raised it with the developers at the pre-planning application stage and if that failed to the Planning Department at the planning application stage. The Planning Department would then be able to make the commencement of development conditional to a solution being agreed. between the developers and the owners of the yard.
With a housing development next to you the security of your yard will need to be improved to prevent members of the public trespassing on to the yards land or interfering with the horses and again an agreement with the developers or the local authority making it a pre-condition of any development taking place could have resulted in the developers paying for the cost of it.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

The estate that went up next door to my friends had quite a substantial wall along the edge of where the yard started, I am not sure about the field access though although they were more towards the other side away from the houses.

 

[indie1282]

A bit of advice to everyone:
In the event of any planning application going in on a property that may effect Rights of Way, the local lanes or roads or your yard you should always put in a comment to the local planners at the planning application stage as one can sometimes achieve benefits as a result of this (new bridleways etc.) In this case the owners of the land which included the track that the dispute is about should have raised it with the developers at the pre-planning application stage and if that failed to the Planning Department at the planning application stage. The Planning Department would then be able to make the commencement of development conditional to a solution being agreed. between the developers and the owners of the yard.
With a housing development next to you the security of your yard will need to be improved to prevent members of the public trespassing on to the yards land or interfering with the horses and again an agreement with the developers or the local authority making it a pre-condition of any development taking place could have resulted in the developers paying for the cost of it.

It's not my yard so i wouldn't know what conversations have taken place between the owner and developers. Unfortunately our Council was very keen to go ahead with this development so there wasn't much resistance there...

At the end of the day i cannot control what happens as i dont own the farm so my only dilemma is whether to stay or look for something else.

 

[MissTyc]

My field runs behind about 100 houses (in a row - it's several streets) ... While we have the occasional incident, I'd say we mostly don't notice each other. We get problems with trespass as people put gates into the back of their gardens straight into my field but it's quickly resolved. The plus side is we get calls from people if things don't look right - horse down too long/trapped in a rug/hikers wandering about/dogs loose/etc!

 

[AandK]

Have they started building yet? I guess there is no harm in starting to look for alternatives, you have plenty of time.

 

[EventingMum]

I think stay put for now and see how things develop. The yard can always put up a second fence filled with eletric to prevent anyone getting to the horses.

This, plenty of signs saying fence is electrified so there's no comeback and don't feed the horses signs.

 

[sport horse]

As there are only 4 of you it is not going to be a question of a lot of people suddenly searching for space in local yards. It will take the developers several years to build and sell all the houses. I wold wait and see.

 

[Dasher66]

They won’t have finished building by Christmas; they will be building a few houses at a time and it will seem like for ever.
If the developers are using the yard owners land they need to send a solicitors letter and threaten an injunction before major changes are made and boundary features are lost.

 

[Merry neddy man]

Get the farmer to leave the hedges uncut/ un trimmed so as a more protective border.