Building new is cheaper option
Rising house prices are forcing farmers and landowners to consider applying for planning permission to build homes with agricultural occupancy conditions on their own land.
That's the experience of the professional department at Halls, the leading Shropshire, Mid Wales and North Worcestershire firm of auctioneers, valuers, surveyors and estate and land agents.
In the past, a farmer would purchase a cottage near their farm for their son or farm worker to live in.
Today, they are being priced out of the housing market by people wishing to move to the countryside and are finding it cheaper to build on their own land, where planning permission is granted.
Shaun Jones, of Halls' professional department, said planning applications to build homes with agricultural occupancy conditions attached to them had increased over the past five years.
The applications must be supported by a farm business appraisal to show that the business is well established, profitable and sustainable for the future.
"Farmers must show that there is a functional need for a house to be built on the farmland and a business appraisal provides a comprehensive and rigorous assessment of the need for labour on the farm," he explained.
"It's much easier to get planning consent on a livestock farm because of the animal husbandry and welfare implications. As farm sizes have grown, so too has the need for a second person to be living on site.
"Due to lifestyle changes, farmers' sons or daughters now prefer to have their own house rather than to live together in the same house with the owner.
"For a relatively nominal cost, compared to the price of building a house, farmers and landowners can establish whether there is potential to build on their farmland.
"From our experience, the more rural planning authorities have a better understanding of agriculture and the pressures on farming. It's fair to say that planners check applications to build on farmland much more rigorously because the system has been abused in the past.
"We have established a very good success rate of helping farmers and landowners to obtain planning permission where there are strong grounds."
For more information contact Mr Jones at the Welsh Bridge, Shrewsbury on 01743 284777.
