The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Smallholding => Buildings & planning => Topic started by: Hitdogjohnson on October 18, 2022, 11:38:55 am
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Hello,
Agricultural land within green belt - can you plant a small orchard?
Any particular caveats with green belt?
Thanks
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The green belt is purely to stop urban sprawl, development. Unless you are planning a house/building with your orchard, I think it sounds perfect to protect a green area.
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Assuming the land is currently agricultural:
Where is it in relation to your house? If adjoining, be careful it is not seen an extension to a garden, or you will run into change of use issues (agricultural <-->domestic) with planning. You only need one person who gets jealous and sees it as you using it to boot a residential property value for things to become a faff.
It might be an issue if you claimed BPS grant. Don't know much about that.
Other than that, is it a private orchard or a community orchard? If other people are involved, even as volunteers, it may require a change in your insurance.
Consider if you might want to revert back to grazing - there's a difference in planting trees as a shelter belt than for orchard.
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Hello,
Agricultural land within green belt - can you plant a small orchard?
Any particular caveats with green belt?
Thanks
Yes you can plant an orchard on agricultural land. As mentioned - the green belt is irrelevant. Google it, for your own peace of mind, before you spend a fortune on trees. :thumbsup: