The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Smallholding => Buildings & planning => Topic started by: 5-elements on August 01, 2020, 06:43:27 pm
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Hi all!
I'm new so bare with me!
My current situation is my family have 11 hectares of land.
Our plan is to start a community food enterprise on the land. Most of the work would be done at the road end of the farm which is about 2 acres however, we have access to most of the rest of the farm land. We'd use it for educational visits, picking the fruits that grow and other agricultural activities.
I've spoken to a planning consultant who says going down the Agricultural Development Proposed Building route would mean we could stay on the land to help build the business. The agricultural building would be a store and sorting shed and the beginnings of a farm shop to sell our produce. The temp dwelling would mean we move into a cabin that is used for storage and as an office space which has been sited for 10+ years.
I would argue that we need to live here as my parents are elderly and would not be able to deal with the problems that could arise when we are not here. Also if we are to be endorsing a more economical way of living, surely driving to and from the land and investing money into rent when it could be going into the land is not efficient?!
My question is.......
With the 5 hectare rule, do we need to own the land or can we rent/have access to the land we need without impacting what its used for already? Ie there is garden space within it, horses graze it, my brothers store shed is on it.
Complex I know!
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It sounds like a great scheme and I wish you luck with it.
I certainly don't know more than a planning consultant does, but there may be others on here who have personal experience to share.
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If by your question relating to the 5 hectare rule, you are referring to the permitted development rights that result from having the use of 5 hectares or more - the answer is that you do not need to own the land. So long as you say that the land is at your disposal, (and you don't need to go into details) then you have the standard PD rights to erect an agricultural building. There are certain restrictions - like distance from a highway or dwelling, but you can google these.