Author Topic: newby- needing help and advice (Read 2907 times)

scottydog · « **on:** August 29, 2012, 06:43:45 pm »

Hi my name is lee and I really need some advice, I am looking at buying some land in Devon to start up a Smallholding, I have spoken to someone in the local planning office who was very clear that I would have three years to prove viability on a sustainable point and that the stock kept or enterprise ventured into would need to prove my living on the land. I asked what type of livestock she meant and every one I mentioned she had an answer that ended up as not good enough.
So my appeal to you knowledgeable people is what livestock would need me to be on the land and live in a property.

Many thanks.

Lee

Old Shep · « **Reply #1 on:** August 29, 2012, 08:26:37 pm »

sorry can't help with your problem but just wanted to say hi and welcome Lee

deepinthewoods · « **Reply #2 on:** August 29, 2012, 09:10:13 pm »

llamas? snail farm?
cos you wont make a viable case with normal stock, or everyone would be doing it....
hi btw!

Rosemary · « **Reply #3 on:** August 29, 2012, 10:07:06 pm »

Hi and welcome from Carnoustie

Alpacas are the norm - high value, non-seasonal breeders. If you get a copy of this month's "Country Smallholding" there's an advert from one alpaca breeder who helps with this sort of thing.

Best of luck

scottydog · « **Reply #4 on:** August 30, 2012, 01:20:58 am »

Thank you Rosemary, how many Alpacas do you think I would need to saticfy the planner.
The other thing she said was that 5 acres was not enough to be a viable concern. Fortunately I never told her that I had more. Also is Snails an option?

sabrina · « **Reply #5 on:** August 30, 2012, 08:11:20 am »

Hi and welcome. Is there no one in your area that can help with advice. There is nothing stranger than your local council as they seem to make rules to suit themselves.

Mammyshaz · « **Reply #6 on:** August 30, 2012, 08:22:08 am »

Hello and welcome from Durham

FiB · « **Reply #7 on:** August 30, 2012, 01:32:59 pm »

Hi and welcome! Our Neighbours are going down this route and have a specialist consultant who is helping them. They have 80 acres and so far 8 alpacas + 2 babys, Lots of sheep and about 10 cows. I'll try and find out more - all he has said to me is that they need to show it is a viable farming business - I guess that means that it needs to turn a sensible profit and be a living for one person? They live on site in a wacking big double width mobile home.

Sbom · « **Reply #8 on:** August 30, 2012, 01:58:55 pm »

Hello

The plus side of snails is that you won't get any noise complaints from the neighbours

deepinthewoods · « **Reply #9 on:** August 30, 2012, 02:18:47 pm »

i know of someone who succesfully used snails for this purpose, once youve found a route to market it is quite a cheap thing to set up, basically just loads of neat lines of planks on the ground.

good luck.

Lesley Silvester · « **Reply #10 on:** August 30, 2012, 08:19:55 pm »

Hi and welcome from Shropshire.

I reckon I could set up a snail farm with the amount in my garden. Probably not the sort that would sell though.

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #11 on:** August 30, 2012, 10:54:07 pm »

Hi Lee.

Chapter 7 are the experts, loads of good stuff on their website.

darkbrowneggs · « **Reply #12 on:** August 30, 2012, 11:02:59 pm »

Can't help, but welcome anyway

Pebbles · « **Reply #13 on:** September 01, 2012, 04:32:13 pm »

Welcome!

We got planning in the greenbelt (eventually) by starting a pig farm but needed a business plan that would give us an all year round income, so diversified in to chickens (meat & eggs), turkeys, ducks (meat & eggs), fruit and veg and sheep too. Once we proved we were serious about developing and running a viable, profitable business (not on paper but in practice) our other argument was the security of our animals and equipment as a NEED to be living on site. Our business has now grown so large that it has delayed the building of our house!!!

Have a long think if this is the kind of 'battle' you want to get in to....it has taken over our lives and although we wouldn't now change a thing, had we known how big a venture we would have to develop and the length of time it would take to achieve planning we might have thought twice about starting in the first place.

The planners have seen and heard every argument for permission and will want to see plans put in to action to show how serious you are. There are no easy options and I would be very sceptical about planners allowing a house based on a couple of alpacas.

Best of luck