Planning

Have you had any dealings with Local Authority Planners? They are saying “no” before you have finished asking the question, particularly anything to do with building or living on agricultural land. This book tells you what you can do without planning permission and that is quite a lot.

The system that we are going to use is based purely on current planning laws. It does not use the Human Rights Act or discrimination laws as used by others. The system is quite legal and is not open to interpretation by the Local Authority planning department. It will allow you to put a mobile home on your land and live in it, build a barn of up to 465sq metres (5000 sq feet) up to 12 metres high (39 feet) high and start an agricultural business. There will be a minimum requirement of 5 hectares (12.355 acres). The land does not need to be in one piece. So long as the piece of land you wish to build your barn and live on is at least 1 hectare (2.47) acres the additional land that is required does not need to be adjoining your land or to be owned by you, it can be rented, it could even be 5 miles away.
The only input the planners have is on the position of the buildings; the colour and screening or landscaping to soften the appearance.

From buying the land, you should be able to move onto it in a month and start work on your smallholding. You will have a five year period to build up the enterprise, that will ultimately lead to planning permission for a house. So long as you pass the tests of functional need (your reason to live on the land), viability (financial) and sustainability. This is all fully covered in the book and shows you how to fulfil all the tests with a full explanation of what the planners are looking for.

You can download the agricultural prior notice form (28 day notice) and read other useful planning related information on our planning forum.