What to do with 5 acres

[SunshineRose12]

We’ve recently moved house and our new house has, what was previously used as a paddock. Basically 5 acres of weeds grass field. I’d like to turn this into gardens, as it directly backs on to our house and garden. However, aside from knowing I’d like an orchard, pond, wild flower meadow etc. I’m struggling to come up with a plan for it.

Would love some inspiration from everyone as to how I should design this. Also would welcome recommendations for garden designers. We’ve asked around without success. (We’re based in Cambridgeshire).

Photo attached (although not sure it adds much).

Is it actually garden or agricultural/green belt land? What do your deeds say? If it’s garden then you’re good to go with landscaping. If not then I would suggest an orchard and lawns

No, that wasn’t me. If there is a similar thread please do link it so I don’t waste everyone’s time with the same question!

Definitely garden, sits in the same title plan as our house and rest of our garden.

Oh a lovely natural pond that you could swim in. There was a guy with his own insta account who showed you how he did this in his own garden, I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who have done it. That to me would be wonderful

You can get a grant for planting trees.
(I'd plant a maze on part of it! 😁)

This week’s Gardener’s World episode was their 2024 highlights and there were two that might provide some inspiration, it should be on iPlayer.

One was a garden that had a huge gorgeous pond in it that you could dip your feet in and the other was a man who’d turned a field into a massive kitchen garden.

5 acres is a massive area to maintain. Will you employ a gardener (or 3) or do it all yourself?

In-laws have 4 acres. 1 area is 2 acres and left as is, just grass. The rest is a mix of rockeries where the area is on a slope. Tennis court, swimming pool, orchard, rose/flower garden and large vegetable patch.

For the orchard, consider buying larger, more established trees if you want fruit in a year or 2. Consider whether you want to fruit to eat, cook or both. I've started looking for my own garden and there is a VAST choice. I'm looking at fruit which isn't as common or is more expensive in the shops. Consider a nut tree too. Walnuts can be picked green and pickled or steeped into a syrup and obviously eaten as a nut also.

A large pond you can also swim in would be lovely. If you have children- a maze.

First thing you need with a kitchen garden is a deer/rabbit/badger/pidgeon-proof barrier. Especially deer - before we put a 6 foot electric fence around our garden all I could grow was poisonous plants. I used to have a nice selection of hellebores and spurges...

Unusual fruit trees - I have a quince and a mulberry - and a couple of figs. The quince and mulberry took ages before they fruited.

What about a woodland for some wildlife?

Nice problem to have...! 🫠

That's my dream, I'd open an animal sanctuary

If you work then five acres is a lot of garden. We have four acres of “garden” and eight acres of woodland. I like gardening. Even so we only manage to have about three acres of it planted and that includes the kitchen garden and the pond area. It’s just too much work and I also have a gardener doing ten hours a week.

If you want to change it from paddock to garden , then you'll need planning permission for change of use - as someone whose local council came round and served notices on almost all our village for their gardens extending onto what was deemed agricultural land , we ended up rebuilding our stable yard to resolve it . The inspectors had other neighbours removing shrubs , cutting up lawns and all sorts , so I would check its status before you do anything . They even got my neighbour to remove his fruit trees , and some chickens !

Our land sat in the same title plan too - and yet it was agricultural. They measured for us 38 metres back from the road line , and everything there on was agricultural.

My dsis also had this situation. She runs a small business at home and let people park on the paddock (literally two cars max there at any time). It had to have planning permission (which was then refused) and they saw that she’d take a bit of it to join to the garden and made her remove all of the garden plants and the seating area.

That looks like a paddock rather than a garden. Even if it's in your deeds it doesn't necessarily mean you can do what you like with it.

You may need to apply to planning for a change of use from paddock/field to garden. Planning quite often say no to that kind of thing as well and parish councils rarely turn a blind eye so it won't go unnoticed...

Another idea are bee hives. Only once gardens/flowers etc are established. My MIL had a local lady put hives on her field and managed them. MIL gets X bottles of honey a year and I think a small rental fee. You could of course manage them yourself.

If you don't want to use the entire 5 acres, you could rent out a section to someone with sheep/animals. You can also get money for leaving part of the land for wildlife.

https://www.countrylife.co.uk/gardens/natural-swimming-pools-everything-need-know-building-one-garden-184617

Five acres: That was my dream when I was younger. Try reading the book by John Seymour, Self Sufficiency. 1970s but not hippyish. Sensible advice. Think "Out of Town".

I'd look at planting herbal lays, will you use any of it for grazing?

As others have said, changing this to a garden will likely need planning permission.

On the other hand though...

"I’d like an orchard, pond, wild flower meadow etc."

That is entirely doable. Also, since last year (the rules changed) you can now get help from the government with some of these things.

It used to be restricted to land that was 5 hectares (12.3 acres) or more. But last year that rule was scrapped and now anybody who manages land can apply for a government grant under the Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme (SFI).

You can register your land as permanent grassland for the SFI and then apply for grants to help you manage the land.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sustainable-farming-incentive-scheme-expanded-offer-for-2024/sfi-scheme-information-expanded-offer-for-2024

This includes things like putting in a herbal ley (as a pp said), which is effectively a wild flower meadow. The government will then pay you £382 per hectare (2.47 acres) per year for three years.

If you have a pond on your land that is at least 25 sq metres (5m x 5m) then you can get £257 per year for three years to maintain it.

With an orchard, it may be worthwhile growing it as a shelter belt where you've currently just got a hedge, so around the boundary of the property.

If you do want to create a bit of woodland on your property then you can certainly do that without planning permission but you won't get any grants unless you've got at least 5 hectares of land.

Apart from that, you will likely be able to extend your garden proper, somewhat.

It likely won't be noticed if you extend your garden to some extent but you certainly won't be able to turn the whole five acres into your new back garden without planning permission.

Or you could rent it out to someone with a couple of horses.

As others have said check with the planning department. My neighbours bought 2 acres of paddock land next to their house and turned it into a garden with a pond, lawns, shrubs etc. They had to take it all out and restore it back to a grass paddock. Then they decided to rent it to a local horse owner and enjoy the small income.

A large pond you can also swim in would be lovely. If you have children- a maze

If you have children would they badger you for ponies ? .

I agree with this. It will not all be garden in planning terms so you need to keep the use agricultural unless you apply for permission.