Just how bonkers is this idea?

[Landlovers]

Not strictly ‘property’ but hoping for some advise as to how mad this idea actually is. To buy a patch of agricultural land in an area of ONB and live on in a temporary ‘shipping container’ style home? Person in question thinks it’s a case of registering as a farm and jumping through a few hoops with the planning (submitting business plan, making £250 per month from the land). I’m not expert but from a few mins on google, and general knowledge that agricultural land is pretty sacrosanct, I think it’s one hell of a lot more complicated and costly than that. Am I correct or am I being a grumpy naysayer? This Person moves in alternative circles and knows people who have done similar things, I think by living ‘off grid’.

My council would not permit this; planning enforcement would be straight out to visit. If it’s a dwelling house then planning permission would be required, especially if water and electricity was connected. You’d also have to register for council tax!

It is possible if you can demonstrate a genuine business need to be on the land, like lambing 1200 ewes. If they have the money and skills to invest in a suitable business venture they shouldn’t have a problem. They would probably also have the money to buy a house there though...

It’s unlikely to work. You can’t just Willy nilly break up tracts of agricultural land and pop a farmhouse/dwelling on each piece of land. Otherwise what’s to stop a farmer parcelling up his farm and each buyer putting a farmhouse on their plot.

I recall a grand designs where a chap was able to get planning permission in AONB for small house because he was a charcoal burner and needed to be on site at all times when the kilns were fired up. Genuine need demonstrated.

Some people get permission by staying under the radar for a number of year, I am sure back handers are involved. You do generally have to have a reason to be on the land and earn an income from it. Most people lamb sheep.

How would they get a water supply to the container?

Where would they go to the toilet?

How would rubbish be disposed of?

Would they need electricity?

Someone I know has just got permission to build on their land in a national park. Their business is breeding horses, they had to prove that they currently sleep in a caravan on the site when the horses are about to give birth and also prove accounts for quite a few years and that it was a viable business (more than £250 per month). Lots of other hoops to go through. It could be different across the country but here I doubt you would get permission. Doing it illegally and trying to stay under the planning radar is what some people try and do, but someone will always notice and raise it.

They have no background of farming, land management, and no real interest in it either. I can’t quite ascertain what the driver is other than they want to live on a big patch of land. They do have some money behind them from sale of house, but no pension so I’m worried they will be throwing everything into a scheme that probably won’t work out in the long run. As I understand it you may be given a 3 year grace period to prove that your land business is viable, but you must show that it makes at least a minimum wage profit for some of that time. I’m not sure where they got the £250 per month figure from? They have mentioned the charcoal thing, and mentioned possibly buying a herd of cattle, and poly tunnels. The problem is it’s hard to argue with them as they are so intent that their plan will work. I think the likelihood of them going completely unnoticed for a long period of time is slim, and presumably once you’ve approached planning (to erect the agricultural buildings) you can’t escape then as they know you’re there.

@ItsCokeFFS

How would they get a water supply to the container?

Where would they go to the toilet?

How would rubbish be disposed of?

Would they need electricity?

I think the land has a mains water supply. As for the other stuff I’m told there are renewable ‘systems’. Assume they would have a compost toilet. Probably planning on composting most of their waste but that’s a good point. They would presumably have to take recycling into town every week.

If AONB then they’d probably need planning permission for poly tunnels.

It sounds like a v risky plan to me.

(Am a planner but not much AONB experience. Never heard of a three year rule for agricultural viability, but my exp. is more suburban/green belt).

They’d be doing themselves a favour to get a qualified and experienced planning consultant (experienced with this issue) to provide guidance.