To buy a house that backs onto farm land?

[Superhotwheels]

Hi all, so I've recently viewed a house that I've absolutely fallen in love with. I cannot get it out of my head, it just ticks every box and more. It's my dream house. The garden is fantastic, but it backs onto extensive farm land. I'm worried I'm being foolish and that one day, the farmer might sell for redevelopment. I wouldn't necessarily mind losing the view, its just the idea of all that works for years on end.

To provide a bit more context - it's set back off a busy main road; and on the other side of that road has been a massive redevelopment where 700 houses have been built. Do you think this makes it more likely or less likely? My immediate thought was less likely due to risk of overdevelopment, but I know so very little about all this, so would really appreciate some views!

Thanks

I honestly don't know. Could you ask the farmer? He might not have immediate plans and then next week changes his mind. But you could have a chat in a friendly way and guage if it seems likely? I guess maybe if he was really elderly, family don't want to get into farming etc. or he might tell you f off and mind your own. But then again I guess at least you would know he's probably not that friendly! See If there's nothing coming up about a planning application on the councils website, so check there as well.

Sometimes you can access long term planning plans. The problem is that, thanks to our lovely new government, developers will be able to compulsorily purchase farm land if the council approve it, so even if the farmer never intends to sell, they may not have a choice.

My husband always says ‘never buy a house overlooking a field with a horse in it as it could always be developed’. He has those views cos the field he played in as a child became a housing development which we now live in!!! He thinks it’s better to have houses around you so you always know what the view will be.

The fact that the land adjacent has been developed would be a worry as it suggests you aren’t in a green belt (assuming that was undeveloped farmland prior to the buildings and not industrial?)

Can you enquire at the local planning office if the land by you is likely to be ever available to get planning permission for residential?

I agree with you that living in a building site vicinity for several years would not be fun

For me this is a talk to the farmer moment.

We are tenant farmers but would be able to say

For example,

Yes he may sell that as a landlord,

Nope that field is water logged and in a protected area

Nope that is prime soil, no development

Just ask

Check the local plan for the area as there should be at least a medium term version (10 years) that shows development areas, longer term is tricky

Nearly 1000 new homes have almost been built where I live. I thought that would be it for a while because it’s a small place with one pub, one small shop and a primary school. My neighbour sent me plans for a further 2000 on the fields surrounding it. I think your husband might have a point!

Just remembered a family member viewed a new build house and that was previously farm land!!

Honestly? I'd expect the worst, and decide if you could live with it.

Both this government and the last one seem to have a mission to cover as much of the country in concrete as they can possibly manage - if not houses, then solar farms or wind turbines. Or new roads, or massive distribution centres (which are sprouting like bloody mushrooms all over East Anglia).

Having seen what has happened to my local area over the last decade, I don't think anywhere is sacred any longer. I'd never assume that any piece of open land was safe, except perhaps in a 'National Landscape' (or, as we called them for bloody decades, an AONB).

If I sound bitter, it's because I am.

Buy the house!

It'll all be houses probably.
They seem to be building on clean level productive farmland all over.

I would expect at some point it is likely to be developed, and if it isn't then that's a bonus. Edge of settlement land is the prime candidate for development, cheaper than brownfield and planners will prefer to allocate to naturally expand existing settlements than suddenly start a new town or build on a random field not connected to a town with no buses/shops etc. Go on your council's website, look at their plans, but know that they only cover a fairly short period, and they don't preclude development outside the allocated land, it just lists land already identified for development (While I do have a MSc in town & country planning, and worked as a planning officer for more than 15 years, please note I've not been in planning for a few years so document names or rights to build may have adjusted in ways I've not kept up with).

Best thing to do is look on these two sites, may give you some insight into how much resistance a planner would have to put up houses next to your house.

Not infallible but may offer a small degree of reassurance.

Check if its green belt land
https://www.cpre.org.uk/interactive-map-of-englands-green-belt-land

Check if its within or within 1KM of of protected statutory sites such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, National Nature Reserves, SSSI`s, Special Areas of Conservation, ect.
https://magic.defra.gov.uk/magicmap.aspx

As i said it's not infallible but would help you make an informed decision. I just put an offer in a house overlooking a lovley field and views, I also checked and they are within green belt and are classed as SSSI and within 800m of a SAC. So there would be far easier places for a developer to find a site any time soon.

I'm a planner. I would never buy a house backing onto a field without doing a serious amount of research. And even then it would need to be a pretty special house. Because there really are no guarantees eg the new government is already planning on allowing building on some Green Belt land.

As per previous posters, you can get an idea of plans for the next 10 years or so from the local plan. However, for a variety of reasons linked to current government policy it is likely that many fields that are currently farmed will be developed in one way or another over the next couple of decades. If it’s possible that’s a dealbreaker for you, I would recommend avoiding that particular house.

Since I first got into homebuying some decades ago, it has always been a rule of mine to avoid buying adjacent to farmland either on the edge of a town or village or nearby a major housing development.

It's only a matter of time before the landowner gets tempted to sell the land - and who would blame them? It might be 10 or 20 years down the road though so you have to weigh up the pros and cons for yourself.

Do you have enough budget to buy a bit of farmland too? Can you ask the farmer if he'd sell you a bit of field? Look at the topography on Google Earth - is the field planted? Is there scope to cut off a portion of the field behind the house you want to buy which means the edge of what's left it lines up with the tractor's tramlines making it easier to work the land - in which case farmer might happily sell you an extra slice of field, thus putting in a barrier between you and potential development. You could get a grant and plant trees perhaps?

We back onto farmland and love it. If the land was developed we'd move. The village has a large new estate so hopefully that's sorted. Too many what ifs. My friend bought a house that they knew backed into land that was was earmarked for building. Took 40 years for it to happen.

Labour have pretty much given the developers free rein so I’d be cautious. All the big development proposals round here that had been shelved/turned down in the last 5 years have been restarted.

What happens now could be different in 10,20,30 years as population increases. I have a sheep farm behind the landowner is looking at forestry and wind farm.

I overlook fields and know that they are unlikely to be built on because of the parish plan that only allows ribbon development - and I am part of that ribbon.

I let one house go several years ago because I was concerned that there was planning permission on the fields behind and 8 years later it still has not happened. No-one wants to buy it.

Consult the planning department and ask to see the parish plan to establish what is permitted development near you. None is a cast iron guarantee - but then life is full of uncertainty. Assuming you have neighbours on either side, if the farmer were to sell the field for development she could only do so if there were access from the road for new houses behind yours.

The fact that there is already an estate opposite probably means that the village has taken its quota of new builds and no more will be permitted - but things change all the time and you cannot be 100% certain.

Personally I would buy you dream house and enjoy - even if there were development further down the line it would not be for many years. All you can do is to do your research and hope for the best.

The view from my house is sublime - it feeds my soul every day - fields and the Welsh hills beyond - it is paradise.

We have a wraparound churchyard so I doubt our view will change. But yes, I would be cautious in your position. The farmer might not sell but compulsory purchase is more likely.

Check the conservation in the local area. Also is the land flat and used as crop farming or, like the field out the back of ours on a massive slope and used for grazing?

What is the land currently used for? Personally I'd also be concerned about: farmers spraying crops with pesticides and subsequent health impacts, smells from manure, machinery, risk of dogs being shot if they ran onto land with animals in etc.

How big is the garden? Is it detached with a lot of space behind where you could plant trees to screen any future development?