Early spring market offers contrasting farms for sale

Contrasting holdings are kicking off the spring marketing campaign, this week stretching from Cornwall to County Durham.

Churchtown Farm at Linkinhorne in Cornwall is a 188-acre arable and pasture farm, with a historic farmhouse in need of modernisation.

With it is a range of traditional stone buildings in a very quiet location, which offer potential diversification and alternative uses, says selling agent Chris Anderson of Carter Jonas.

See also: Business Clinic: what will it cost to sell our farm and buy another?

“About half of the land is suitable for temporary grass or arable use, all with high amenity, environmental and wildlife value, with an existing Countryside Stewardship [CS] scheme,” says Mr Anderson.

The land is in a ring-fence, save for a minor road intersecting it, and there are no public rights of way on the farm.

Churchtown is for sale by private treaty in four lots, with an overall guide price of £2.75m.

The main land offerings are just over 107 acres of pasture and arable (£975,000) which is subject to a farm business tenancy (FBT) until March 2024. However, of this acreage, two fields will be sold with vacant possession.

A further lot of just over 67 acres of arable land is under an FBT until October 2024 and has a guide price of £775,000.

Churchtown Farmhouse © Carter Jonas

In two smaller lots are the six-bedroom unlisted farmhouse, buildings and almost eight acres for £900,000 and just under six acres in two village-edge paddocks with direct road access and a guide of £100,000.

The land is Grade 3 on freely draining slightly acid loamy soils.

A Mid-Tier Countryside Stewardship scheme runs until December 2025 on more than 100 acres of the farm. Mineral, sporting and timber rights are included but BPS entitlements are not.

Northern starter farms

Two smaller farms in North Yorkshire and County Durham are on the market with youngsRPS.

Billed as starter holdings, the larger of the two is Aldborough Moor Farm, with an overall guide price of £1.5m for 80.18 acres at Marton Cum Grafton in the Vale of York.

Aldborough Moor Farm © Vue3sixty

It has a modernised three-bedroom farmhouse with a good range of cattle and general purpose buildings. The land is ring-fenced and the farm has been lotted three ways.

This is a tidy farm that has not wanted for capital investment since 2014, says Tom Whitehead, associate director with youngsRPS.

The holding has been well managed as a satellite unit to the family’s main farm and comes to the market as part of a restructuring operation. 

The Grade 2 and 3 land has good internal tracks and water supplies.

The medium sandy clay loam soil can support a wide range of cropping including potatoes and sugar beet, with the arable portion currently in winter wheat, spring barley, peas and winter barley

There are some lower-lying grass meadows.

While sporting rights are included, mineral rights are excluded from the sale and there are no public rights of way on the land, all of which is in a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone.

A 30-year development overage clause in favour of North Yorkshire County Council was imposed from March 2014, which passes to the council 70% of any uplift in value within six months of the grant of any non-agricultural or equestrian planning consent.

Pilmour Farm, Sedgefield © David Tipling

Pilmour Farm near Sedgefield, County Durham, is also ring-fenced, with 69.55 acres of arable land, a three-bedroom farmhouse, as well as modern and traditional farm buildings.

The land is in three parcels with good roadside access and is subject to a one-year FBT until 30 September 2023.

The farm has been lotted three ways by youngsRPS and the land is currently in an arable rotation.

Basic Payment Scheme entitlements are not included and the mineral rights are largely excluded, while sporting rights come with the farm.