Building a House on a Paddock? (Change of Use)
Discussion
We recently completed on a house, which we planned to either knock down and rebuild, or significantly extend.
During the purchase, I found a 'sale document' that showed the house + the house next door + the rear paddock all for sale, as a potential development site.
I had a briefi informal chat with the councils planning department, who were very helpful and advised that the paddock is green belt, agricultural land, outside the developed boundary .... So it would be unlikely it could be built on (but not impossible in the future).
He also explained that whilst the paddock has a separate access road off the main road, it isn't wide enough for a road and footpaths which would be needed if they built at the read, which is why they would have needed next door to do it.
The sellers wouldn't sell the land off without the house, and I didn't want to take that risk of buying the house and leaving the possibility of the next door and land to be later sold off, so knowing the sellers also owned the paddock, after much haggling I bought both and kept them as separate titles.
I don't know what to do with the paddock, other than rent it out for stables & grazing. We aren't horse people and don't have the time (much to my 8 year old daughters disappointment).
But now it's all gone through, I'm wondering if I couldn't build our house on the paddock/land, set back from all the other houses and giving a nice long driveway and more privacy, as the road is a main road and it gets quite busy at peak times. This would then allow me to sell off the house making it make much more financial sense.
This is all completely new to me and I've never even built a wall, let alone a house, so I thought I'd ask the more knowledgable PH'rs .... Has anyone else managed to get a change of use and built on a paddock or similar plot?
Any other ideas or suggestions most welcomed!
Surrounding Area
Blue Area = House Plot (we own)
Yellow Area = Access Road, 4 Stables & Paddock (we own)
Red Area = Next Door (we don't own)
During the purchase, I found a 'sale document' that showed the house + the house next door + the rear paddock all for sale, as a potential development site.
I had a briefi informal chat with the councils planning department, who were very helpful and advised that the paddock is green belt, agricultural land, outside the developed boundary .... So it would be unlikely it could be built on (but not impossible in the future).
He also explained that whilst the paddock has a separate access road off the main road, it isn't wide enough for a road and footpaths which would be needed if they built at the read, which is why they would have needed next door to do it.
The sellers wouldn't sell the land off without the house, and I didn't want to take that risk of buying the house and leaving the possibility of the next door and land to be later sold off, so knowing the sellers also owned the paddock, after much haggling I bought both and kept them as separate titles.
I don't know what to do with the paddock, other than rent it out for stables & grazing. We aren't horse people and don't have the time (much to my 8 year old daughters disappointment).
But now it's all gone through, I'm wondering if I couldn't build our house on the paddock/land, set back from all the other houses and giving a nice long driveway and more privacy, as the road is a main road and it gets quite busy at peak times. This would then allow me to sell off the house making it make much more financial sense.
This is all completely new to me and I've never even built a wall, let alone a house, so I thought I'd ask the more knowledgable PH'rs .... Has anyone else managed to get a change of use and built on a paddock or similar plot?
Any other ideas or suggestions most welcomed!
Surrounding Area
Blue Area = House Plot (we own)
Yellow Area = Access Road, 4 Stables & Paddock (we own)
Red Area = Next Door (we don't own)
Firstly I'd say well done in snaffling the paddock along with the purchase, having a patch like that under your control can't be a bad thing.
I suspect you would have (almost) as many problems getting permission to demolish/rebuild your house in the paddock as you would if you were to try for sticking a number of houses on there so for me that's a non-starter.
Renting out the pony set is a decent enough short or long term option, should bring in much more cash than renting it to a farmer etc.
If you did want to look at building on it in the longer term you need to consider where the access would come from, there's little point in sinking six figures into rebuilding the existing house and then finding in five years time it needs to come down again. On the other hand you could always start looking at planning options and aim to buy any of the houses on that row to provide an access if you managed to get it.
Getting permission for housing on there would obviously be tricky but if you are able to play the long game it may be possible and would be very lucrative, looks like about a couple of acres??
I suspect you would have (almost) as many problems getting permission to demolish/rebuild your house in the paddock as you would if you were to try for sticking a number of houses on there so for me that's a non-starter.
Renting out the pony set is a decent enough short or long term option, should bring in much more cash than renting it to a farmer etc.
If you did want to look at building on it in the longer term you need to consider where the access would come from, there's little point in sinking six figures into rebuilding the existing house and then finding in five years time it needs to come down again. On the other hand you could always start looking at planning options and aim to buy any of the houses on that row to provide an access if you managed to get it.
Getting permission for housing on there would obviously be tricky but if you are able to play the long game it may be possible and would be very lucrative, looks like about a couple of acres??
Steve H said:
Getting permission for housing on there would obviously be tricky but if you are able to play the long game it may be possible and would be very lucrative, looks like about a couple of acres??
Exactly this.Lat year we got planning permission on a plot which the council had originally told us was 'open countryside' agains the local plan and so on and so forth.
It took three years of back and forth negotiations, but our second application was accepted.
My advice would be that although it is counter-intuitive, on that plot you may find more traction getting planning permission for 5 houses than one. If you were to be successful doing that, then of course you are looking at £500k to £1m or more dependent on the area.
The above I would say is worth investing and speculating on to get that kind of return.
There's plenty of ways of getting there. There's the friendly approach which I would recommend which is getting the neighbours, parish council and planning dept on your side and working with them to find something they will say yes to. Do that, and you are all but certain of getting your application through.
A useful tactic if you have time on your side, which you do, is the Death by 1000 Cuts approach.
By that I mean, you don't apply for what you want, you have that 'endgame', and you get there by incremental moves. That's what we did.
There's a housing shortage at the moment, and National Planning Policy forces councils to show they have a 5 year supply of building land. So, the attitude of a default 'no' to planning applications can be massaged if you do it the right way.
For example, in our situation, we put forward an application of a Level 6, highly efficient, carbon neutral home which was a live-work capacity. It was against their local planning policy, but otherwise ticked every other box going. We're not going to build that, but now the seal is broken we can apply for what we are actually going to build.
My advice would be that this is definitely an investment worth speculating on if you have the cash. My advice would be to contact some planning consultants and choose one which sounds like the most on the ball. They'll advise on what might be the best way forward.
Thanks for your interest & responses guys
The key question is, can I build on the paddock (and how best to approach re planning process).
If successful this would allow me to potentially sell off the house and I could always shorten the garden which is c200-250 ft long as it is and build a property set back from all the other houses, which would give us that country house feel, but close to family & friends and the added security of being within a community.
The key question is, can I build on the paddock (and how best to approach re planning process).
If successful this would allow me to potentially sell off the house and I could always shorten the garden which is c200-250 ft long as it is and build a property set back from all the other houses, which would give us that country house feel, but close to family & friends and the added security of being within a community.
S1M VP said:
Thanks for your interest & responses guys
The key question is, can I build on the paddock (and how best to approach re planning process).
If successful this would allow me to potentially sell off the house and I could always shorten the garden which is c200-250 ft long as it is and build a property set back from all the other houses, which would give us that country house feel, but close to family & friends and the added security of being within a community.
The answer is no, probably not, or at least if you can then you could also probably build ten places on there and retire.The key question is, can I build on the paddock (and how best to approach re planning process).
If successful this would allow me to potentially sell off the house and I could always shorten the garden which is c200-250 ft long as it is and build a property set back from all the other houses, which would give us that country house feel, but close to family & friends and the added security of being within a community.
Are you thinking that you would use the access to the stables to get to the new place?
Steve H said:
S1M VP said:
Thanks for your interest & responses guys
The key question is, can I build on the paddock (and how best to approach re planning process).
If successful this would allow me to potentially sell off the house and I could always shorten the garden which is c200-250 ft long as it is and build a property set back from all the other houses, which would give us that country house feel, but close to family & friends and the added security of being within a community.
The answer is no, probably not, or at least if you can then you could also probably build ten places on there and retire.The key question is, can I build on the paddock (and how best to approach re planning process).
If successful this would allow me to potentially sell off the house and I could always shorten the garden which is c200-250 ft long as it is and build a property set back from all the other houses, which would give us that country house feel, but close to family & friends and the added security of being within a community.
Are you thinking that you would use the access to the stables to get to the new place?
In short, if you could build one, then you'd be silly not to build ten (or at least 5)...
If it were me, it seems a pretty affluent area, and you've an overlook onto fields, I'd leave the house as it is and run with the idea of putting a gate up at the access to the stables on the main road, and go down the route of a new executive estate.
If you put in an application to build a house or five houses next week it'll be bounced back quick and will be a waste of £300, and it'll be a refusal linked to the site.
What you need is a strategy to get the most from the asset and maximise the chances of getting permission. A planning consultant is the best person to use.
You may need a long-term strategy to subtly change the use over time.
Thanks for taking the time to respond gents..
I understand that this is not the obvious choice from a commercial perspective, but I'm not looking to make a financial gain on the land, I am looking to build our forever home.
Having now seen the house and plot several times and walked the sites, I just think that my money would probably be better spent on building a single house set back from the others on the main road, with a large 3.5 acre plot and separate driveway with more privacy and quieter, rather than rebuilding on the house plot. The build would be likely to blow the ceiling on the street quite significantly.
I'll search for local planning consultants and have a chat with them .... The long game sounds like it might be the most likely.
Much appreciate the feedback & advice.
I understand that this is not the obvious choice from a commercial perspective, but I'm not looking to make a financial gain on the land, I am looking to build our forever home.
Having now seen the house and plot several times and walked the sites, I just think that my money would probably be better spent on building a single house set back from the others on the main road, with a large 3.5 acre plot and separate driveway with more privacy and quieter, rather than rebuilding on the house plot. The build would be likely to blow the ceiling on the street quite significantly.
I'll search for local planning consultants and have a chat with them .... The long game sounds like it might be the most likely.
Much appreciate the feedback & advice.
S1M VP said:
I understand that this is not the obvious choice from a commercial perspective, but I'm not looking to make a financial gain on the land, I am looking to build our forever home.
It still doesnt make much sense. You would make so much from the development you could build a better 'forever home' elsewhere, or at least buy another 'forever house' and have enough in the bank not to have to worry. As much as you say you'll blow the celing of the street, the house is still limited in value by those around you.
Anyway, if you really want to do it, then its just a case of talking to the planners, working with an architect and seeing if/what they'll allow. Although with 1 house, you dont do much. Councils have to add so many houses, so are probably more likely to give permission for 10 (as that counts towards their quota) than 1 (which encroaches on greenbelt with no benefits to the community or their targets).
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