Woodland for sale - what do people do with it?

Woodland for sale - what do people do with it?

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Discussion

Ari

Original Poster:

19,346 posts

215 months

Thursday 21st September 2017
quotequote all
Every now and then I pas a sign nailed to a tree by a road advertising woodland for sale. Presumably you can't develop it otherwise whoever owns it would be clearing it and selling it as building land, which leaves the intriguing question - what do you do with 1/4 acre (or however much it is) of woodland?

You can go and stand in it I suppose, but there are plenty of public woods you can go and stand in for free.

Really struggling to understand why anyone would want to buy a bit of woodland.

Anyone got any? What do you do with it? And what does it cost?

S100HP

12,673 posts

167 months

Thursday 21st September 2017
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Ari said:
Every now and then I pas a sign nailed to a tree by a road advertising woodland for sale. Presumably you can't develop it otherwise whoever owns it would be clearing it and selling it as building land, which leaves the intriguing question - what do you do with 1/4 acre (or however much it is) of woodland?

You can go and stand in it I suppose, but there are plenty of public woods you can go and stand in for free.

Really struggling to understand why anyone would want to buy a bit of woodland.

Anyone got any? What do you do with it? And what does it cost?
A wise man once told me "They don't make land anymore"

FrankAbagnale

1,702 posts

112 months

Thursday 21st September 2017
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As far as I understand there are some tax or inheritance benefits that owning woodland offers. Although, just what I have heard on the grapevine rather than having any detailed knowledge.

Quick google found this -

"Where the next generation is considered, it is worth noting the tax benefits of a forestry investment. After two years commercial forests are entitled to 100 per cent business property relief, no capital gains, and relief from inheritance tax."


Edited by FrankAbagnale on Thursday 21st September 14:04

Jinx

11,387 posts

260 months

Thursday 21st September 2017
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If your were a bear you would understand......

silobass

1,179 posts

102 months

Thursday 21st September 2017
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I'd quite like to own a bit to build my own mini nature reserve. I'd like to put a poncy shed acting as a photography hide and use it, probably for personal use but I could take others there too. Would also be somewhere peaceful to get away for a night or two perhaps, although I may scrub idea that in favour of a nice hotel somewhere.

Robertj21a

16,476 posts

105 months

Thursday 21st September 2017
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You could always welcome some Travellers......

Ari

Original Poster:

19,346 posts

215 months

Thursday 21st September 2017
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S100HP said:
A wise man once told me "They don't make land anymore"
Sooo... confused

BoRED S2upid

19,683 posts

240 months

Thursday 21st September 2017
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Well you could sell off the wood and plant some more talk about long term investment though! Speculation that a road might need widening and you can cash in when they need to buy a strip of your land? Farm it pigs love a wood.

Mark Benson

7,509 posts

269 months

Thursday 21st September 2017
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We used to have some, we kept pigs in it (documented on here somewhere).

There are strict rules about what you can do with 'amenity' woodland but you can put up 'forestry' buildings under permitted development rules (PD rules for woodland are specific, but you don't have to run a forestry business to put a building up, however it's supposed to be for the purpose of forestry) which for a lot of people include a few basics like a gas ring and a few chairs....

We don't have the woods anymore but we did enjoy spending time there.

IanJ9375

1,468 posts

216 months

Thursday 21st September 2017
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Nextdoor neighbour has a Woodland he bought, he's cleared out a decent patch of it and built an off grid Log cabin, solar panels etc etc

Looks good and he has somewhere to go with the family at weekends for BBQ's etc, seems to work for him

robinessex

11,050 posts

181 months

Thursday 21st September 2017
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If young enough, you buy it as a possible future investment. It'll be either countryside, or green belt. Some differences what you can do with it.

zoom star

519 posts

151 months

Thursday 21st September 2017
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In this country wild camping is mainly out of the question.
A couple I know bought a plot of woodland with a small stream, they are allowed to camp as much as they like now, make a fire, they have made a sort of pond, the stream runs in and out of, and can slightly swim/bathe in.
They have also erected a shipping container, near to where they camp, which is secure and they leave stuff they don't need to transport, so they can basically go at short notice.
I think they have around 6 acres of woodland, stream, and rough track access.
This for me, if I win the lotto, only I would probably drag a motor home in there somehow, and make a pond for me to fish, rather than swim..

Roofless Toothless

5,656 posts

132 months

Thursday 21st September 2017
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When my nephew was a little lad, he was sitting in the back of the car journeying along the Southend Road.

There were some big hoardings by the side of the road, advertising plots of land for sale.

The little fellow was just learning to read at school, and tried to work out what they said - but failed. So he asked mum and dad what they were about and was told that they were to tell people that the land there was for sale.

My nephew ruminated upon this for some time and then asked:

"But if you buy the land, how do you get it home?"

Smitters

4,002 posts

157 months

Thursday 21st September 2017
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Quite hard to actually dwell in woodland, for obvious reasons, but hobby forestry is a thing:

http://www.woodlands.co.uk/owning-a-wood/woodlands...

captainzep

13,305 posts

192 months

Thursday 21st September 2017
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Small woodlands have rocketed in price. They used to be seen as a pointless management burden by some farmers and landowners especially when they weren't planted up with neat rows of commercially valuable softwood in demand for the construction industry.

Since WW1 when the UK's forests were decimated to feed the war effort, and the need to turn woodland into pasture or arable land to increase agricultural productivity it means the UK is one of the least wooded areas in Europe.

It either appeals or it doesn't. I'd love a wood. You can't build in them but many people put up a 'store shed' based on permitted development planning rules which secretly houses a cheeky camping bed, chairs etc, or buy a cheap caravan and dump it there for overnighting. You have all the wood you'll need for heating a house and space/privacy away from the noise. Managing a wood is good for you (most small woodlands have been neglected and need work) plus it's not likely to lose value.

Shoot you air rifle in peace with mates. Build a mountain bike track. BBQ your tea and enjoy a beer under the stars. Potter about on your little tractor, trailer full of logs to sell to neighbours, whatever. Making zip-lines and tree houses with the kids.

-I'd rather be doing that than in my office right now. Fat and bored.



Edited by captainzep on Thursday 21st September 14:32

joshleb

1,544 posts

144 months

Thursday 21st September 2017
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I'd use it for some mountain bike trails and jumps. Get a bobcat up there for a weekend, and voila, some sweet dirt jumps that no-one else knows about.

alorotom

11,937 posts

187 months

Thursday 21st September 2017
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I remember when woodland was almost being given away and didnt see the point, now however Id love to own a few acres of woodland - the cheapest near me is about £13k for 6acres when I last looked.

converted shipping containers, solar panels, etc... bliss!

captainzep

13,305 posts

192 months

Thursday 21st September 2017
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SE England small broadleaf woodlands are going for anywhere between £10-15k per acre.

Where I am in west Wales, I'll still need to find £40k for 3-4 football pitches worth.

Access is key. Geography too. -Many forests on flat land were felled for pasture. There's a lot of steep woodland that is fairly unusable in valleys and down to rivers.

Mr Roper

12,996 posts

194 months

Thursday 21st September 2017
quotequote all
captainzep said:
Small woodlands have rocketed in price. They used to be seen as a pointless management burden by some farmers and landowners especially when they weren't planted up with neat rows of commercially valuable softwood in demand for the construction industry.

Since WW1 when the UK's forests were decimated to feed the war effort, and the need to turn woodland into pasture or arable land to increase agricultural productivity it means the UK is one of the least wooded areas in Europe.

It either appeals or it doesn't. I'd love a wood. You can't build in them but many people put up a 'store shed' based on permitted development planning rules which secretly houses a cheeky camping bed, chairs etc, or buy a cheap caravan and dump it there for overnighting. You have all the wood you'll need for heating a house and space/privacy away from the noise. Managing a wood is good for you (most small woodlands have been neglected and need work) plus it's not likely to lose value.

Shoot you air rifle in peace with mates. Build a mountain bike track. BBQ your tea and enjoy a beer under the stars. Potter about on your little tractor, trailer full of logs to sell to neighbours, whatever. Making zip-lines and tree houses with the kids.

-I'd rather be doing that than in my office right now. Fat and bored.



Edited by captainzep on Thursday 21st September 14:32
You've been looking for a while now....Any joy?

227bhp

10,203 posts

128 months

Thursday 21st September 2017
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It can be bought to stop people from building on it or near you and just preserve it for what it is.