First open test for north-east market

Two farms in Northumberland and County Durham will set the market tone for these counties which have yet to see an open market farm sale this year.

At almost 204ha (504 acres), Rye Hill Farm near Rothbury is the larger of the two and lies on the edge of the Northumberland National Park. It has 144 acres currently in wheat and barley but about 375 acres of the farm is ploughable.

“It is rare to see a farm of this profile on the market in our part of Northumberland,” said agent Ben Johnson of George F White. The owners have been at Rye Hill since 1956 and wanted to capitalise on current strong market prices and the lack of farms of this quality coming to the market in the region, he said.

This is a grade 3 light land farm with easily worked medium loam soils, two five-bedroom houses, a good range of modern farm buildings and two cottages.

Single payment scheme income combined with Entry Level Stewardship and Countryside Stewardship Scheme income for the current year at Rye Hill should be in the region of £100,000.

“Also the farm has good prospects for entry into HLS when the CSS expires in 2014 due to an SSSI on the River Coquet which runs through the property,” said Mr Johnson.

SFP entitlements are included in the £3.85m guide price and the farm is available in up to eight lots, with keen local demand expected for the bare arable land. (George F White 01665 603 231).

The same firm has the first County Durham farm for sale in 2011. Moor Leazes Farm, near Lanchester, is a commercial arable farm with a modern house, buildings and 350 acres of arable, woodland and pasture. It is just eight miles from the city of Durham.

The modern four-bedroom farmhouse is traditionally built while the farm buildings are both traditional and modern. The majority of the land is arable, with some pasture and woodland.

Sporting rights are included, with potential to develop this further, said Jonathan Wallis of the firm’s Wolsingham Office. The guide price of £2.1m values the farm at £6,000/acre, which is £250/acre above the average arable land price for the region last year, in a rising market. (George F White 01388 527 966)