Durham let farm, Oxfordshire and North Yorks holdings launched

A dairy holding generating an income of £150,000 in farm business tenancy (FBT) rent and an anaerobic digestion (AD) plant lease is aimed at the investor market.

High Hedley Hope Farm near Durham, a ring-fenced holding with 761 acres, cubicle housing for 600 cows, and a 70-point rotary parlour, is let until June 2041.

Andrew Black of Savills says its sale offers a rare opportunity to buy a large ring-fenced commercial farm producing significant income. 

See also: Mixed offering includes farm and nature reserve land

Most of the land has been in wholecrop, maize and herbal leys and includes 84 acres of woodland. 

There is a substantial number of farm buildings providing about 9,290sq m of cover.

Next to those buildings, on a five-acre site, is an AD plant with capacity to process 25,000t of food waste a year, a gas-to-grid capability of 350cu m and a power output of 0.5MW.

The plant is being refurbished by Bio Capital and, once operational, will generate renewable energy by converting waste into biomethane, electricity and biofertiliser.

The plant is let until June 2044 and there is an option to extend that agreement until June 2064.

As such, High Hedley Hope Farm offers significant rental income to the purchaser, currently totalling £120,000 from the FBT and £30,000 from the lease on the AD plant, says Andrew.

It also offers medium- to long-term potential for vacant possession on a large, commercial farm with extensive fixed equipment.

The principal dwelling is a five-bedroom farmhouse with recently installed solar panels and a heat pump. There is also a three-bedroom bungalow.

Savills is guiding the sale of High Hedley Hope Farm at £3.6m. The farm last came to the market in 2007 when its owners sold it to emigrate to New Zealand. 

Banbury holding

The same firm has also launched a 235-acre holding at Banbury, Northamptonshire, with a guide price of £3.9m.

Sulgrave Farm, which is subject to a Mid-Tier Countryside Stewardship agreement until December 2026, is mostly down to grass, but includes 26 acres of woodland and 0.8 acres of ponds.

Sulgrave Farm © Savills

One principal farm building – a six-bay steel portal-frame shed – currently accommodates sheep pens, storage and a workshop. There is also a traditional barn with potential for conversion.

The sale includes a six-bedroom farmhouse, and a three-bedroom cottage is available by separate negotiation. This is set in 15 acres of pasture and woodland and subject to an agricultural occupancy condition.

A 30-year overage agreement will require the buyer to pay the seller 30% of any uplift in value or income that comes from the granting of planning permission for non-agricultural or non-equestrian use. However, the house, cottage and farm buildings are excluded from this condition.

North Yorkshire

A smaller ring-fenced grassland farm is new to the market at Scawton, on the edge of the North York Moors National Park.

With 126 acres, Pond Farm has mostly medium loam and ploughable soils, apart from a ghyll and permanent grass paddocks next to the farmyard.

Pond Farm © Robin Jessop

The farmland is currently let on a temporary grazing licence.

Modern farm buildings include two livestock sheds, pig housing, loose boxes and stables.

There are also traditional stone buildings with potential for conversion to alternative uses. A granary next to the farmhouse had planning permission for change of use to a residential annexe and holiday let, but it has since lapsed.

Robin Jessop has set this sale at a guide price of £1.75m. 

Equestrian former dairy holding

East Sussex sees a launch with a difference – a former dairy farm that has been converted into an equestrian centre.

Chelwood Equestrian at Nutley is set in 125 acres and had official accreditation as a training facility during the 2012 Olympics.

Chelwood Equestrian © Savills

The buildings include 48 stables and the property comes with three flats and two four-bedroom houses, and also four cottages let as holiday accommodation.

It is on the market through Savills at a guide price of £3.95m.