Farm holiday venture launches with planning for more accommodation

The launch of a holiday let business in converted barns on a former dairy farm demonstrates how value can be created in successful diversification ventures.

The six conversions at Westhope Country Retreats at Craven Arms in the Shropshire Hills National Landscape have generated an average annual income of £327,900 in the past three years.

Now the owners, livestock farmers Stuart and Marianne Manley, are offering the holiday property for sale at a guide price of £2.9m.

Stuart’s parents, John and Betty, were dairy farmers, the fourth generation since 1893 to farm at Westhope.

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Twenty-six years ago, they embarked on a non-farming business venture, converting one of their barns into holiday accommodation.

More conversions followed and there are now six cottages with sleeping capacity for 52 people, a diversification which operates alongside the Manleys’ livestock farming business.

George Beer, of selling agent Roger Parry & Co, says it is a great example of what can be achieved through farm diversification.

“While the decision to sell has not been taken lightly, it is the right time for the family to pass on the stewardship after a proud history,” he says.

Occupancy rates from 2022 to 2026 have averaged 67.83%.

Full planning permission has been secured for nine pods, lodges and huts with capacity for 24 people, and also for the conversion of a building into an office, gym, games room, storage and entertainment area.

Based on current market data, Roger Parry & Co projects that the pods would have a combined earning potential of £646,442 in their first three years of operation.

In 2026, the business was named Hospitality Business of the Year at the Business Awards UK and in the same year it secured a Silver Award for Self-Catering Accommodation of the Year 2026 at the West Midlands Tourism Awards.

Lincs bare land

119-acre block of land at Lissington © Savills

Restructuring to allow for reinvestment elsewhere in the owner’s business sees the launch of a 119-acre block of land at Lissington, just north east of Lincoln.

The block is in two parcels, one of 46 acres and the other 73 acres, which Henry King of selling agent Savills says are well-suited to modern agricultural operations.

“Mature hedgerows form the boundaries, contributing to both shelter and biodiversity,” he says.

The Grade 3 land has grown sugar beet and potatoes, with more recent rotations focusing on combinable cropping. The sale is being guided at £995,000.

Cornwall 20-year tenancy

Lower Northcott Farm at Launceston, part of the Coode Estate © Carter Jonas

For farmers seeking a long-term opportunity, a 371-acre equipped livestock farm is available to let on a farm business tenancy (FBT) of up to 20 years.

Lower Northcott Farm at Launceston, part of the Coode Estate, is a former dairy farm but more recently has reared beef.

The land is farmed with a focus on soil health and maximising nutrient density in the forage grown on farm, to reduce reliance on cereals and concentrates for finishing beef animals.

It has been managed as regenerative pasture with minimum tillage for a number of years – no fields have been ploughed for at least a decade.

The current tenant sells beef direct to consumers and wholesale customers as a 100% pasture-fed, regeneratively produced product.

The Coode Estate considers the holding to be capable of supporting a range of farming systems and enterprises, with prospective tenants invited to put forward their own proposals, says Caroline Raspison of Carter Jonas.

“While applications conscious of good soil stewardship and sustainable land management are welcomed, there is no requirement for the incoming tenant to continue the current approach,” she says.

The farm buildings include livestock housing, storage for fodder and machinery, livestock handling facilities, silage pits and workshop space.

There is a Grade II listed, five-bedroom farmhouse and applicants can also submit a proposal, if they wish, to include a pair of semi-detached cottages in the tenancy.

These offer an opportunity to house a farmworker or family member, to diversify into holiday letting, or to sub-let on a residential basis, subject to agreeing terms with the landlord.

The farm is available as a whole and will be let from 25 March 2027.

Viewing dates are being scheduled for late October with a deadline of 27 November for submission of applications.