Large arable launches give buyers rare choice at scale

Three significant launches dominate this week, with an estimated combined value of almost £34m across more than 3,000 acres of predominantly arable land.

With 1,398 acres of its total 1,429 acres classified as highly productive arable land, Bury Farm at Sharpenhoe, Bedfordshire, offers scale and a good setup with its 4,000t of grain storage and range of general farm buildings.

Further income is generated by a former barn let on commercial terms, and a pair of let cottages.

The farmhouse, Bury Farm Cottage, is detached with five bedrooms.

See also: Large mixed farming estate launched in Welsh national park

Bury Farm

Savills is marketing Bury Farm at a guide price of £15m for the whole and it is also available in seven lots.

The same firm is launching Court Leys Farm at Brandon, Grantham, Lincolnshire, another arable farm that not only delivers on scale but has much of its 819 acres within a ring-fence.

On Grade 2 and 3 land, the fields are large and workable and have benefitted from extensive ditch management and drainage schemes to support efficient farming.

Charlie Paton, of selling agent Savills, says the land is subject to an annual combinable crop contract farming agreement.

It is also suitable for root crops, and benefits from an abstraction licence allowing water to be drawn from two locations.

As well as its productive farming potential and extensive wildlife habitat, with several woodland spinneys dividing the fields, the farm also offers diverse sporting opportunities.

Court Leys Farm

Court Leys Farm also has diversified income, generated from letting buildings as commercial units.

The farmyard has extensive grain handling and storage, along with workshop space and a range of other buildings, also suitable for commercial use subject to the necessary consents.

Renewable energy opportunities, including solar and wind, have been previously identified and there is potential to revisit these, says the agent.

In addition to a six-bedroom period farmhouse, there is a bungalow and a pair of semi-detached cottages let on assured shorthold tenancy (AST) agreements.

Court Leys Farm is being marketed with a guide price of £9m.

Lea Marsh Farm

Part of this week’s third major launch also sits in Lincolnshire.

Bidwells is bringing Lea Marsh Farm at Gainsborough to the market in a sale that also includes Cowsland Farm at Retford, Nottinghamshire.

The combined estate includes agricultural, commercial and residential assets.

Lea Marsh Farm is about 484 acres of mainly pasture land lying adjacent to the River Trent in a single block.

Both holdings have been owned by the vendor for decades and in recent years the land has been farmed by local operators under a range of tenures.

James Wood, partner and head of rural agency at Bidwells, says the holdings have always been professionally farmed and maintained with care.

“This is an exciting opportunity for farmers or investors looking to acquire a block of commercial farmland alongside high-yielding commercial buildings and a handsome farmhouse,” he says.

The property is being offered for sale as a whole at a guide price of £9.9m and is also available in four lots.

Cowsland Farm

Cowsland Farm © Bidwells

The 289 acres at Cowsland is set across a number of good-sized fields, with cropping typically including winter wheats, forage maize, peas, spring barley and oilseed rape.

The original buildings were repurposed when the vendor started a pet and animal food business, which was sold some years ago.

The buildings are now occupied by Cranswick Pet Products on a commercial lease.

The buildings, farmhouse and surrounding land occupy about 12 acres, with the large farmhouse let to a tenant.

A separate 93-acre block of farmland, Forwood, is a short distance away, adjacent to Treswell Wood, offering additional opportunities for agricultural or environmental uses.