30,000 acres to hit land market

STRUTT & PARKER is launching a surprise onslaught on the autumn property market, with almost 30,000 acres in England and Scotland set to be launched in the first half of September.

In England, 8000 acres worth £37m will be up for grabs, while north of the border three Scottish estates covering 21,000 acres and valued at £10m will be available.

Although relatively small, the English acreage marks a significant boost to a market that carried only 50,000 acres in the whole of the first six months of the year.

“It is an exceptional autumn for us,” said James Laing, head of S&P‘s rural division, adding that there was no particular reason behind the spate of sales.

But market sources have attributed a large chunk of them to the Co-operative Group‘s property arm, C G Property, and pension fund. But details have yet to be released.

Between them, these are responsible for over 5600 acres of the land coming to the market in England this month.