What can I do with 6 acres ?

[Talay]

I have sort of stumbled into a property deal which has put 6 acres at my disposal. It is too big for the house on the land and whilst that will get redeveloped over time and potentially relocated on the site, I might spend a few years fighting to get planning permission for 6 x 1 acre houses, 12 x 0.5 acre houses or even 24 x 0.25 acre houses etc.

However, what can I do with it in the interim ?

It is fairly rectangular, 3 x 2 in geometry, flat, decent drainage, fenced in (or will be) and has good road access.

I believe it falls within the green belt but in an area where other development has caused the council to consider moving the green belt boundary (their own words). It is near agricultural land (farming). There are no planning applications since the current dwelling was built in the 1950s.

Not looking to bring in just a couple of grand a year sort of thing but don't know if it could be put to some other use than housing and turn a decent profit ?

Any ideas ?

 

[roydmoorian]

Horseyculture - if you can stand the people it will attract.

 

[SuffolkDesigns]

Caravan storage.
Prices range from £20 to £60 per month per caravan depending on the level of security you can offer.

 

[Alan]

Car boot sales

 

[garyk]

As above either stables or camper storage. A friend of mines Dad who has a family business in our village has stables and some van storage. He makes good money and even has a stable manager and its really her that runs it and deals with issues.

 

[Ste Hughes]

I know a guy that has 8 acres and makes a KILLING growing christmas tree's.

 

[vvaannmmaann]

Sub divide into small plots and rent them out as gardening allotments?

 

[businessfunding]

Doggy daycare?

 

[qrcctv]

Do you have good transport to the land or is it in no mans land?

 

[DazRave]

If near a town - short stay carpark.
if near an airport - long stay carpark
if in the middle of no where - plots of outside storage (cars, boats, caravans, trailers etc)

Or, two of my own personal aspirations...
Paintballing or karting track

 

[webgeek]

Polytunnels and soft-fruit / berries. Then ship it to Scotland, where we need some decent produce more than 2 weeks per year.

 

[MyAccountantOnline]

Keep 6 horses

 

[MyAccountantOnline]

May annoy your neighbours but what about motocross for off road bikes adults and children?

 

[Talay]

Polytunnels and soft-fruit / berries. Then ship it to Scotland, where we need some decent produce more than 2 weeks per year.

Definitely looking at something along these lines, perhaps with chillies, herbs etc. Not sure fruit would attract enough of a premium to get the buyers out from under the thumb of the supermarket though ?

 

[Talay]

If near a town - short stay carpark.
if near an airport - long stay carpark
if in the middle of no where - plots of outside storage (cars, boats, caravans, trailers etc)

Or, two of my own personal aspirations...
Paintballing or karting track

Good transport but no airport. Not really wanting to battle for high volumes of traffic movements.

 

[Talay]

Sub divide into small plots and rent them out as gardening allotments?

Just over 24,000 sqm so I'd want a few quid per sqm and I don't think folk would pay that, do you ?

 

[Talay]

I know a guy that has 8 acres and makes a KILLING growing christmas tree's.

Don't the great unwashed come round and steal them just before you cut them down for Xmas ?

Not that I am adverse to staying up and shooting trespassers who don't "get orf moi laaaaaand".

 

[Talay]

Car boot sales

Some issues with mega traffic movements I think.

 

[Talay]

Horseyculture - if you can stand the people it will attract.

Burying them ? owners or the horses ?

 

[DazRave]

Good transport but no airport. Not really wanting to battle for high volumes of traffic movements.

Then Paintballing or a karting track seem like an awesome idea to me.. haha!

Without wanting high volumes of traffic, it's hard to utilise the space unless a company wants a very large chunk of it to store things for long periods of time.

Tricky situation really.

 

[MOIC]

Contaner self - storage site - For personal and business use. (Start with 1 acre)

Investment in containers, which can be sold when you have finished.

Security fencing all round with CCTV

1 man operation to keep secure and enlist new customers.

Best income you will get per sq ft.

 

[Billiebox]

Hi I would second the above recommendation. Lots of farmers are already doing this.
You can start with a few (recommend New 20ft x 8ft containers) and then just keep adding to the site. Fencing, hard core driveways is a 'Must' you could run a 'swipe card' system.
As luck would have it, this is what I supply 'shipping containers' with my business Billie Box Ltd. T: 0800 121 7388
If you would like anymore information, then please do let me know.

 

[Escape Vapourettes]

Rear turkeys and make a small fortune in December.

 

[Ste Hughes]

Don't the great unwashed come round and steal them just before you cut them down for Xmas ?

Not that I am adverse to staying up and shooting trespassers who don't "get orf moi laaaaaand".

To be fair the guy I know with the land is also a fire arms owner

I doubt he has problems with people nicking tree's, I bet you vastly over estimate the amount of people who actually do that.

 

[Socio South West]

In another life I would suggest you start a pig unit, or open a scrapyard - anything that will make the neighbours support your eventual residential application.... but I'm not allowed to think usefully like that any longer

 

[morespace]

How about allotments?

 

[Root 66 Woodshop]

If you've got a ton of trees and it's a nice looking plot, personally I'd look at either paint ball park or camp site for cubs/scouts etc.



You don't have to charge over the odds for small groups etc, something easily affordable like £200 a week and you're raking in £3200 a year based upon just 16 weeks being taken (June - September) - that's based upon just one group a week - imagine how many groups you could put into 6 acres comfortably . Then you've got the other weeks/weekends to contend with.

Go on my son... give something back to those that can't afford a lush holiday away, campsite for scouts/cubs etc is the way forward

 

[Talay]

If you've got a ton of trees and it's a nice looking plot, personally I'd look at either paint ball park or camp site for cubs/scouts etc.



You don't have to charge over the odds for small groups etc, something easily affordable like £200 a week and you're raking in £3200 a year based upon just 16 weeks being taken (June - September) - that's based upon just one group a week - imagine how many groups you could put into 6 acres comfortably . Then you've got the other weeks/weekends to contend with.

Go on my son... give something back to those that can't afford a lush holiday away, campsite for scouts/cubs etc is the way forward

£3200 a year !

If it was that much a week it might be interesting but a year !

 

[Talay]

In another life I would suggest you start a pig unit, or open a scrapyard - anything that will make the neighbours support your eventual residential application.... but I'm not allowed to think usefully like that any longer

Much more my way of thinking.

 

[UK Contractor Accountant]

Solar park with grazing rights as well.

 

[Root 66 Woodshop]

Talay,

Read again matey

that was just for one cub/scout group a week over 16 weeks, June - September... if you look at how many cub/scout groups you could actually fit into 6 acres for a camping week then realistically you could be looking at £64,000 a year based upon 20 groups just in that holiday period.