Buying Farm Land or Barns? Planning Checks Before You Buy

The price reflects the planning. Check it before you pay.

Whether you are buying a block of land, a farm or a set of old barns, its value depends on what the council will let you do with it. Agents often describe barns as having potential. Before you exchange, find out whether that potential is real.

7 checks before you buy

1. Planning history. Search the council's planning portal for past applications, refusals, appeals and enforcement on the land.
2. Designations. Green Belt, National Landscapes, National Parks, conservation areas, listed buildings and flood zones all change what is possible.
3. Holding size. Agricultural permitted development depends on the size of the unit you will farm. The main rights need 5 hectares, about 12.4 acres.
4. Removed rights. Conditions or article 4 directions can take away permitted development rights.
5. Barn conversion potential. Class Q and Class R depend on the building's history, use and condition. Not every barn qualifies.
6. Ties and agreements. Look for agricultural occupancy conditions and section 106 agreements.
7. Unlawful uses. A use or building without permission can become your problem. A certificate of lawfulness can confirm what is lawful.

Making the most of your purchase

A planning appraisal before you buy can shape your offer, your plans and your finance. See our guide to planning permission on agricultural land. Our farm planning consultants in Cambridgeshire and our wider team across the UK assess land and barns before purchase.

How Foxes Rural can help

We check the planning history, constraints and routes for the land or barns you want to buy, then tell you plainly what can be done and what it is likely to take.