Kitchen Garden Forum

In this current copy of Smallholder Magazine there is a property for sale in France:
France. Farm between Limoges and Poitiers.
House, 2 barns, cheese lab.
27 acres. £160,000.
More land possible.
There is a contact Email but I feel it would be wrong for me to publish it without the consent of the advertiser.
Anybody interested please PM me and I will send it to you by return.
By comparison with British prices this is a bargain
but of course I have no idea of the terrain.
In the area where I live now 27 acres could be considerably more than £120,000. without a house and depending where it is a hell of a lot more than that.
JB.

Dear Johnboy, just carrying on from your topic, i can't quite make out why land prices for agricultural land have not crashed with so many farms selling up, i really do find it quite strange.

I seem to recall reading somewhere that large institutions were buying the land up as a long term investment, hoping that green belt regulations would be eased in the future. shallotman

Hi Shallotman,
To a degree you are correct but hereabouts large institutions are actually getting involved in farming. Cereal prices are set to rise even further and they have the capital to weather any fluctuations. A 100 acre holding locally sold for £1,480,000 recently. It had a mass of outbuildings and a six bedroomed house. The land will be leased out and the buildings destined to be either small business premises or habitations or a combination of both. An Equestrian Unit with 40 acres sold for £960,000 with a two bedroomed bungalow. Land hereabouts in 1960 was between £50 to £60 an acre so there has been just a 'small' increase!!
JB.

Yes I guess the option for diversification on country land in the UK is phenomenal, there are not only the increase in farming options but the leisure industry, from Donkey farms, equestrian sport and quad biking the countryside is becoming a playground for many, agricultural land according to an estate agent friend of mine remains a more stable investment than residential property without land. If I had the cash I would get a slice.