In the war on landowners, you need a strategy

“I am yet to visit a farming estate or smallholding that did not have potential. Whether it’s creating new income streams by converting barns into holiday lets, or creating new commercial spaces for businesses, there is often opportunity to create value while retaining ownership of the land,” said Matt Sawyer, an architect and land promoter, and founder of Stone Acre Land Potential.

As well as conversions and change of use, the current government’s changes to the planning system could offer opportunities, he added.

“They’ve hit farmers in other ways, but, put bluntly, the government is forcing local councils to approve more houses, so with the right strategy and approach this can work in the landowner’s favour.

“In-fill housing, or rounding-off existing settlements is an excellent way to maximise land-use and value, without fundamentally changing the character of a place.

“The recent changes to five-year land supply rules mean many councils are soon to pursue a new call-for sites, creating real opportunities for organised landowners.”

Strategic Planning Appraisal

Matt explained how Stone Acre works with landowners to review potential. “We begin with a phone call, no obligations, to make sure we are on the same page. You can’t beat discussing the options eye-to-eye, so a meeting would follow where we walk the land, and get a feel for the context.

“If it’s a no-hoper, we make that clear at this stage, but if there’s potential, we do a deep-dive, providing a breakdown of the options, reviewing local planning policy, political context of the council, previous approvals, and anything that can influence, help or hinder.”

Stone Acre calls this a Strategic Planning Appraisal. “It allows landowners to review all the available routes before embarking on the journey. With a clear step-by-step breakdown of options, estimated costs and timescales, this provides total clarity at the beginning, the best way to start a project.”

Matt emphasised that Stone Acre is not a developer – “most of whom only want to drive down the value of your land, nor are we suits from London, who only understand the bottom line.

“We are from and of the countryside. We understand the economics of land, but also in terms of legacy and what it means to the people who have worked it, often for generations.

“Whatever your ambitions for your land, the key is you cannot fatten a pig on market day, you need to be planning ahead with a clear strategy in place – this is where we can help; your land, your legacy, our expertise.”

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