GETTING A SMALL-HOLDING
IN DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY

Smallholding (Continued)

Marginal land, for tree planting, £120/acre. Upland land, £600-800 Good arable, £1500-2000 Houses - we found the following:
Cottages on crumbling estates 2 bedrooms, lived-in condition, fair-sized gardens, at about £10,000. They sold fast to holiday cottagers. Small terraced houses, mostly in villages, from £5,000, one with fabulous rising damp. Semi-derelict or bathroom-less farm cottages, from £3,000. Some of these had been on the SPC's books for years, having been over-priced by farmers hoping for a lucky sale. Letting the farmer know that we would live there all the year round made him immediate-ly friendlier at one of these - but he still wouldn't part with any of the land. Talking about the weather also helps, I think; so does admiring the cottage (then he might take the lowness of the offer as poverty rather than meaness!).

Real derelicts - not many of these because planning policy makes it almost impossible to renovate them (see below).

Huge farms - the particulars of these are particularly luscious and enjoyable, and they can have farm cottages included in the sale. We considered approaching the successful purchaser (through the selling solicitor) immediately after the sale, catch him while still euphoric, and make an offer for the cottage and ten acres, but didn't get around to it. '

Hill farms to let - heard through local gossip of two of these becoming vacant through death of occupiers whose sons had gone to the cities. These have thousands of acres of hill, hundreds of sheep. The rents are very moderate but one would have to pay thousands for previous tenant's improvements and existing stocks. Don't know much about this.

Properties not offered for sale - we had intended when desperate to drive around looking for empty cottages at the ends of obscure tracks - many are on the one-inch maps. We followed up a couple of these, getting owner's names off local solicitor. In both cases the (English) owners did not want to sell, apparently considering them as they crumbled past the point where planning permission for renovation would be granted, as some kind of investment.

Planning permission for rebuilding, renovation or change of use: the document 'Planning Advice Leaflet No. 1: Housing in the open Countryside' makes the position absolutely clear. Planning permission will not be granted. (Get the leaflet from the Depart-ment of Physical Planning in Dumfries, Castle Douglas or Stranraer). Houses with the greater part of the roof missing or lacking doors and windows are derelict. Ways of getting round this below.

This said, a visit to the Department of Physical Planning (make an appointment) is worthwhile. They are friendly-, eager to push though not bend the regulations and it gives them pleasure to help people find places. They like you to have read the leaflet, and to have a particular planning project in mind. e.g. an extension for a house you have looked at.

Planning permission to put in kitchen or bathroom is automatic, and for an extension is quite easy I believe. Planning permission within existing settlements is possible I think. Their criteria usually include a primary school within Z mile so they needn't lay on a school bus, availability of main sewage and bus services. Is there hope for the countryside when these are the pre-occupations of the local government?

Continued