Middlesbrough Road, Great Ayton

LOCATION

The property is located on the northwestern fringe of the village of Great Ayton, a large and attractive service village located at the foot of the Cleveland Hills, approximately 2 miles northeast of Stokesley and 8 miles south of Middlesbrough. Access to the property is from the B1292 Middlesbrough Road.
The village has become increasingly sought after in recent years as a prime residential location serving the wider Teesside and North Yorkshire area, offering two attractive village greens, some fine period houses, and many local services including CoOp food store, variety of other convenience shops, Pharmacy, Post Office, several pubs, Petrol Station, library, Doctors Surgery, and a highly rated Primary School. It is situated within rural surroundings, adjoining the North York Moors National Park, with an abundance of walks surrounding it, including Captain Cook’s Monument and Roseberry Topping. Great Ayton is a main centre of public services for a number of smaller villages in the area.

DESCRIPTION

The property comprises agricultural land currently in use as four separate grassland paddocks, together with a small general purpose agricultural building.
The land is currently accessed directly from the B1292 Middlesbrough Road, where you have an established farm track, laid to limestone and road plainings/hardcore, gated and with good visibility splays. It is noted that there is also a field gate situated within the northeastern corner of the land, (opposite Langbaurgh Grange) also offering an established access onto Middlesbrough Road, although this gate appears to have remained unused for some time.

The land is currently subdivided into 4 separate paddocks, each with timber post and rail fencing, together with some secondary post and barbed wire stock proofing. The land is registered as Grade 3 (Good to moderate), laid entirely to grass and generally fairly level, with rig and furrow across much of it. Along much of the perimeter boundary are some mature native hedges, and several fine mature trees, in particular an impressive oak fronting Middlesbrough Road.

A single detached agricultural building is situated on the southern boundary of the land bordering onto the Great Ayton Allotments and served by the private farm track. This comprises a two bay, timber framed building, with partial concrete blockwork walls to approx. 2m, and timber close boarding to eaves. The dual pitch roof is clad with composite concrete panels with approx. 25% clear upvc panels. Full height steel roller shutter loading doors are fitted to both east and west elevations. Internally the building has a concrete floor throughout and is divided to form loose boxes as well as some mezzanine storage.

We have undertaken a measured survey of the building and calculate the approximate gross internal floor area to be circa 140 sqm. (approx. 13.7m x 10.2m).

The building is connected to mains electric, with a 3 phase supply, together with mains water.

PLANNING

The land falls within the jurisdiction of North Yorkshire Council, formerly Hambleton District Council.

From a Town Planning perspective, legislation is set out within the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and on a more localized basis, via the adopted Hambleton Local Plan, (Adopted February 2022). This is currently being reviewed with the emerging new North Yorkshire Council Local Plan.

The land is identified within the current Local Plan as lying beyond the village development boundary, and within an area designated within Policy E4 – Green Infrastructure Corridor.

The most recently published NPPF 24 issued by Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, sets out some significant national planning policy reforms. One of the key variations is around the new Standard Method of assessing housing need. Generally, across the Country as whole, the new Labour Government is looking to establish a much more robust and rapid delivery of new houses, with substantial increase in numbers. For the North Yorkshire area, the projected increase will take housing numbers from 1,391 dwellings pa to 4,100 dwellings pa. This significant increase will place obligations on the planning authority to plan for and deliver this new housing growth through the allocation of sites around the most sustainable locations, in the main expected to be annexed to the larger villages and urban centres in the County.

The Owners have put the land forward as part of the recent ‘Call For Sites’ consultation by North Yorkshire Council, as land suitable for residential and mixed use development, and this now appears on the relevant map issued by the Council. The suitability of this site will be reviewed as the Local Plan process emerges over the next couple of years.

In respect the agricultural building, it is understood that this offers the potential for the conversion of the to a residential dwelling, using the Class Q Permitted Development rights.
These rights were introduced in England in 2014 to boost new housing in rural areas. The regulations permit the change of use and conversion of an agricultural building to a home via a process known as “prior approval”. This less onerous process negates the need to submit a full planning application as long as the building meets all the qualifying criteria, conditions and limitations associated with the Class Q regulations.
The Class Q rules have recently been refreshed, with effect from 21st May 2024.
The Class Q regulations allow for the change of use and conversion of agricultural building(s) into one or up to five homes, on the holding, which are subject to maximum size limits. For a single dwelling, the building must not be larger than 150 sqm. The regulations, and supporting government guidance, set out what limited building works can be undertaken to affect the conversion.

The Class Q regulations set out a host of qualifying criteria, conditions, limitations and exclusions. For example, it is important to be able to demonstrate that the building was in use for the purposes of agriculture on an established agricultural holding on 20 March 2013. Other limitations include:

* The external dimensions of the new home(s) cannot extend beyond the footprint of the existing agricultural building that is being converted.
* The building to be converted should have four walls and roof before conversion so that it can benefit from the building operations provided for in the regulations and be structurally sound so that it can support the weight that comes with conversion.
* The curtilage of the converted dwelling is very restricted and must not be any more extensive than the curtilage definition set out in the Class Q regulations.
* The planning authority’s prior approval must be obtained before any development commences.

There are many other conditions and limitations to be complied with, so it is essential to ensure your plans meet these before proceeding.
Within Class Q, an agricultural unit is described as ‘agricultural land occupied as a unit for the purposes of agriculture ‘.
Prospective purchasers will be required to carry out their own due diligence and satisfy themselves as to existing and future planning potential for this land.

TITLE

The land is held under registered Freehold title number: NYK306356. It is to be offered for sale freehold, subject to a short term agricultural grazing licence.

TENURE

The land is currently occupied under a licence agreement as follows:

Licence Date: 1st January 2025
Property: All that land on the south side of Langbarugh Grange, Great Ayton TS9 6QQ, together with the agricultural building contained therein.
Commencement: 1st January 2025
Term Duration: 12 months
Early Termination: Either party can terminate on 3 months prior notice.
Licence Fee: £1,300
Use: The right to use the land for grazing the Licencee’s personally owned recreational horses only. The right to use for stabling of the Licencee’s horses in the Building and for storage of items soley and exclusively connected with the Licencee’s use of the premises for grazing of horses.

ENTITLEMENTS

The land is sold without any entitlements.

RIGHTS OF WAY, WAYLEAVES & EASEMENTS

The land is sold subject to and with the benefit of all rights of way, whether public or private, rights of light, support, drainage, and other rights, obligations and easements and restrictive covenants and all existing wayleaves, pylons, stays, cables, drains, water, gas and other pipes whether referred to in these particulars or not.

RESERVATIONS ON SALE

The land and property will be sold with various reservations, including the following:

1. Shared Access: In the event Lots 1 and 2 are sold separately the Lot 1 Property will retain a right of access from the public highway to the Lot 1 land across the area shaded brown on the Sale Plan. This is intended for current and future access needs, and will be an unrestricted access right, including agricultural machinery. Such rights will extend to include an obligation to share in the cost of maintenance, such amount to be determined according to use.

2. Boundary Fencing/Gates: The Buyer’s of Lot 2 (Agricultural Building) will be responsible for installation of new boundary fencing between points A – B – C – D – E – F – G as shown on the Sale Plan attached. This will be in the form of a tanalised timber post and rail fence, with posts of not less than 6′ x 5”x 2.5”diameter and not less than 5 rails, and rabbit netting, with tension wire, along the base. In addition the Buyer will be responsible for installing a gated access between Points A and B. The gates to be apair of 8′ pressure treated planed redwood 5 Bar wooden field gates. The Buyer will be required to install this fence/gates, to an agreed position, within a period of not more than 8 weeks following completion of the purchase. The future maintenance and ownership of this boundary fence/gates will be the responsibility of the owner of the Lot 2 property, and their successors in title, who will be required to keep them in a good and substantial state of repair and condition.

3. Service Media and Easements – The Lot 2 (Agricultural Building) property has the benefit of access to mains water and electric. Where there are needs to be cross rights through the Lot 1 Land, these will be provided with suitable easements, subject to a right for the owners of the Lot 1 land to relay and or divert any such service apparatus, where there is a need to do so, subject to giving prior notice and causing as little inconvenience as reasonably possible.

4. Overage/Clawback – The Lot 1 (Grassland) land will be sold with a Clawback/Overage clause, such that in the event of a change of use or development of any of the subject land for any uses outside existing agricultural or equestrian use, within a period of 50 years following the sale, then a payment will fall due based at 35% of the uplift in value. Any payment would be triggered by a) implementation of a change of use planning consent or b) if earlier, a disposal following the grant of such a change of use planning consent. Such provisions for payment of Clawback/ Overage would also apply in the event any agricultural buildings are constructed , which later secure Permitted Development rights, or Class Q change of use, or equivalent subject to any relevant changes in Planning Legislation.

SPORTING & MNERAL RIGHTS

The sporting and mineral rights are included in the sale in so far as they are owned.

GUIDE PRICING

Offers in region’ £495,000 for the whole, or split between the two lots as follows:

Lot 1 – Grassland – approx 17.18 acres – ‘offers in region’ £375,000 (£21,827 per acre)

Lot 2 – Farm Building – approx 0.57 acres – ‘offers in region’ £120,000

VAT

It is understood that the Property is not currently registered for VAT. However, the Vendor reserves the right to charge VAT in addition to the Purchase Price.

METHOD OF SALE

Our clients are seeking the disposal of the freehold interest either on an unconditional basis at best value, or on a conditional basis, subject to planning.
Consideration will be given to proposals which offer overage/clawback linked to future value enhancement through variation in existing use planning and development, but the principal aim is to maximize sale receipt at this stage.
If this opportunity is of interest, please submit a “subject to contract” proposal either as an outright bid or if by way of a bid with conditions, to include the following:
1. The Purchase Price Offer.
2. Details of any proposed overage or clawback terms, should those be applicable.
3. Confirmation of any specific obligations/ conditions envisaged under the terms of the sale Agreement.
4. Confirmation of your funding arrangements/proof of funds.
5. Confirmation as to Solicitors and any other Professionals that you intend to appoint to act on your behalf.
We are seeking offers to be submitted via email to by noon Thursday 1st May 2025.

Each offer should address all of the points set out above. We may wish to discuss any offer submitted in further detail and/or invite you for further discussion.
Our clients do not undertake to accept the highest bid or indeed any bid.

LEGAL COSTS

Each party to be responsible for their own legal costs incurred in any transaction.

VIEWINGS

Viewings can be conducted from the public highway. Those wishing to walk the site should contact the selling agents providing at least 48 hours’ notice. Inspections are undertaken at your own risk.

ANTI MONEY LAUNDERING REGULATIONS

Prior to any offer being accepted, the successful bidder/s will be required to provide certain identification documents and proof of origin of funds in order to comply with Anti-Money Laundering legislation.

All descriptions, dimensions, areas, reference to condition and other details are given in good faith and believed to be correct but intending purchasers / lessors should satisfy themselves as to the correctness.