Big J on radio 4..

[ESS]

49 minutes ago, monkeybusiness said:

That’s simply a business issue though. If those are the market rates and they aren’t affordable then you need to look at your business model as it may not be sustainable.

 

It’s a tightening of the rules around farming that is probably more called for, not an across-the-board relaxation elsewhere imo. 

It used to be up to a certain square footage without full planning, not sure if that's changed.

However I doubt many farmers put buildings up just because they can, more because theres a need, like sheep housing, grain storage etc.

[briscoe]

Many people would like to buy a cheap bit of land and build. Just because we are in business requiring space to store machinary that shouldnt mean we qualify for some special discounted land to be able to build a luxuary home. If its business land you would already get tax relief anyhow.

 

Human nature makes most people selfish. If your competive in business or profession you will want to be rewarded accordingly. There will be many people who look at you Jon and envy your expensive forestry kit or perhaps your architects wife salary. Your most likely able to afford some kind of property in Devon. If you want a big property either work more hours or if this isnt lucrative enough change careers. 

[Big J]

3 hours ago, John Shutler said:

my yard is about 45000 square feet. 

plenty of space for 4 tractors, mog, diggers, chippers, 7 ag trailers, 100 tonne of timber and about the same in chip, dry storage for logs and kit in a barn

 

£500 a month

 

think it works out at 0.011p per square foot

 

id say that’s fairly affordable 

 

We had a yard of similar size about 15 miles outside of Edinburgh when we had the sawmill and it was £1200/month. That was fairly cheap for the area. It comprised of just under an acre of yard space and a variety of barns and covered space totalling around 700 square metres. Mostly in a terrible state of repair (to the point where the main one was impossible to keep dry in rain storms and we had to install a hefty bilge pump) and the rent went to an unscrupulous Estate whose forestry, farming and environmental policy was deplorable. 

 

You might be able to get a yard for £500/month, but that is well below what is typical. 

[Big J]

3 hours ago, kevinjohnsonmbe said:

Yome fooked J, maybe time to realign expectations and realities?

 

I do not think so. Planning law is starting to evolve and we are pretty determined. We have been told (by a planning officer) that restarting a sawmill would give us reasonable grounds for a rural workers property, so whether you agree or disagree with that, it's an option for us. I'd far sooner spend £100k setting up a productive mill again with an employee to run it than gift £300-350k to the enigmatically indescribable phenomenon that is "market rate". At least a sawmill will turn a profit.

[Big J]

2 hours ago, monkeybusiness said:

That’s simply a business issue though. If those are the market rates and they aren’t affordable then you need to look at your business model as it may not be sustainable.

 

You have machinery that can in reality be parked anywhere when not being used on site. That is where your argument falls down unfortunately. 

 

An extension of your reasoning would mean that any firms could throw up new factories/warehouses etc wherever they fancy (there are loads of relatively cheap, empty (aside from the inconsequential crap farmers are growing in them...) fields alongside the M6 for example - stick a few industrial units along there for decent motorway access) because it’s a lot cheaper than buying/renting on an actual industrial estate. 

 

Why should your business benefit from relaxed planning rules when everyone else’s (other than the anomaly that is farming, but let’s not keep poking that particular nest) is bound by them? It’s a tightening of the rules around farming that is probably more called for, not an across-the-board relaxation elsewhere imo. 

You're missing the point though. The nonsense that is the market rate in the UK is driven by the ever increasing 'value' of property. People are only having to spend more on rent as they are priced out of purchasing these properties. I can afford premises at market rate, but refuse to pay it as it doesn't represent value for money. All it does is concentrate yet more wealth in the hands of a few, very rich individuals. Much more provision needs to be made for small and medium sized businesses to own their own premises instead of having to resort to renting for wealthy property magnates. 

 

I would have no problem whatsoever with a broad increase in the building of industrial and business units in the UK. We have a proud history of manufacturing which is now firmly in the past. In order to compete in a post Brexit, post Trump (trade wars) world, a little self reliance would not go amiss, as well as a broadened economy not so dependent on the service sector. 

[Big J]

1 hour ago, briscoe said:

Many people would like to buy a cheap bit of land and build. Just because we are in business requiring space to store machinary that shouldnt mean we qualify for some special discounted land to be able to build a luxuary home. If its business land you would already get tax relief anyhow.

 

Human nature makes most people selfish. If your competive in business or profession you will want to be rewarded accordingly. There will be many people who look at you Jon and envy your expensive forestry kit or perhaps your architects wife salary. Your most likely able to afford some kind of property in Devon. If you want a big property either work more hours or if this isnt lucrative enough change careers. 

Haha! A very common misconception. Unless you are an architect involved with large, corporate builds like PPIs, architects get paid peanuts. My brother was earning more as a civil engineer within a year of uni, than my wife ever has from architecture. The only way to make a decent buck from it without selling your soul to the devil is to go into private property development, which we plan to eventually do.

[briscoe]

So you have an issue with wealthy property magnates as you put it but want to go into private property development yourself?! 

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

31 minutes ago, Big J said:

You're missing the point though. The nonsense that is the market rate in the UK is driven by the ever increasing 'value' of property. People are only having to spend more on rent as they are priced out of purchasing these properties. I can afford premises at market rate, but refuse to pay it as it doesn't represent value for money. All it does is concentrate yet more wealth in the hands of a few, very rich individuals. Much more provision needs to be made for small and medium sized businesses to own their own premises instead of having to resort to renting for wealthy property magnates. 

 

I would have no problem whatsoever with a broad increase in the building of industrial and business units in the UK. We have a proud history of manufacturing which is now firmly in the past. In order to compete in a post Brexit, post Trump (trade wars) world, a little self reliance would not go amiss, as well as a broadened economy not so dependent on the service sector. 

Stone me J! Yome sounding more like a Ukipper / Brexit guru with (almost) every post ?

[AHPP]

5 hours ago, Big J said:

I fecking hate livestock. I can't imagine anything worse than being bound to your farm by a bunch of smelly, demanding, farty cows that cost you money and need daily attention. Trees are much easier

You're within your rights by now to tell people to fuck off for saying that.

[AHPP]

There are some pathetic, jealous, mean-spirited cunts on this thread. You haven't got the guts or intellect to imagine being free of the nonsense planning laws. You're getting fucked by them so you want everybody else to get fucked by them. J wants to live well and he's prepared to work for it. Why shouldn't he? Who the fuck are you to say?

I'm aware of pragmatism and of the apparent futility of trying to change something that's difficult to change but I take issue with people who are so small that they don't even dream of things being better and who try and drag other people down. You deserve serfdom.