Buying, managing and living in your own woodland

[Jon Hartley]

I've been Down Under for a few years now saving hard. The Australian dollar is looking pretty good against Pounds Sterling so when I end up moving back home to good old Blighty I will have a decent deposit to be able to buy the new family a new home.

 

I have heard tell of woodland being sold by the forestry commission (is this right?) and have managed to get all misty eyed about living in and managing my own area of woodland!

 

I am pretty certain that getting planning permission to build a habitable dwelling in an area of woodland will be pretty difficult?

 

I know some of you will have experience in this area and any advice or info would be happily received!

[treequip]

In order to get planning to live in the wood you have to deonstateba need to bee there at all times.

 

There was a chap who managed it as a charcoal burner but there are all sort or restrictive covenants attached.

 

It,s a good thing to or the woods would be littered with "escape to the country" wannabes

[northcountryboy]

Hi, there was a proposal by the government to sell off large blocks of woodland but this was met with quite fierce opposition and the government backed off. My view of it is they were just dipping their toe in the water to see what kind of reaction they got, i think they will refocus on other ways in which to sell off large blocks of forests to boost the governments coffers. It would indeed be an ideal world if one could just buy a woodland and live in it and use said woodland to live off, sadly it is only a dream but for the select few, Ben Laws will be only too happy to tell you how he battled for 12 years to get planning permission to build a 'temporary' dwelling in his own woodland. With the recent planning laws being given the green light it may indeed be slightly easier to be able to buy woodland and one day convince the local authority planners that you need to be on site 24/7 to enable a dwelling to be built to protect your income, but if was that easy im sure half of the users of this site would be doing just that.

 

This was a good article i read which got me thinking Secret forest sell-off 'shopping lists' drawn up by conservation groups | Environment | The Guardian

 

Please note that this is only my view and views from other users and members are available

[armistead,forestry]

Go on woodlands.co.uk, woods4sale.co.uk and forests.co.uk and you can search woodland for sale. As to building a house in the woodland I doubt you will get planning, and if you do you will have very strict guidelines that will greatly decrease the amount of options you may have.

[Stereo]

I'm not so sure. There is now a presumption in favour of sustainable development so it may mean that if you can put together a viable business plan (coppice, charcoal, public amenity etc.) it may be more possible than it was. It may also depend on the local plan which are being re done now.

[Jon Hartley]

Go on woodlands.co.uk, woods4sale.co.uk and forests.co.uk and you can search woodland for sale. As to building a house in the woodland I doubt you will get planning, and if you do you will have very strict guidelines that will greatly decrease the amount of options you may have.

 

Thanks for this. There is even advice on planning permission on the woods for sale site!

[Jon Hartley]

Thanks teequip, I think there was a lot TV references in there!

 

I saw the chap on Grand Designs years ago (I think that is the chap you were talking about)Charcoal burner in Sussex? He did build an amazing home for himself and I think extended for his family later but that may be incorrect.

 

As far as escape to the country wannabes...I couldnt agree more!

[Jon Hartley]

This was a good article i read which got me thinking Secret forest sell-off 'shopping lists' drawn up by conservation groups | Environment | The Guardian

 

Interesting article.

 

It probably is pie in the sky, but it doesnt do any harm to dream!

 

Thanks