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planbee

House Bee
Joined
Apr 13, 2009
Messages
181
Reaction score
0
Location
Staffordshire, UK
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
Two
Before I joined this forum, I was toying with the idea of buying a small piece of land.
Not a smallholding as such, just a plot to put beehives on, and somewhere I could grow a few bits and bobs, and sit and listen to me whiskers grow.

Since joining, the idea has grown, and I've now found a piece of agricultural land that I might be able to part from it's owner, for some shekels.

It's sheltered by a tall hedge from the road, but with an open aspect towards the south and south-east.

Now what I want to know is, do you have to pay rates on agricultural land, or on a smallholding?

A second question has just wandered into my mind, what defines a smallholding?

Help, please.

John
 
Agricultural land is exempt from rates.

A smallholding, I suppose, could be defined as a non-commercial piece of land used for hobby farming and the like, although the crossover is a little 'murky', to say the least, as I know people with a few acres who derive their whole income from it!

I don't believe that there is a defined threshold upon which you can call a piece of land a 'farm'.

Hope that's of some vague help!
 
Yes, very useful, thanks!

I don't intend to start "Empire Building" on it, I shall be 64 this year, a clutch of daughters have been and gone, no wife now; it is simply for, as you put it, "hobby farming".

Might even put a couple of hens on it, let my Grand-daughter find the eggs!

Thanks again,

John
 
Hens sound good, but don't forget geese, they are great at keeping the grass down and make good guardians of the plot too, but you will need to make them a pond.
 
OK Fenbee, but do you have to shut geese in at night, like chickens?

John
 
I too have been thinking about this. Would be nice to have all my bees on my own land. :cheers2:
 
Hey White Park you are just down the road from me , cause I am in Whitchurch. I have just started renting some land for an allotment just over the border in Cheshire about 100yards inside Cheshire alongside the A49. I hope to eventually have some bee hives there.
 
you lot want to be careful your all on a slippery slope, you will end up doing the good life thing like me, we will have to start calling you lot tom and barbra as my family do, as for the other well any apairy site conversation you are in some serious trouble now smack junkies only spend £4000 a week on drugs and i can spend that on one phone call to hive maker, dont buy land to site a apiary untill you have rented it for a season first just because it looks good to you might not look good for the girls have a look at my link below it might give you a few ideas, theres a few more to come to that link soon aswell we are all doom into beekeeperisim



http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1036
 
Hey White Park you are just down the road from me , cause I am in Whitchurch. I have just started renting some land for an allotment just over the border in Cheshire about 100yards inside Cheshire alongside the A49. I hope to eventually have some bee hives there.

Hi Geoff, yes just up the road from you at Bickerton/Broxton. You might have seen my white cattle either side of the A41 at Broxton if you ever go up that way.

Know Whitchurch well as I'm in there once or twice a week for lunch!

Regards

Cris
 
OK Fenbee, but do you have to shut geese in at night, like chickens?

John

John, Yes you have to shut the geese in night, otherwise the local fox has a feast!
 
Damned right. I lost a trio of beautiful Embdens to the fox last year because I made the silly mistake of not shutting them in at night.

:-(
 
Thanks Fenbee!

I'm a "Fen Tiger", well, nearly, born in Peterborough, lived there and in Yaxley 'til 1980, then came to Staffordshire.

John
 

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