Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
The 500-acre farm that could be yours for £6.2 million
Developers and budding Jeremy Clarksons expected to bid for site
A sprawling farm covering more than 500 acres is up for grabs for £6.2 million – leaving housing developers and budding Jeremy Clarksons licking their lips.
Bramling Court Farm in Wingham, near Canterbury, has gone on the market, with agents Savills saying the sale presents “significant development opportunities”.
There is no planning consent for homes on the site, but bids are expected from developers – despite there being little chance of securing permission for substantial housebuilding.
Peter Farrow, chair of Littlebourne Parish Council, says developing the farm would put additional strain on the A257 – the main road that runs through Bramling before heading into neighbouring Littlebourne, and then on to Canterbury.
He said: “The A257 in general has already got a very significant number of developments on it.
“If this were to be developed it would be very sad for the countryside, but also a real problem on what’s actually a very busy and narrow road.
“If you add in Aylesham, developments at Wingham, several developments at Littlebourne and some at Ash, the A257 is becoming an increasingly busy road during rush-hour periods.
“Most of this traffic will be coming into Canterbury and will therefore be coming through Littlebourne. It puts a burden on the village, where it is actually extremely narrow.
“[The development of the farm] is not something we would wish to support, if that is actually what was going to happen.”
Alternatively, Bramling Court is a working commercial farm, and its sale could spark interest from those looking to cash in on its rich, arable land, or for a new way of life.
TV’S Jeremy Clarkson recently showcased such lifestyle change in the popular Clarkson’s Farm.
The Amazon Prime show followed the trials and tribulations of the former Top Gear presenter as he took over the reins of running his 1,000-acre farm in the Cotswolds.
However, anyone snapping up Bramling Court would only have to contend with a farm half the size.
Available as a whole or in up to three lots with a total guide price of £6.2m, the site also includes a Grade Ii-listed farmhouse and three semi-detached cottages.
The farmland, which is largely grade one and two with soil types ranging from fine silt to chalk, comprises about 480 acres of arable land and 20 acres of permanent pasture.
There is also woodland covering close to 10 acres.
Savills says alternative uses
for the farm include “equestrian, leisure, and residential or commercial conversions”.
It adds that there is a “substantial range of modern and traditional farm buildings, which have considerable scope for a wide range of different uses, including residential development potential”.
Chris Spofforth, head of Savills’ south east rural agency team, says: “With such highly productive farmland of a meaningful size, Bramling Court is very capable of being run in a self-sufficient manner.
“Not only does the farm present a variety of diversification opportunities but, importantly, there are also very few good commercial farms of this size that have come to the market over the last 24 months and there is real, pent-up demand for farmland of this specification.
“This is a hugely exciting sale and we expect considerable interest from both farmer buyers and non-agricultural investors.”
Viewings for Bramling Court Farm are strictly by appointment through Savills.