ATTRACTION AND ANIMALS FOR SALE

A much-loved family attraction near Lustleigh, which often welcomes 35,000 visitors a season, is up for sale.

The Miniature Pony Centre on Dartmoor could be yours for just shy of £1.35m and the best news is, the ponies are included!

The popular family day out is a hidden gem for all things small, cute and cuddly. This is an animal lover’s idea of heaven.

It boasts an incredible 79 acres and a beautiful farmhouse as well as paddocks, a meadow, two lakes and thirty years of fascinating history. The traditional farmstead, called Wormhill Farm, is set in the foothills of Dartmoor.

The detached four-bedroom farmhouse has a selection of modern and traditional buildings that have been adapted and converted to accommodate a thriving lifestyle business opportunity.

The beautiful period home enjoys far reaching views over the moorland, its own private gardens and independent access to the Miniature Pony Centre.

In the heart of the house is the kitchen which is a good size with ample space for a table and chairs and a four oven Aga providing a warm comfortable atmosphere. Both the sitting room and kitchen open through into the south facing conservatory.

On the first floor, there are four double-bedrooms, one of which is en suite and two bathrooms.

In recent years, the building has been modernised by the present owners to create a comfortable family home, with accommodation over two floors.

The house is situated, together with its out buildings, within about 18 acres of paddocks and lakes. The Miniature Pony Centre is completely separate from the private house which has its own drive access. At present the house is an island of tranquillity surrounded by a commercial business and its privacy can either be enhanced or reduced according to the wishes of the owners.

Public and staff access to the buildings is totally separate from the house, providing a useful buffer. The barns could be reused for horses or agriculture subject to planning permission.

The adorable miniature ponies come with a variety of farmyard friends including miniature Shetland ponies and horses, birds and poultry, small pets such as rabbits as well as weird and wonderful reptiles.

While the existing planning permission is for a visitor attraction, the buildings could be reconverted to agricultural or equestrian use subject to planning permission.

Alternatively, new owners could choose to convert these into holiday accommodation but this would be subject to the necessary consent. A bonus is the incredibly large coach and car park which has space for around 200 vehicles and an unbelievable 61 acres is also available for purchase by separate negotiation.

For more information and to arrange a viewing call Savills on 01392 455742.

To honour the troops around Remembrance Day, Luscombe Maye in Totnes hosted a coffee and cake drop-in morning, helping to raise money for the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal. Invitations went out to customers and local businesses, with centenary pins also on sale. Supporters enjoyed spiced carrot cake, Victoria sandwich, traditional Devon scones with clotted cream and jam, rocky road, lemon drizzle and a gluten/dairy free selection. The branch raised £218, with poppies still available for purchase.

The firm’s Salcombe office also raised a further £205.55 with a similar event. Staff reported that well-known local Debs from the Salcombe Information Centre won the hamper of goodies.

A Plymouth commercial property specialist has voiced his fears that the city centre will contract, as the landscape of the retail property sector continues to change. Speaking at the latest meeting of the Plymouth Area Property Professionals Association (PAPPA) Mark Slade of Bruton Knowles said the Plymouth centre is struggling.

He described demand for units as ‘extremely patchy’, with fewer and fewer retail businesses making long term property commitments in the heart of the city.

“Whereas ten years ago it was commonplace for people to take out a ten-year lease on a retail property, nowadays there is a much shorter term view of three to five years at the most,” said Mark.

“In my view, Plymouth cannot sustain such a large Theo Spink, Luscombe Maye branch manager, left, chatting to Kirsty Giles and Megan Green of Bartons Solicitors Linden Homes White Rock show home; and right shopping area and the focus should be to centralise the city centre more, focus on a much smaller area with more attractions and less shops.

“It is about seizing the initiative and embracing the new culture that is changing the face of our High Streets, otherwise, we will just see a continued contraction of the centre of Plymouth with more and more empty properties.”

It’s not all bad news, however. He said that “the city should also be buoyed by news of a change of heart by John Lewis on the Dingles store, with the Exeter store now facing closure. As many a proud Plymothian will know, it is not often it happens that way around.”

Linden Homes has created a new show home at its White Rock development in Paignton, now available to view.

The four bedroom show home has been dressed using a range of natural materials and designs inspired by the local surroundings, including wood, wicker, flora and fauna. Pinks, navys and tonal greys have been used throughout the property to create a fun, warm, contemporary look.

Emma Colin of Linden Homes says: “We are so pleased with our colourful new show home at White Rock, it’s so calm and flows beautifully. It’s been well received already. The development has proved to be very popular and this latest show home gives homebuyers an opportunity to see how their new home could look.”

White Rock currently features two and four bedroom contemporary homes, priced from £219,950. The development is located near the seaside resorts of Goodrington and Paignton, with White Rock Primary School and local shops close by. Poppy appeal cake sale at Luscombe Maye