County Farm Estate application process

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Application process and selection criteria

As and when opportunities arise for re-letting equipped farms, officers of the Council in liaison with member portfolio holder consider whether to only offer the farm to existing tenants on the estate to facilitate progression or to offer the farm on the open market.

Due to a continuing policy of rationalisation, there has not been an open market re-letting for several years.

However, all open market lettings would be advertised in both the local, regional and national press to capture the maximum number of prospective applicants.

Particulars of the letting are available following the payment of a small fee and applications invited from prospective applicants after an accompanied viewing day has been held.

Interested applicants have to submit an application to the Council that must include financial, practical and other management proposals from which a short list is selected for interview for the holding on offer.

All Council’s are guided by The Agriculture Act 1970 and The Smallholdings (Selection of Tenants) Regulations 1970 [S.I. 1970 No. 1049] and The Smallholdings (Selection of Tenants) (Amendment) Regulations 1976 [S.I.1976 No. 2001] for selecting suitable applicants. In essence, applicants should be able to demonstrate that they have:

• Sufficient capital available to enter the holding and work it, at least five years appropriate practical experience of farming of which up to three years of appropriate further education or training can be included.
• The ability to show that they have sufficient capital to enter a holding and work it. This can be quite substantial for a fully equipped dairy farm where an ingoing tenant may be required to pay for the out-goer’s fixtures and fittings and provide the required live and dead stock, to properly farm the holding.
• Suitable practical and theoretical knowledge and experience required for the type of farming most suited to the available holding.
• The ability and inclination to reside in the farmhouse when let with one and to personally farm the holding.
• Appropriate environmental management aims for the holding on offer.

Last updated: 21 June 2011