Peter James Lane, Fairlight

Birchen Knoll Farm is an equipped former mixed farm extending to 187.54 acres. The property consists of a 3 bed farmhouse with 2 bed annexe, 2 mobile homes and approximately 35,569 sq ft of farm buildings. The farm is located in an elevated position to the north of Fairlight and adjoins the small village of Batchelors Bump which adjoins the larger

Birchen Knoll Farm is an equipped former mixed farm extending to 187.34 acres. The property consists of a 3 bed farmhouse with 2 bed annexe, 2 mobile homes and approximately 35,569 sq. ft of farm buildings. The farm is located in an elevated position to the north of Fairlight and adjoins the small village of Batchelors Bump which adjoins the larger town of Hastings. There are far reaching sea views over Rye Bay to Winchelsea Beach and Camber Sands.
Birchen Knoll Farmhouse and Annexe
Birchen Knoll Farmhouse and Annexe was formerly a traditional brick farm worker’s cottage. It has been extended to form 2,587 sq. ft of accommodation over 2 floors with a large south facing garden. The annexe adjoins the main farmhouse and provides useful secondary accommodation.
The house has recently undergone some modernisation and provides a practical living space suitable for a working farm. Internally the accommodation consists of an open plan kitchen and dining room with exposed beams and fitted timber kitchen units and breakfast bar, back kitchen/washroom, sitting room, office or further reception room and a downstairs shower room and WC. Upstairs there are 3 double bedrooms and a bathroom.
The Annexe accommodation consists of: kitchen with fitted units, back kitchen/utility room, sitting room and downstairs shower room. Upstairs there is a large double bedroom, 1 further double bedroom and bathroom.
Farm Buildings
The farm buildings are located in the farmyard which is accessed off the main farm drive and to the north of Birchen Knoll Farmhouse & Annexe.
The buildings in the yard extend to approximately 35,569 sqft and include the following.
Cattle Yard: Steel Portal frame barn and associated lean-to. There is a concrete floor and concrete block walls with a corrugated roof. The building has been used for cattle housing.
Workshop: A concrete portal framed barn with an electric roller shutter door with brick and corrugated clad elevations.
Hay Barn: A part open fronted steel portal framed barn with concrete panel walls, concrete floor and corrugated fibre cement roof.
Old Piggery: A former piggery building with predominantly brick elevations, corrugated roof, concrete floor and sliding doors.
Former Dairy: A concrete portal framed barn that was a former dairy and as such is split into 5 separate rooms on the ground floor that were the former tank rooms and milking parlour areas. In addition, there is a central staircase that leads to the second floor.
Farm Office: A red brick-built building that was the farm office to the main farm, consisting of 2 rooms and benefitting from a water connection.
Grain store & Grain dryer: A concrete portal framed former grain store and associated lead-to. The grain store is split centrally and both areas benefit from a concrete floor and roller shutter doors with grain walling internally. The grain dryer is a 90 tonne Perry through grain dryer, that has not been used for several years. The elevation height of the grain store means that tipping modern trailers would be difficult. The lean-to connected to the north elevation of the grain store is fully insulated with a concrete floor and roller shutter door.
Land
The Land at Birchen Knoll Farm surrounds the farmyard and is accessed relatively easily from the farmyard. The land extends to 187.34 acres in total of which 102.73 acres are temporary grass leys, 59.70 acres permanent pasture and 17.52 acres woodland. In addition, there is an attractive lake located in the centre of the holding. All of the Land is predominantly Grade 4 land under the MAFF Provisional Agricultural Land Classification.
Much of the topography of the temporary grassland is gently rolling and has formally been used for arable production. This land has now been included in a CS Mid-Tier agreement meaning the land is now managed as Legume and Herb Rich Swards. The permanent pasture is steeper where it leads into the valley that runs centrally through the farm. The farm has been used for the grazing of livestock and the making of forage in recent years.
The fields are mainly enclosed by mature hedgerows, boundary trees and woodland shaws. The soil survey of England and Wales records the soils as being mainly Soilscape 8: Slightly acid loamy and clayey soils with impeded drainage and Soilscape 6: Freely draining slightly acid loamy soils.
Services
The farm benefits from a 3-phase electricity connection to the farm buildings and 3 mains water supplies feeding the house, yard and field parcels. There is no mains drainage but there are 2 septic tanks servicing the Birchen Knoll Farmhouse, annexe and farm.
Access
The farm is accessed via a central farm track that leads directly from Peter James Lane, a public highway. The Land to the north benefits from direct access via a farm track on to Friars Hill which leads to the A249 and a further direct access onto Martineau Lane.
Tenure & Possession
The property is available freehold and registered under Title No: SX78322.
The property is subject to a number of leases. Full details of the above-mentioned leases are available on request from the selling agent.
Environmental Stewardship
There is a Countryside Stewardship Mid-Tier agreement over the farm as well as other land owned. The annual income for the options on this farm is £10,578.
Full details of the agreements are available on request from the selling agent. The purchaser will be required to take on the existing agreements on the land.
For avoidance of doubt there will be no Basic Payment Scheme de-linked reference data included with this sale.
Designations
All of the property is included in the High Weald Natural Landscape and the majority of the woodland included is classified as Ancient Woodland.
Sporting Rights
The sporting rights are to be included within the sale insofar as they are owned. The fishing rights are currently let to a third party. For more information on this agreement please contact the selling agents.
Timber and Mineral Rights
Rights to timber and minerals are to be included in the sale insofar as they are owned.
Overage
The sale will be subject to an Overage of 15% for 40 years on the area hatched blue on the sales plan as a result of any uplift in the value of the land as a consequence of planning permission for a change of use outside of that required for agricultural purposes.
The Overage will be triggered on either implementation of the planning permission or disposal of the property with the benefit of the consent.
Boundaries
The purchaser must satisfy themselves on the location of all boundaries from their own inspection and from the Land Registry plans available from the vendor’s agent.