Undecided rural pursuit in Scotland needing advice

[ArnoldRimmer]

Hi all,

 

I am looking for my own slice of nature in Scotland.  A peaceful location in the countryside with enough land to plant trees and enjoy the tranquility. I am hoping people more experienced could give me some advice - especially when it comes to planning permission and which areas of Scotland would be suitable.  This is something I have been wanting to do for around 10 years. Last year I converted a small van into a camper with the idea of trying to satisfy some of that, but alas it is not the same.  I do not like traveling and I like the security of having my own patch.

 

So far I am searching for land.  The problem I am having is that I do not known enough about planning permission and I do not have any specific areas in mind.  Ideally I am looking for 6acres+ with permission to build a small modern house (1-2 bedrooms).  Failing the permission for a house I would also be interested in land with permission to build a hut.  House wise I really like simplistic but modern design.  Preferably a high ceiling bungalow with one side predominantly glazing, but I consider that secondary to the location.

 

Any advice on the land hunt is much appreciated! 

 

Thanks

 

 

[ProDave]

You would be best off looking for a croft.  A bare croft (with no house) should be not too expensive and they are usually sold with a decrofted house site.

 

For a start, try here https://www.hspc.co.uk/crofts.asp

[ArnoldRimmer]

Thanks for the tip.  I have seen some crofts but location wise they have been very Northern.  Not necessarily a problem, but would prefer a bit further south.  It was actually visiting a croft on Skye when I was a kid which originally got me interested in land ownership.

Edited August 8, 2021 by ArnoldRimmer

[Bozza]

Which are of Scotland are you looking at?  You mentioned south ?

[ArnoldRimmer]

Anywhere in Scotland really.  My preference would be not too far north, but that is not necessarily completely a no.  If everything else fits and i like the look of the location I would be willing.  Ideally though the ability to drive to East Lothian within 3-4 hours rather than the 5-6 it takes to get to Skye.

 

I have seen some plots around Perth and Loch Tay that look nice, but being honest i don't have much experience on areas of Scotland other than East Lothian, Edinburgh and holidays on Skye.

Edited August 8, 2021 by ArnoldRimmer

[Bozza]

So you’re looking at a rural holiday home but with a lot of land.  As you’ll have seen most plots are maybes no more than an acre.  One option may be a standard plot for a house and then buy some separate land purely for tree planting?  Would that be an option?  What sort of budget are you looking at?  
 

so obviously 3-4 hours from Lothian you are probably talking about south of Inverness.   Makes sense to be near the main arteries A9 & A90.  West Coast as you know is amazing but drive times increase.  Have you looked at Fort William/West Grampian/Cairngorms etc.  Is your access to Lothian for professional purposes, it does snow here

 

 

 

 

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

Essentially what most consider a holiday home, yes.  The 3-4 hour thing is not really a big deal.  That would just be a drive time if I need to visit family or to fly out of Edinburgh (I work remotely so work wise not an issue).  I certainly wouldn't prioritise that above nicer area.  I really don't like driving unless i have to, so its unlikely I will be driving very often in any case   For the places you mentioned I don't have much experience, other than thinking Fort William was always raining and grey!

 

I would consider a standard house plot, yes.  The problem I have there is often they are sold in groups with other plots in close proximity and price wise they are obviously higher.  I would hate to build the house of my dreams and then be stuck next to noisy neighbours or a busy road.  Budget wise it depends really.  Ideally I want something around the £100k region, but I can go higher for the right opportunity.

[Stewpot]

You and me, both at the same thing. I'm a bit too old to deal with several acres, and managed to buy 0.6 of a rural acre in Scottish Borders, with Planning Permission in Principle .

 

I did years of scouring Zoopla, Righmove, etc, and visited places all over Britain. Eventually I realised that my limited resources would go furthest in Scotland, so I managed to line up several likely looking plots, booked a B&B for a few days, and went exploring.

 

I would seriously recommend getting something with PPP, unless you're up for risking an outright refusal, and maybe years of re-applications.

 

Gen up on local planning policies - most councils publish their policies online. They are guaranteed to send you off to sleep, but should also contain their ideas about rural developments - where you may get PP, or where you probably won't. Generally speaking, though, rural development is limited, and is normally required to fit in with existing housing clusters. Maybe a derelict property would be the way to go, as the planning permission thing is already a given.

 

It may be useful contacting Planning Aid Scotland - I haven't dealt with them, but they sound like they could be helpful: www.pas.org.uk/

 

I haven't yet officially upped sticks and moved north, but I will say that everyone I've met up there has been extremely helpful, supportive and friendly - with one exception - the landlord of my nearest neighbour (he lives seven miles away) who is objecting to my plans. But that's another story.

Edited August 8, 2021 by Stewpot

[ProDave]

£100K will get you a plot in the north of Scotland.

 

From where we are, 30 minutes north of Inverness it is about 2 1/2 hours drive to Perth.  5 hours will get us to the English border.

 

When we moved here, our target was 30 minutes from Inverness as it offered employment, shops, and transport, and this side is less wet and less midges than the West coast, but we can still get to the West in an hour and holiday there often.  But also look at the Southern Uplands that might offer what you want.

 

Much of the property sold in Scotland gets advertised on the Solicitors Property Centres and they are all brought together here https://www.sspc.co.uk which would be a good place to start browsing to see what is available.

[ArnoldRimmer]

"less wet and less midges than the West coast" is definitely something I can agree with.

[Bozza]

Ok so would echo other comments.  Drive around Scotland.  Go for a plot with PP.  look at the regional property websites.  

 

Being very isolated and remote has challenges though.  Don’t expects high speed broadband if you’re WFH.  also services connections can make a cheap plot very expensive very quickly.    You’ll need to drive everywhere for most things.  
 

in my area, Grampian, you can get remote plots for as little as £50-60k.  

 

[MikeSharp01]

Might be worth factoring in aspects of 'the grid' that you feel you will need as this might modify the available sites. IE do you want broadband, electricity, gas, water, sewage connection.

[SteamyTea]

Welcome.

Are you a Red Dwarf fan my any chance?

 

[Tennentslager]

For information on hutting see

 

https://www.thousandhuts.org/

 

 

Edited August 9, 2021 by Tennentslager
Typo

[Ralph]

Keep in mind that it's more tricky than it used to be to get planning permission for rural plots that don't have existing buildings. When we bought ours in Angus you could only get permission for a plot that was less than 1 acre and had existing boundaries on all 4 sides. 

 

I would also advise approaching some of the land managers of the large estates, they often have bits of land that have just been left. I found them surprisingly amenable to approach. 

[Redoctober]

17 hours ago, Stewpot said:

I did years of scouring Zoopla, Righmove, etc, and visited places all over Britain. Eventually I realised that my limited resources would go furthest in Scotland, so I managed to line up several likely looking plots, booked a B&B for a few days, and went exploring.

 

 

It is all very well people suggesting areas which may be unfamiliar to you but at some point you are going to have to pay a physical visit. The above advice and approach is spot on. It is also very similar to what we undertook in our quest to secure a plot in the Borders.   ?

[ArnoldRimmer]

Thanks for the responses.

 

On broadband, this would be a deal breaker if no good mobile service is available either.  I really would need either solid broadband or good 4G (doesn't have to be blazing fast, but reliable).  I was actually thinking mobile coverage likely would be the better option in some places and avoids having to pay for connection.  Failing both of those Starlink may become an option soon. 

 

In terms of grid, so long as I have internet I think I could likely make things work somehow.  I have some experience with solar and battery setups and would enjoy giving that a go.  Gas I would rather avoid, no particular reason really but one less thing to think about.  Water and sewage would definitely be nice.  If it was a hut I was building then compost toilet would be okay.  If it was £100k plot and house, then definitely I would be wanting full grid electricity and water.

 

Yes, a big red dwarf fan - or at least was.

 

https://www.thousandhuts.org/ is a good site and definitely made me interested in hutting.  The big problem and turn off is that it simply is not easy to get involved.  If I could get a cheap bit of land and build my hut I would be happy.  But the fact you still need planning and that your time spent in it is limited really puts me off.  If I am spending £100k to get land for a hut, I feel that is rather a waste when I could buy different land with a view to building a full home.  That and to be honest i am not interested in group hutting, which seems to be more common.  If not for the uncertainly over planning what I likely would prefer is to buy some agricultural or woodland and build a hut, leaving house building for a bit into the future.

 

In terms of viewing places, I would definitely be up for it.  I just want to have a decent idea on whether its worth the trip first.  The plots near Loch Tay for example, I would have visited but contacting the planning department made me none the wiser when it came to suitability (assume not suitable otherwise it would be sold as such). One thing in particular regarding the plots was whether a business + house on the land would be seen as a positive or a negative.  Also whether projects like rewilding or planting tress would be favourable or against (somewhat in conflict with having a house). 

 

Thanks

 

 

 

Edited August 9, 2021 by ArnoldRimmer

[Ralph]

https://www.onthemarket.com/details/10632444/ Quite fancy this myself.

[ArnoldRimmer]

That is definitely one that has been on my radar.  Just a little steep in price for a single hut is my reservation there.

[Ferdinand]

On broadband, I do not really know where we with HS boradband layout, especially in Scotland.

 

I heard a good brief mention on the Radio the other day, but I have not researched it. 

 

Will OneWeb be having much of an impact?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-57674882

 

Or Starlink?

 

Might one of these save your digital bacon?

[A Story and a half]

If you are looking at getting or building a croft house is it cannot be used as a holiday home and you should be fully resident there and the Crofting Commission require..

What are the duties of a crofter?

• A duty to be a resident on, or within 32 kilometres of, their croft
• A duty not to neglect their croft
• A duty to cultivate and maintain their croft or to put it to another purposeful (and approved) use

[ArnoldRimmer]

Yeah, if I was buying a croft I would certainly be living on it full time.  A larger commitment than I could do just now, not sure about into the future though. 

 

I'm most drawn to finding cheaper land with just a hut to begin with.  However, things are not that simple it seems and land is not cheap regardless of use.

Edited August 21, 2021 by ArnoldRimmer