This property, owned by Pauline and David Rowe since July 2000, is the end house of the tiny hamlet of La Nauliere, Le Retail, Deux Sevres. With no roads passing the house and with pasture meadows on three sides you enjoy complete tranquillity.

From the property a lane leads, via a field border, into the forest of Secondigny, with extensive walks and hiking trials. The village of Le Retail is a walk through the forest with the towns of Secondigny and Champdeniers just 5 and 8 k respectively. Larger towns of Parthenay and Niort are 20 and 30-minutes. The Marais Poitevin is a 45-min drive and the Vendee coast is a one and a half hour drive away.

The main residence consists of:

Entrance hall
Dining room with large open fireplace
Salon/TV room with wood-burning stove
Large newly-refitted kitchen with wood-burning stove and with back door to garden
Utility room
Shower room
Large barn

There are granite steps down to a cellar with oil-fired central heating boiler.

The first floor has 2 double and one single bedroom and a bathroom.

Garden

The large garden is laid to a lawn with flower beds, fruit trees, bushes and a productive vegetable plot. It is bordered by hawthorn hedges, chestnut and walnut trees.

Swimming Pool

The ground-level swimming pool of 8m x 4m is enclosed to full safety requirements.

Meadow

The meadow is of approximately half an acre with a wildlife pond. Fencing is of Douglas fir planking and is sheep and chicken-proof. There is a small enclosure containing a 5m x 4m polytunnel and a photovoltaic panel powering a well pump at a depth of 28m. The pump provides drinking water for the house and gîte and for irrigation of the garden. The property also has mains water supplied by Lyonnaise des Eaux.

Gîte

The gîte is open-plan consisting of a 25m2 living area with TV point and wood-burning stove, step-up to a 15m2 kitchen/dining area, a shower room and a utility with back-door leading to an open barn for storage and parking for 2 cars. There are 2 double bedrooms and a bathroom on the first floor. Extensive further parking on site.

Additional features

The property includes 3 workshops, a games room, a garden shed and a large chicken house/piggery.

I all total area is approx. 5825 sq.m.

The property is on the market for 192,000 euros net to vender, notairial fees will apply to the purchaser. Offers are invited.

Address:
LA NAULIERE
79130 Le Retail
Deux Sevres,
France

Contact:
Tel: 0033 549632657
Email: pandarowe3@gmail.com

Note: This property is offered for sale by vendor. All negotiations are to take place directly with the vendor. Pocket Farm is not responsible for accuracy of the details supplied in this listing. You should make your own enquiries and enlist the help of the appropriate professional services where necessary.

Until fairly recent times all farms and smallholdings would have maintained an area of coppice, or copse as it is more traditionally spelt, for the essential raw materials they provided.

Wood from the copse could be used for fuel, fodder and building and crafting materials but, more than this, it also provided an ever changing environment that was useful in maintaining the biodiversity of an area.

Traditionally hazel and ash were popular as they produced quick growing material for fences, hurdles and firewood that would be harvested every five to 10 years. Depending on the final use, other popular varieties for coppicing (including hornbeam, willow, beech, lime and oak) would be harvested at different intervals of anything up to 25 years or, occasionally, more. Large scale coppicing is now rare and the only commercial coppicing operation left in the country consists almost entirely of sweet chestnut which is used extensively in the fencing industry.

Two major industries that were supported by coppicing originally were charcoal making – which was essential for metal smelting before coal became a more viable option – and thatching which relied on coppiced woods for spars (the pins for attaching thatch) and binding rods. While these industries have largely died out there are still several small-scale producers that maintain coppices for these purposes.

Establishing a coppice

There are several different ways of producing coppice all of which have environmental advantages. Pure and mixed coppice, as you may deduce, is where single or mixed varieties of trees are coppiced depending on the use of the final product required. ‘Coppicing with standards’ refers to coppice grown in the same area as full size trees – popular in olden times to achieve the widest range of timber from an area. This method requires careful spacing to avoid excessive shade forming over the coppice and stunting growth.

Of course the easiest way to establish coppice is to fell existing trees but it is entirely possible to use transplants; however, this should be seen as a longer term project. Transplants should be allowed to establish for a minimum of 2 seasons before the initial cut although more is preferable. When transplanting take into consideration the variety of tree and the length of coppicing cycle. For instance where hazels are grown on a 4-7 year cycle you might site stools a minimum 2.5m apart where ash or oak to be cut at 25 year intervals may need upwards of 7m.

A freshly cut alder stool

The initial felling cut should be made close to the ground and can be done at any time although, if trees are felled in late winter or early spring, don’t worry if there is no growth in the first season as many stools will lie dormant and then burst into life in the second. When they are off and running prolific varieties such as ash can produce canes at a rate of a metre or more per year.

Cutting canes or poles

Areas of coppice are harvested on rotation so that there is always a crop ready for harvest each year. These distinct sections of woodland, each with growth at different ages, are know as ‘coups’. It’s a very efficient system as coppiced trees are constantly regenerating and will essentially live forever – some coppiced stools that have been managed for hundred of years reach 5-6 metres in diameter. FACT: coppiced wood is easily identifiable from the curved ends where it grows from the stool, enabling historians and archaeologists to track usage through the years.

Cutting is an art in itself. The main consideration should be not to split the stem or bark which will allow ingress of water. Use the appropriate tool for the width of the pole as, while a sharp billhook is perfectly adequate for thin canes, you may be better advised to use a bow saw or a chainsaw for thicker ones. Cut very low down in the first year but subsequent cuts can be made anywhere up to a foot from the ground. TIP: Cutting/harvesting poles is best done in dormant winter months as new shoots tend to grow better and aren’t as likely to be affected by frost damage as those from a summer cut. This is particularly true for hazel.

A billhook is the woodman’s tool of choice for cutting thinner poles. This is a single blade Kent pattern design but there are also double bladed variants. Pic courtesy of Phill Mellish, PRC Fencing Ltd, Dorset

So what can you do with coppiced wood?

The list is enormous. As mentioned earlier, traditional large scale uses included charcoal, firewood, building (wattle panels), hop canes and fencing. It is still used for these purposes today on a smaller scale as well as providing raw materials for thatching, furniture making and woven products such as baskets. Garden products such as pea sticks, bean poles, pergolas and gazebos as well as handcrafted walking sticks and horse racing jumps are all made from coppiced woods. The list is long and diverse.

Managing coppiced woodland

By far the most important aspect of coppice management is protection from grazing by deer, rabbits and livestock. There are several methods you can employ but the most effective deterrent is still suitable fencing. However, this can be an expensive option and often brash is employed to cover sprouting stools or used to create a dead hedge barricade.

…and what is Pollarding?

Pollarding is similar to coppicing but is used to limit the height of the tree rather than felling it completely to encourage regrowth. Dense growth is encouraged by removing the outer branches. The regrowth is then atop a longer trunk, or billing, which is less prone to grazing and was often preferred to coppicing by livestock keepers. Now used almost entirely to control growth and reduce shade, pollarded trees would originally have been a source of both wood and forge for animals.

Conservation

If conservation is high on your list of priorities then an area of coppice could also tick this box. Managed woodland will provide the perfect environment for all manner of woodland plants, birds and animals, notably the shy dormouse which uses the foliage of coppiced hazel to move around unseen. It’s disappearance led to the serious decline of some of our rarest butterflies and insects but re-introduction in suitable areas can turn back the clock as was seen with the re-establishment of the Heath Fritillary butterfly in Essex where it had been extinct for over 20 years.

Woodland flowers such as the bluebell, primrose and wood anemone emerge early to make the most the light available when the leaf canopy is absent. Coppiced woodland supports these species but, at each cut there can also be a re-emergence of flowers whose seeds have lain dormant through lack of sunshine. If you have an area of unattended coppice that you decide to reinstate you may be lucky enough to find rarities such as meadow clary, lady orchid, and hairy mallow return to the newly opened areas even if they have not been present (above ground at least) for many years previously.

Forgotten and unmanaged coppiced trees continue grow and are know as ‘overstood’

So you can see an area of coppice, even these days, presents a very good argument for inclusion in plans for any smallholding and, within a relatively short space of time, could be providing extra income as well as increased biodiversity – one commodity that is becoming harder and harder to maintain.

Main image is of Combe’s Wood in Hertfordshire, courtesy of Peter Kingsnorth

Public rights of way

Most of us are familiar with Public Rights of Way which can take the form of paths, roads or tracks and can occur pretty much anywhere including across private land. Rights of way can be footpaths (traversed on foot only) bridleways (foot, horse or bike) restricted byways (any un-motorised vehicle) and byways (any form of transport). If a Public Right of Way exists on your property you are obliged to keep them open and usable.

Wayleaves

A wayleave is described as ‘a right of use by apparatus or equipment over or under someone else’s land and for which a payment is received’. Quite often the company which owns the apparatus will be a public utility such as a telecommunications, electricity, gas or water company. Compensation for having the equipment on your land can be negotiated individually, however, many companies already have agreements with the CLA and other farming organisations for standard terms which can save time and money if you are happy with their provisions. In some cases utilities do have compulsory powers but they will normally look to agree terms with landowners unless they believe that protracted negotiations may affect their internal deadlines adversely.

If a wayleave exists on a property you are buying be sure to familiarise yourself with the full terms and conditions. If you are approached by a company with regards to installing apparatus on, over or under your land then insist on a copy of the terms in writing before any work starts. In both cases it would be wise to employ the help of expert professional advice to ensure all legal obligations are covered. In most cases wayleaves are renewed on an annual basis.

Easements

Similar to a wayleave but a permanent right. There are often no payments for an easement and any that are negotiated tend to be lump sum amounts. Again it is important that you check the terms of any easement already in place on a property you are buying.

Ransom strips

Ransom strips are narrow stretches of land, sometimes less than a foot wide, that are retained by a previous owner of a property. They can be situated between any two areas of land but will usually separate a highway from the main entrance to a plot of land or property and essentially allow the owner to control access. It is sometimes suggested that these are put in place to discourage development of agricultural land and this may be the case in some instances perhaps where land has been subdivided and sold off. However, increasingly they are being used to gain financially by charging, often very large sums (the ransom), for release of the strip to the new owners or prospective developers – and it’s all perfectly legal. Clearly the presence of a ransom strip could be a huge encumbrance on a property and costly to remedy. Ransom strips present on neighbouring land could also affect your property so it is worth having careful research undertaken if you are unsure. If the land is registered with the Land Registry then this may make it easier as records may exist but an experienced agricultural surveyor should be able to determine if your property is affected especially if specifically instructed to take particular care in determining their presence. There are ways of reducing the impact of a ransom strip by either negotiating a reduction in price based on the release fee (if known) or, if the beneficiary is not so clearly apparent, you may be able to buy an indemnity. 

Lisiting

This will be the subject of a separate article to follow.

Article 4 directions

These are made by local planning authorities and can require that planing permission is granted for developments that would normally otherwise have been permitted. They are designed to protect the character of an area.

Tree preservation orders

Can apply to a single tree or multiple trees in a specified area. Felling, topping, lopping or damaging a tree with a TPO without the proper permissions is an offence. TPO’s can apply to any type of tree but do not include hedges, bushes or other shrubs. Disregarding a TPO can carry an unlimited fine.

Scheduled monuments

These can be built or buried monuments or archaeological sites of particular importance of any age. It is not uncommon for sites to have no visible signs above ground. If you have a scheduled monument on your land then there is no requirement to provide public access unless the monument is already (or subsequently) owned by the Secretary of State, English Heritage or a local authority. In such cases they may still decide that it is in the interest of the site or safety to restrict access to certain times or exclude public access altogether.

Any work carried out on a scheduled monument must first have had permission by way of a Scheduled Monument Consent (SMC) and must be given in writing by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport before work begins. It is an offence to cause reckless or willful damage to a scheduled monument, to use metal detection equipment, or to remove any objects from the designated area.

Here’s how it’s derived – not necessarily in order of importance:
Utilities
Soil
Access and Location
Buildings
Land & Livestock
Effort

We would always recommend that you employ the services of a specialist agricultural surveyor but we hope that this summary can put some science behind compiling your shortlist and ultimately help to avoid the pitfalls of the agricultural property market.

Utilities

Most rural or remote properties these days will have a mains electricity supply of some description but this is not always the case for water, sewerage and gas. Find out how your property is connected to utilities and look at the running costs of any alternative provisions in place such as oil fired heating, a wood or coal fired range, solar panels, septic tank for sewerage or a borehole well for water. Some alternatives may well be cheaper but can also be less convenient or reliable so you’ll need to decide if you can live with them as connecting to the main utilities suppliers can be prohibitively expensive. Also check the availability of telephone (mobile and landline) and internet services at the site as this is an increasingly important form of communication these days whether you are using social media, Skype or email. Many of the forms used for livestock movements and other purposes are moving online too so you may well need a reliable connection to keep your paperwork in order.

Soil

If you are looking to grow produce for your own use, as a business or for animal fodder this is a big consideration. Most edible plants prefer a mildly acidic soil at a PH of about 6-6.5. If you are only cultivating a small area PH slightly outside of this range can usually be remedied fairly easily but on a larger scale it can be much more difficult especially if it is on the alkali side. You also need to ascertain the general texture of the soil as this will affect the ability to cultivate it in different ways. Sandy soils drain quickly and may be nutrient deficient whilst clays will retain water when wet but become hard and crack when drying out. A good loam is the perfect mixture and will offer the best conditions for cultivation but remember you will still have to maintain it with organic matter to achieve peek fertility.

Access and Location

Some smallholding and agricultural land will inevitably be situated in very remote areas possibly with few or no neighbouring properties and little in the way of amenities. It your dream property falls into this bracket you will have to satisfy yourself that you will be able to cope with things you may otherwise take for granted such as the school run, local shops, access to emergency healthcare and even general accessibility of the property itself. Would you be able to get in and out if it got particularly wet or there had been heavy snow? It may just be a case that you have to invest in a new, more appropriate, vehicle to overcome any problems but if you like your creature comforts and want civilisation close by you’ll need to think carefully about proximity. Security can also be an issue on isolated properties so you should look at both buildings and land with this in mind.

Where in the country do you want to be? If you have close extended family or friends to consider you may want to remain local to them? If you are starting a business you also need to study the location and be sure it complements your particular vocation. An abundance of farmers markets, local restaurants or, at the very least, passing trade may be advantageous for anyone selling produce for instance.

You need a good footfall to sell successfully from the farm gate

Aside from your own needs, investigate other features or conditions or rights of access that exist on your land. These can include public footpaths, bridleways, SSSIs (sites of special scientific interest) or other nature conservation designations, wayleaves, easements, article 4 directions, scheduled ancient monuments, tree preservation orders and ransom strips.

Buildings

It may seem an obvious statement but do some research on similar properties that have sold locally to avoid paying over the odds. Smallholdings are becoming more sought after and this can inflate prices especially if there is a lot of interest in a particular area or property. Estate agents are also increasingly using techniques such as open days (mass viewings on a single day) to introduce an air of competition into the market which can force offers up.

You’ll already have a good idea of what you want the main residence to offer and will expect to have that surveyed to ensure it’s not going to fall down any time soon but does the property have enough appropriate outbuildings for your needs too? You many need storage for feed or machinery, a workshop or barns to overwinter livestock. If you need to construct additional building you may need planning permission and you will certainly need to have a quote for the work to ensure your budget can stretch to cover such projects. The listed status of a building will also affect how you can modify or restore a building and can apply to either the main residence or the outbuildings and barns so take this into consideration as if the building/s are subject to these conditions as you may find it considerably more time consuming and expensive.

You need to check if the property is subject to an agricultural tie and if so make sure you satisfy the specific conditions. A word of warning, be wary of any company guaranteeing to remove agricultural ties – you cannot guarantee this and an unsuccessful application can be a very expensive mistake.

Land and Livestock

Will it flood? Does it drain properly? Is it level? What aspect is it? Is it surrounded by or part of a protected area of countryside? Is it just too big or too small for your requirements? All things you need to contemplate when choosing your land. Some of these won’t necessarily be a deal breaker but the way you manage your land is a key consideration and regulations and external forces can both be pretty formidable obstacles.

Land in the UK is graded on a scale of 1-5 with 1 being excellent quality, high yielding and suitable for a wide range of crops and 5 being very poor and often restricted to rough grazing or permanent pasture. Bear in mind that, depending on your plans, you may need considerably less good quality land to achieve the same results as with a large acreage of a lower grade.

If you are raising livestock you need to ensure that you a) have enough land and b) it is suitable for the livestock you intend to keep. As well as rotating your stock to manage grazing, worm burden and damage on your pasture, you may also want to cut costs by growing feed crops for your animals – does the property offer enough for your needs? Clay soils will be easily poached in the wet winter months so you may need to bring livestock in to avoid excessive damage. Large areas that are open to the ravages of the elements may need field shelters or new hedges to afford your animals some respite in particularly harsh conditions.

If keeping livestock you will also need to ensure that your land has stock proof boundaries whether they be fencing or sturdy, well maintained, hedges. It can be a big expense if you need to repair or erect new fencing so, where practical, try to walk the boundaries – while you are at it find out if any boundary disputes exist too.

If you want to produce ‘organic’ produce you must be registered with one of the UK’s organic control bodies and the land and your farming methods need to meet very strict EU guidelines. If land is being sold as organic you should check that it is properly registered – it will be inspected once a year to ensure that it still complies so find out when the last inspection was. Land may not initially meet organic requirements and it could take some time and effort to make it comply so do your homework before committing if you particularly want to take this route

Effort

No one expects running a smallholding or rural property to be easy, especially if you are trying to run it as a business too but, no matter how much your heart loves a property, the cumulative affect of too many cons could mean that it’s just not for you – you want it to be hard but rewarding as opposed to hard and tedious. You need to be objective about what you can manage – large areas of land take a lot of looking after and you may need extra labour and machinery at certain times of the year to keep on top of it. We can all do without extra stress and hey what’s meant for you, wont go past you… happy house hunting.

AOC’s are quite clear in their requirements for qualifying occupants so, for instance, you would be in breach if you bought a tied property to keep a few chickens or goats in the back garden whether they were as pets or for the provision of personal food. However, as you can see above, only one occupant need be directly employed (i.e. not a supplier or contractor), dependents are allowed for under the rules. Those who meet the conditions during their occupancy would also be allowed to continue living in the property after retirement.

Make no mistake many authorities that identify a breach will actively look to enforce the conditions meaning if an occupant does not find employment in an appropriate agricultural pursuit they may be required to move out.

Many rural properties still have these condition attached, especially those built just after the war, so if you are actively looking for a smallholding it is almost inevitable that you will be offered a tied property at some time.

As you can imagine, such conditions are quite a hurdle when trying to either buy or sell and for this reason tied properties, especially those with smaller amounts of land, tend to have a reduced market value. Figures of up to 40% less are often mooted but it is more typically around 25% – still a substantial saving on an untied property.

Because of this it is not uncommon for owners to seek to have the condition removed or amended and although it is by no means guaranteed that this will be possible there are several avenues available.

Removal

This requires the owner to provide evidence that the property is no longer required for the purposes set in the original conditions of the tie. This often means that you have to offer the property for sale at a price that reflects its tied status and be unsuccessful for a period of up to a year. You would be expected to behave in a way that wouldn’t unnecessarily block the sale of the property during this time and you may be asked to provide other supporting evidence, such as agricultural statistics for the locality.

Apply for a Certificate of Lawful Existing Use or Development (CLEUD)

If the conditions of the tie have been breached for longer than ten years it becomes unenforceable. You should take professional advice when seeking a CLEUD as failure to convince the local authority that a breach has taken place for sufficient time can result in heavy fines.

Amend the tie

Amendment is an alternative if removal of a tie is not possible. Commonly an amendment to include equine usage is sought as this extends the scope of the property but you may have to demonstrate its suitability for this purpose..