Farms Estate policy was developed following a full service review and adopted in January 2012, affirming the Councils intention of retaining the Farms Service and setting ambitious targets for the improvement of the structure of opportunities provided by the service.
A series of subsequent issues reviews lead by a Cabinet Review Group considered objectives and tenancy matters and, including reference to Corporate Property Board, considered developmental and development opportunities, properties required in the mature target structure and and those not required which would therefore be considered surplus to service requirements. This was further supplemented by a specific review in respect of Ridley Farms Estate in 2015.
Estate management decisions relating to tenancies, exploring planning potential etc in relation to the properties referred to in the Appendices were subsequently approved by Officer Decision Record resulting in the submission of planning applications where appropriate, thus far successfully securing consents for barn conversions in properties 2.2.1, 2.2.4 & 2.2.7 as listed.
This report therefore seeks approval to the letting of land, farms and disposal of properties considered surplus and flowing from the implementation of the approved strategy, on several of the Farms Estates. The farms estate management strategy is predicated on the retention and improvement of the service it provides, focusing on reorganising the structure of farming opportunities, realising capital to finance the associated costs in investment in modernisation.
Decision type: Non-key
Decision status: Recommendations Approved