A council-owned farm near Ilminster has been sold

A council-owned farm near Ilminster has been sold off by officers in a bid to save public money.

Somerset County Council sold off numerous publicly-owned farms over the last decade of its existence in a bid to “rationalise” its property portfolio, with the proceeds being used to boost its reserves and fund front-line services.

The new Somerset Council (which replaced the county council in April) recently confirmed that it would be selling off Dunpole Farm and the neighbouring Magnolia Cottage, located off Watery Lane in the hamlet of Sea, near Ilminster.

The council said that maintaining the farm buildings was not a viable use of public money, and that it would only sell off further farms to reduce financial risk to the taxpayer.

The farm lies within the shadow of the Herne Hill local nature reserve (which is owned by the council) and a short distance from the Stop Line Way cycling route, which connects Donyatt and the surrounding villages to Ilminster and Chard.

The site, which covers an area of 18.55 acres (around 7.5 hectares), includes a three-bedroom farmhouse, a three-bedroom cottage and a number of barns – some of which are grade two listed.

The farm was leased to a working tenant until early-2022, who worked the site along with 150 additional acres of land.

The farm and the immediate land surrounding it (i.e. the 18.55 acres) was surrendered back to the council, which has struggled to re-let the property due to “the amount of repairs and maintenance needed to restore it to rent-able condition and comply with legislation.”

Charlie Field, the council’s strategic estates manager, said: “After evaluation, no operational use for the property has been identified.

“Therefore, disposal of the property is considered the most appropriate option and will generate a capital receipt for the authority.

The council has declined to confirm how much the farm would be sold for, citing commercial sensitivity; however, the brochure produced by Carter Jonas for the sale includes a guide price of £1.5m.

There is a covenant on the land restricting it to “agricultural and
equestrian uses” – meaning it cannot easily be redeveloped into additional housing or commercial space.

The land to the north of Herne Hill, along Canal Way, has been earmarked for a development for 400 homes and a primary school, with Persimmon Homes South West submitting plans back in 2017.

The council said that the sale of Dunpole Farm would not impact on this planning application, which could be determined in the near-future as the council seeks to clear a backlog caused by the phosphates crisis.

A spokesman said: “The aim is to relieve the council of properties with a high maintenance burden, while retaining land for farming purposes until there is a policy review on farms. Capital receipts will be allocated to reserves.

“The sale of this site is not related to the Canal Way land disposal for residential development. There are no current plans to sell farms, with the exception of farm buildings to reduce the maintenance liability of the council.”