Land acquisition can differ from region to region depending on the policies of the Local Authority. We understand that it can often be one of the first hurdles to overcome when trying to set up a care farm.
You may wish to try working with a local farm and seeing if they can help.
The Community Land Advisory Service (CLAS) is a service to increase community access to land, particularly for green space activities.
Through CLAS, you can find information on finding, buying, offering and leasing of land. If you are wanting to acquire land another way, you may wish to contact your Local Authority for further advice.
Planning permission
Common planning issues that care farmers and green care providers can face include:
- Change of land use
- Misunderstanding of the care farming concept by others
- Specific local issues
- Issues with particular buildings on site
Planning policy in the UK has a very local focus and so each area can be different. Some farms have needed to change their land use from agricultural to care or educational use. Others have argued that they are still agricultural as they need to be farming in order to offer care farming services. It can often depend on Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Codes which represent the type of economic activity of an organisation.
We recommend that you seek professional planning advice and speak to your local planning department as it is the Local Authority’s decision as to what planning permissions are required.
If you want to know more about other people's experiences of planning or to share your own, our Social Farms & Gardens Facebook group can be useful.