Definitive "Private Strip" thread?

[cardiffrob]

I thought it might be worth getting everything here in one place. Pleeeeeease add anything you think is of interest.

I've been looking to purchase a strip of agricultural land that might extend to as far as 800yds, east-west, near Cardiff. I've been working with a friendly accountant to see if it is a viable option to run it as a loss-making exercise for tax purposes to make it all worthwhile. I pay a lot of tax and could afford to buy a field and, say, a tractor to mow it and still come out on top if I can run it all as a Turf-growing business since a lot of it will be at 100% for tax purposes. The problems arise when you start looking at insurance and liability. Does anyone have a view on this? Has anyone else run a similar operation in the UK?

There seems to be nowhere on the internet where the info on farmstrips has been collated.

[mikehallam]

Hi,

I have used three different farm's fields FOC from 1973 to 1994 each with home made hangars.
I

[Gary Carr]

Hi Rob,

Try looking through this( 1 2 3 4)
avonflyer this was taken of the pprunes web site maybe a bit of news with regards to grass strips! look at PRIVATE FLYING PAGE 4 PPRUNES

gary

[cardiffrob]

Gary. Linky-no-worky. Was this the postings about Branscombe?

Agricultural land is about £4000 per acre around the UK but higher for small parcels of land suitable for ponies etc due to higher demand. An acre is about 4800 sq yds or 480 yds by 10. I'd guess one acre of narrow or two acres of confortably wide strip is enough but such strips are hard to find. I've found a local market gardener who wants about 6 acres so we plan to get together. No nearby houses, flat land, nearby military airport (so no EXTRA noise) and perfectly into wind.

Anyone know if it is permitted to divide a field into 3 saleable parcels so that crops can be grown in the middle (plus 2 'hedges') to separate 2 strips? I know that you can't nominate two runways in one field but ARE there ways round that?

I want to sow crops of 'experimental' grasses in my 'fields' as a business. If this makes a loss in the first few years then I can write it off as a tax loss and claim back much of the tax that I currently give the taxman through PAYE.

[Gary Carr]

Hi Rob,
This may seem a stupid question but are you buying the Lease, or is the land you are buying Freehold, because this does make a difference! and are you going to be going for the 28day rule!
The land i have is 28Acres but not stight forward with the regards to an airstrip! You can put up an agricultural building i understand there is no planning permission for this but you must have space for some agricultural machinery!
Now i understand that there is planning required if you are in possetion of under 10Acres i have seen this on another thread and stand to be corrected if this is not so!! this means you are probbly having to go for planning(UNDER TEN ACRES) which for 1 strip may pass!! but 2 ??
With regards to splitting up the field you can do this if you are the total owner!(OUTRIGHT)check with the next field owners around it to see if there is anything in the pipeline with regards to animals and stock being moved not a good idea if your neighbour is intending to place horses and going to build a padock in the next field where you are intending placing a strip! (A PRIVATE AIRSTRIP IS A PIECE OF LAND SURROUNDED BY RED TAPE)

[Richard Boyton]

Rob

Not an accountant but have run numerous companies over the last 30-40 years and you need to be quite clear wrg the Revenue's attitude.

You need to prove that this is a venture by way of trade that does have the ability to make a profit

I have a wedding car hire business (amongst others and it is a business) but every year with their concurrence we appear to always either just make a profit (small) or a loss.

100% write down on repairs and reneawals is perfectly acceptable to the Revenue where you are writing down an asset but in point of fact the asset is appreciating in value. I don't make the rules, only try and follow them.

getmethereinstyle.co.uk will show you what we have but get a very clear mandate from your accountants before you commit yourself

Regards Richard