Plotfinder Challenge: Suffolk

Our Plothunter

“When I married my husband he dragged me from my rural home in East Anglia to the London smog, with the promise that one day we would return to the country. That time has now come and we are looking to relocate to Suffolk,” wrote Lyndsay Gough, in a plea that I simply couldn’t ignore. They were looking in a triangle of Bury St Edmunds, Stowmarket and Sudbury, hoping to either convert a barn or build an open plan home of no less that 300m2. The budget was anywhere between £500,000 and £750,000 — which gave us plenty of scope.

The Plot we Looked at in Detail
The Barn, Dalham, Newmarket, Suffolk — offers in excess of £300,000 (PICTURED ABOVE)

Dalham is a picture postcard ‘chocolate box’ village — it is absolutely beautiful. The approach to the village is through rolling open farmland and beech woods, and the village is laid out in a linear fashion alongside a deep river.

It is in a Conservation Area and many of the houses are thatched in either straw or Norfolk reed. The village is brimming with history. There are 50 listed buildings within the village including a windmill, the church and a curious malting kiln that has been converted to residential use. Only 150 adults live here. There is a pub but sadly the post office has closed. What chance is there of finding a plot in this area? Well there is one, and it’s a beauty. It’s situated behind the village hall, up a concrete driveway, and overlooks open countryside. In normal times it wouldn’t have stayed on the market for two minutes. Unfortunately for the vendors – but fortunately for our plot seekers – two sales have recently fallen through, and when we were there, it was very much available.

The Other Plots we Considered

Ixworth Road, Thurston — £495,000 (LEFT)
The last plot in a pretty exclusive development, and 1.1 acres in size — it’s lovely. However, it’s too expensive with total costs of £850,000 to set against a value at least £20,000 lower.
Badwell Ash, Bury St Edmunds — £200,000 (RIGHT)
It’s not a bad plot, but after the others it seemed poky. Land costs plus £300,000 build costs means £550,000 to set against a value of no more than that.

The Planning Story

• Conservation Area
• Full planning permission granted
• Access road needs upgrading

Full planning permission has been granted for the demolition of the existing barn and the erection of a new dwelling house in ‘existing barn form’, together with a relocation of the existing access road. There are 18 conditions within the planning consent and the additional Conservation Area consent, granted on the same date, reinforces three of these.

It does not seem that there has been a hard fight to obtain these consents. The original application was lodged on 19th October 2006 and it was granted by delegated powers on 19th January 2007.

Most of the conditions, apart from the standard ones regarding timing, relate to the need for hard and soft landscaping to be approved. This is something one would expect within a Conservation Area, together with strictures on which trees may be removed and the nature of their replacements. Particular reference is made to the treatment of boundaries. Samples of materials to be used in the construction must also be approved prior to the commencement of work and the very nature of the consent relates to a need for the proposed new dwelling and garage to strictly conform to plans and sections of the approved plans.

Other conditions relate to the requirement for the access road to be altered to incorporate and preserve the small belt of trees to the ‘front’ of the site. This work has already been carried out, apart from the grubbing up of the old access.

Ground Conditions

• Loam soil with gravel and flint
• Trenchfill foundations recommended

The proposed new dwelling is set 1.5m below the existing ground level at the site’s entry point. A previous owner has already excavated the plinth and carted all spoil off site. The bank that this exposes shows the soil as loam with gravel and flint, which is more prevalent as the depth of excavation increases. It is unlikely, in this area, that any adverse ground conditions would be encountered. The presence of trees should not be a problem, but I would advise the use of trenchfill foundations, simply to stop excavations falling in and to get out of the ground in one day.

The Site's Characteristics

• Sloping site
• Sewage connection in place
• Affected by Stansted airport

The concrete driveway turns across the front of the plot before joining another road that gives access to the farmland and buildings beyond.

The site slopes down from its entrance to its rear boundary by some 3m. But 1.5m of this is taken up by the reduced ground level at the building line. The rest is taken up by a steep slope to a recently constructed rear boundary wall. This wall has been built to divide the plot from the village hall land; the rear part of the plot having been acquired from them to increase its depth.

An oak tree – which is to be felled – has grown up beside the existing barn. Other trees to the southern edge of the plot and the front are to be retained. The sewer connection is to the rear, running down the plot and through the village hall land to connect to the main sewer in the road. The necessary easements have been obtained.

If there is one cloud on this plot’s sunny horizon it is a proposal for the stacking of aircraft for Stansted airport in the area. But I’ve checked and, at 4- 6,000ft, the noise level shouldn’t be injurious.

Potential Values

• End Value: £750,000 to £950,00
• Build Cost: £350,000
• Land Cost: £300,000+

The approved detailed plans are for a five bedroom barn-style dwelling of 320m2, together with a detached double garage. Build costs in the region of £350,000 means total costs of at least £650,000. In normal times, before the latest downturn in property values, the agents would have had no hesitation in marketing this property at £950,000. In the current climate they have modified expectations to £750,000. This still means the couple could look forward to a margin. But they’ve no intention of selling, and by the time it’s built, the values should be back.

What to Build

• Barn-style dwelling
• Full-height glazing to enjoy views

The approved plans show a T-shaped barnstyle dwelling with a redbrick dwarf wall and dark-painted boarding, beneath a claytiled roof. Two of the elevations have fullheight glazed windows. The ground floor has a central lounge with a vaulted ceiling, a dining area, an entrance hall, a kitchen/family room, a utility and two en suite bedrooms. Upstairs there are a further three bedrooms, one en suite, and a bathroom. Subject to agreement, Lyndsay and John would like to combine two bedrooms into one master suite.

David's Recommendation

Lyndsay made her mind up almost immediately that this was the plot they’d been looking for. We gleaned that there were a couple of other interested parties but that no specific offers had been made since the previous failed sale. We knew we had to move fast, especially as when we went back to site, somebody else was looking. We made an appointment for Lyndsay’s husband, John, to see the site on the Saturday morning. He loved it and on the Monday morning they made an offer of £300,000 — it was accepted on Tuesday.

Want to Take Part?

If you’re currently looking for a building plot and would like to spend a day with David, please contact us at 2 Sugar Brook Court, Aston Road, Bromsgrove, B60 3EX with a brief summary of who you are, where you are looking for a plot and your budget, along with your picture. Participation in this feature is over-subscribed but you’ll have a better chance of being selected the more flexible your brief is. Unfortunately we cannot respond to all correspondence. Meanwhile, see plotfinder.net for the latest opportunities in your area.