Rural escape

Ed Fisher wants to erect a holiday cabin on this countryside plot, with a view to converting it into a home in the future. Mike Dade assesses the viability of his self build proposal

PLOT WATCH: Mike Dade investigates

WHO Ed Fisher

WHAT Ed has spotted a rural plot up for sale on a large property website. He’s aware that gaining planning consent to build a house could be tricky, so he wants to see if he could use the site for leisure purposes instead. Mike Dade investigates the possible routes forward.

WHERE Hampshire

Ed Fisher has discovered some attractively priced parcels of land that are available to buy via one of the large internet property sale sites. There’s half a dozen small plots, one of which is fairly level, edged on two sides by trees and accessed via a footpath from a lane. Ed realises it’s unlikely to get planning consent at present, as it’s in the countryside. However, he likes the idea of putting a holiday cabin or shepherd’s hut on it, and perhaps one day trying to upgrade that to a house. Is this fairly modest aspiration realistic?

The plot

The site is on the market for £20,000. The sales particulars say it represents a chance to join a group of smallholders and rural leisure enthusiasts who own modest plots in the vicinity. It’s rectangular in shape and 0.07 acres in size, though the exact boundaries aren’t marked out on the ground. It’s situated some way from the nearest lane, with a few paths and tracks that nearby landowners seem to use to reach their own properties.