6 bedroom house

Lot 1 & 2 - A farmhouse, cottage, two barns with planning consent and land, in an elevated setting with exceptional rural views, extending to approximately 11 acres. **By Informal Tender**

Situation
Hill Farm sits in an elevated location within an idyllic semi-rural setting, enjoying exceptional south-easterly panoramic views across some of Cheshire's finest countryside. The property occupies a sheltered setting with the Bickerton Hills providing an attractive backdrop.

Bickerton is a pretty village, offering a village hall with tennis court, a church, and a scout group. The nearby villages of Tattenhall and Malpas offer a broad range of day-to-day amenities while Chester offers comprehensive opportunities. On the recreational front the vicinity offers some outstanding walks along the nearby Sandstone Trail, golf and fitness at Cardon Park Golf Club and Spa, mountain biking and horse-riding prospects.

The area is well served by state schooling including Bickerton Church of England Primary School, Tattenhall Park Junior School and Bishop Heber High School, Malpas, the latter rated "outstanding" by Ofsted. Independent schooling includes King's and Queen's Schools in Chester and Abbeygate College, Saighton.

Bickerton is well placed for commuting to the commercial centres of the North West by road and rail with direct rail services to London, Euston from both Crewe and Chester stations within 1¾ and 2 hours respectively.

The Property
The sale of Hill Farm represents a rare opportunity to purchase a former Oulton Estate farmstead with outbuildings and land. Hill Farmhouse was extended circa 1980 with the addition of Hill Farm Cottage, now providing two self-contained dwellings. The properties could be incorporated to create a substantial family home, but equally appealing to those with a dependent relative or those requiring a rental/Airbnb property.

To the south of the farmhouse is a L-shaped traditional brick range with planning consent for conversion into a substantial detached family home. Adjacent to the principal barn is a secondary brick built agricultural building which has prior notification approval for change of use from agricultural to a residential dwelling.

Hill Farm also includes various secondary brick buildings along with garaging, formal gardens and three paddocks. The property in all extends to approximately 11 acres.

Lot 1
Hill Farm House
Hill Farm House is the original farmhouse of brick and
sandstone whitewashed construction under slate roofing. The property offers many period features including some exposed beamed ceilings, trusses and internal doors. The accommodation briefly comprises a spacious farmhouse kitchen with Rayburn "Royale" oil fired range cooker within a stone recess, a lounge with exceptional views, a spacious dining room, utility room, cloakroom and WC. An enclosed staircase leads down to a single chamber cellar.

To the first floor is a spacious landing giving access to four generous double bedrooms, a family bathroom and separate WC. The property enjoys an integral single garage and formal private gardens with rural views.

Hill Farm Cottage
Hill Farm Cottage is believed to have been built circa 1980 as an extension to the house, for the purposes of a farm worker's cottage. The agricultural occupancy restriction has since been lifted on 24 September 2019 by Cheshire East Borough Council under application no. 19/3030N.

The accommodation briefly comprises a welcoming reception hall with WC, a spacious farmhouse kitchen with Rayburn "Royale" oil fired range cooker and an exposed beamed ceiling. Also to the ground floor is a large lounge with pretty bay window affording rural views, a spacious utility room and lean-to conservatory. To the first floor are two generous double bedrooms, a third smaller bedroom and family bathroom.

The property benefits from private south-easterly facing gardens along with a timber framed single garage.

Outbuildings and land
Lot 1 includes an enclosed paddock with road frontage, with planning approval for an agricultural access off Goldford Lane, granted on 4 December 2019, under application no. 19/4559N. The field has additional existing access off the domestic driveway. To the south east of this field is a smaller paddock in turn interconnected to a larger paddock to the south east of the house.

The property enjoys a single storey brick outbuilding, comprising two loose boxes, a tack room and wash bay.

Planning Consents
Application No. 19/4559N - approval for a new agricultural access off Goldford Lane into the front paddock, dated 4 December 2019.
Application No. 19/3030N - removal of condition 2 (occupancy) lifting the agricultural occupancy restriction on Hill Farm Cottage, dated 24 September 2019.

Lot 2
Principal and secondary agricultural buildings with planning
Planning approval has been granted for the conversion of the L-shaped agricultural building of brick and sandstone construction under slate roofing. The proposed accommodation briefly comprises a galleried reception hall, superb open plan family kitchen, two reception rooms, utility, pantry and ground floor shower room with WC.

To the first floor the approved plans show a master bedroom suite, four further double bedrooms all having en suite facilities.

To the north west of the principal barn is a secondary brick and timber framed building with a corrugated tin sheet roofing which benefits from prior notification under Part 3, Schedule 2 for change of use from agricultural to a residential dwelling. The approved drawing does not detail an internal layout which offers the purchaser flexibility. This building could suit as a granny annex but equally as a home office, studio, home gymnasium or simply as garaging.

Land
The approved planning will allow for domestic gardens to either side of the barn. A field gate to the northern gable end of the barn, gives access to a large single paddock featuring a natural pond flanked by a copse of broadleaf trees. The land and gardens in total extend to approximately 6.62 acres.

Planning consent
Application No. 16/3364N - conversion of the large farm building to form a single dwelling with domestic curtilage, dated 9 November 2016.

Application No. 19/2170N - Certificate of Lawful Use or Development confirming the planning approval has been implemented, rendering the planning approval extant, dated 30 May 2019.

Application No. 17/0331N - prior notification for change of use of the smaller agricultural building to a dwelling house, dated October 2019.

Marketed by: Fisher German, Chester