4 bedroom house

An amazing opportunity to build your own property on the northern side of Plymouth near the village of Tamerton Foliot.A building plot for sale with consent for a 4 bedroom house plus 106 acres of primarily tidal water including 16 acres of delightful broadleaved woodland. Tenders by 15th September

Situation - A once in a lifetime opportunity to acquire a sizeable area of farming, recreational and amenity land in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty together with the almost unique ability to design and build your own large house on an existing plot with outline planning consent for a 4 bedroom house located in a quiet rural location with no neighbours.
Situated on the northern side of the city of Plymouth, located to the west of the city centre, is the small charming village of Tamerton Foliot which lies discretely in the countryside outside the suburban areas of Plymouth. Tamerton Foliot is a most sought after location and the whole area sits adjacent to an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The residential plot lies along Station Road, a no-through country-maintained lane that leads from the village to only a few houses including Woodlands House itself, Warleigh Castle, the Old Station House and Warleigh Point Nature Reserve. The overall plot encompasses almost all of Tamerton Lake which gives its name to the village itself and the whole area and having provided the ancient sea-going passage from the village to the river Tamar and hence to the wider world. The lake itself is abundant with its own history, one common to the waters of the South West.
The centre of the city of Plymouth along with its waterside attractions on the Barbican and Hoe is approx. 6 miles. Plymouth has an excellent range of facilities and is known as The Ocean City which has one of the most extensive natural harbours in the world. To the north is also the Dartmoor National Park. Plymouth itself has a population of over 250,000 and has a full and varied range of shopping, educational and sporting facilities. There is a mainline train service to London Paddington and to Penzance in Cornwall. Brittany Ferries operates seasonal services from Plymouth to France and northern Spain. The A38 dual carriageway which links to the east to the M5 motorway network is easily accessible. Exeter Airport provides short-haul flight links to most major financial cities in the UK or Europe as well as flights to most popular European holiday destinations.
The location has a good 4g signal and the fast train journey encompassing excellent sea views is a joy in itself. In all this opportunity is perfect for those wishing to work wholly or partly from home in convivial surroundings whilst retaining the ability to quickly reach the financial hubs of the UK and Europe.

History And Introduction - Woodlands House was acquired by Mr Simmonds in around 1983 and who went on to acquire other areas of freehold land and tidal creek from the Duchy of Cornwall and others. Ultimately the lands comprise the whole of Tamerton Lake (NB the word “lake” does not automatically imply that it is an inland body of fresh unsalted water. This is one of the rare examples where tidal estuarial water is referred to as “a lake” due to old English language.) The coastline included within this sale has boundaries which are (approximately) Station Road where the residential plot is located, the sea wall to the Ernesettle side of the water, the railway bridge across the mouth of the estuary and finally further inland to where the conurbation of Tamerton Foliot commences and the waterway devolves to a stream.
A former London boatyard owner and ex-RAF coxswain Mr Simmonds also brought with him much of his equipment from London including an (approx) 80 foot barge which he towed to Tamerton Lake from the Thames.
Mr Simmonds’ ambitions for the lands were regrettably on too large a scale to be feasible and ultimately the land was never developed at all.
In around 2010 Woodlands House suffered fire damage whilst the insurance had lapsed and was effectively destroyed. The site has now been cleared to ground level exposing the sizeable garden available as a building plot. The beneficiaries of the Estate are now looking to sell the property as one lot, leaving purchasers to fully develop Woodlands House in a design of their choosing and the adjoining lands as they see fit, which offers a multitude of possibilities, subject to the relevant planning and other consents.
A drone video of the property has been prepared and can be accessed via the Stags website or telephone the office on and a link to this will be sent.

The Opportunity To Build Your Own House - The plot is situated on the north side of a no-through road backing onto farmland on three sides. Consent was granted in 2020 ( Ref 1515/20/PIP) for the replacement of the dwelling with a 4 bedroom house. There are no neighbours near and it is in a very secluded location. The site has now been cleared, save for the established mature treeline which forms the boundaries of the plot and provides screening.No discussions have been held regarding the final design of the building.
This plot represents one of the rarest opportunities to come to the market for many years, to enable a buyer to build a family sized house without the burden of near neighbours but without also being too isolated from life’s travel and shopping necessities. In addition to this rare hen’s tooth the buyer has the benefit of owning most of the local vista as well as the opportunity to develop the large lands and water as they wish.

It is estimated that a quality detached house could be built for say £500,000 by one contractor though savings could be made if one was a self builder or project managed the build yourself. Names of builders who could provide you with an estimate can be provided.

The Land - The land is shown coloured pink on the plan in the brochure. It comprises Title Nos DN265059, DN133948 and DN265059. The site of the house is a separate Title No, DN 153345. In total, the freehold extends to about 106 acres. The majority is the tidal water, which includes the fundus and foreshore of the water (the water bed itself) together with mooring rights across it and access to it. Any vessels currently moored on the water are liable to pay rental or be removed. We believe the law is that all vessels have a free right of navigation across Britain’s coastline, but not to remain in one spot. Subject to laying moorings so as not to cause a hazard to vessels exercising their right of navigation, the prospective owner can utilise the lake as they wish since they will own the water bed. As a matter of regulation one needs to obtain a licence to lay moorings from the Plymouth Harbour Master so they do not represent a hazard. Mr Simmonds’ license was valid for 2 years beyond his death.
For the private sailing or motor boat enthusiast, the water presents a perfect opportunity for keeping a vessel at anchor in the quiet waters of the estuary but with immediate access to the Tamar and the world renowned recreational watersports waters that are a distinct feature of Devon and this whole region of the country – with England’s main marine city close by in the form of Plymouth there is no shortage of all marine facilities. As is the norm for coastal adventurers the whole area is abundant with “destination marinas”, anchorages and villages which can be explored easily during a weekend.
Directly opposite the site for the house is a wider area of land which comprises two large pasture fields. Although these have become overgrown in the years following Mr Simmonds death, the executors have cleared the pasture to the west to demonstrate to potential buyers how these areas can be returned to field. Once cleared these areas benefit from road access and a road / pedestrian route down to the private water lands and indeed the old barge. These areas open up the possibility of use for equine pursuits or recreational facilities such as glamping and the old barge acts as something of a base point. These comments are all subject to the necessary consents.
Further to the west and east are areas of broadleaved woodland with a variety of species which run down to the water and offer themselves up as a viable fuel logging, charcoal, or coppicing business within their own rights – either operated by the prospective purchaser or operated under license by a 3rd party - hence the name of Woodlands House itself.
The pleasant walk or drive in a 4 x 4 vehicle, takes you to the former London barge which sits nestled on the banks of the tidal area and for which fabulous views are enjoyed up and down the lake. The barge is well settled in its current location and it is believed could be levelled and steel floor constructed at the old deck level. This platform could then be used as a secure base upon which to locate a site office and / or to run a floating pontoon from the deck of the barge to access the water for moorings or for other activities. A quirky and characterful project in keeping with the history and lay of the land whilst providing the practical facility of a base for recreational activity.
This corner of the land lends itself to glamping and similar operations either on stilted structures or within cleared parts of the woodlands and within the pasture itself in yurts or similar, subject to the necessary consents.
The entire area is abundant with wildlife including pheasant. In total there is about 16 acres of freehold land with about 90 acres of water.

Directions - Use the postcode PL5 4LD, though when the Satnav says you have arrived, continue on further for about another half a mile and the building plot for Woodlands House is on the righthand side whilst the land for sale is on the left-hand side of Station Road, nearly as far as the end of the road, by the railway line.



Marketed by: Stags, Plymouth