Land for sale

The land is situated in a rural location being on the southern side of Barkham Road (B3349) 3.5miles south-west of Wokingham town centre and 9 miles south-east of Reading. Arborfield Cross lies 2 miles to the west. The site has direct frontage to Barkham Road with two separate vehicular accesses. One access is located by Barkham Bridge where there is a modern steel gate and the other is accessed via a private track leading to Field House. The track forms part of the land being sold but is subject to a right of way in favour of Field House which is owned privately by a third party. The extent of the land is shown edged in red on the Ordnance Survey within these particulars of sale and is being offered to the market as a whole, though the vendor may consider selling the land in lots. The land comprises mostly open grass land and slopes gently upwards from Barkham Road.

Further Information - To the north it is bordered by a stream (part of which falls within the land being sold) and to the south by the track, over which runs a public and private (in part) right of way. There are two sizable modern agricultural buildings located at the end of the track. These are both open to one side and constructed from steel frames clad with metal profiled walling and roofs. The sizes are:
•Building 1: 1,936 square feet or 180 square metres.
•Building 2: 2,636 square feet or 245 square metres.
To the rear of Field House is a triangular area of land subject to a Tree Preservation Order.
The two parcels of land lying either side of the steel gate by Barkham Bridge were acquired a few years ago by Wokingham Borough Council for road improvement and drainage works and is excluded from the land being sold.

Tenure - The land will be sold freehold with vacant possession given on completion. There is a pedestrian public right of way that runs along the track and the full length of the southern boundary as marked on the Ordnance Survey plan. The adjacent Field House has a private right of way on foot or with vehicles along the track for access and egress purposes. The gate by Barkham Bridge can be accessed from the public highway via a right of way over a strip of land shown hatched in blue on the Ordnance Survey plan. There are overhead power and telegraph cables that pass over the western corner of the land. We understand from an old deed there may be a 457 yards long gas main that traverses the land along with a 420 feet underground electricity cable, but we are unable to verify if that is still the case.

Planning Background - The Local Planning Authority is Wokingham Borough Council. The lawful use of the land is agricultural farmland. It has an Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) of Grade 4 which is the lowest class meaning it is mainly suitable to grass with occasional arable crops. Prior approval planning permission was granted 5thDecember 2006 (application no 062414) for the upgrade of the existing farm track and construction of a new entrance to the farm buildings. This track was to run from the pedestrian gate on the existing access track leading to the farm buildings. The track has not so far been built or upgraded. The land lies outside of the Wokingham settlement boundary and any proposed development or change of use would be considered alongside the Local Planning Authority’s `development in the countryside policy` in the normal way. The triangular area to the immediate rear of Field House is subject to a Tree Preservation Order dated 30thMarch 2022 (TPO

1840/2022). It is a group order and extends to include additional land that is not subject to this sale. It is shown edged in green on the Ordnance Survey plan. A small area of the land alongside the stream is designated by the Environment Agency as being within EA Flood Zone 3. It is possible that the land could provide green amenity space to assist with bio-diversity measures and the delivery of residential development on other land in the area as large areas of land in the locality have been designated for residential development by the Local Planning Authority. Prospective purchasers must make their own enquiries of the Local Planning Authority regarding any change of use or development proposals.

Services - Prospective purchasers must satisfy themselves as to the availability and capacity of any services that could serve the land. It is our understanding that no mains services are connected currently.

Method Of Sale And Bids - The vendor reserves the right not to accept the highest or any offer and reserves the right to withdraw the land from sale or to vary the method of sale at any time without notice. The vendor’s preference is to sell the land as a whole and unconditionally but may consider offers for lotted parts and/or subject to planning permission. All bids are for the land as found as there are some spoil heaps, other various items and debris left on the land which the vendor does not intend to remove prior to sale. Due to the possibility of the land having immediate indirect or future direct development potential, the vendor may look favourably on offers that contain an overage or claw back element within their bid.
In any event all offers should include the following details:
•Identify the bidder in full;
•Identify whether the bid is for the whole or part;
•The unconditional or conditional price and any deferred payments required;
• Details of any further information required or investigations to be carried out prior to exchange, including anticipated timescales;
• Specify any proposed uplift or overage provision contained within your offer if any;
• Provide proof of how you propose to fund the purchase as well as confirmation that your bid has received full Board approval, or equivalent, and if not, the process, and anticipated timescales required to obtain such approval;
• Specify your proposed exchange and completion timetable; and that a 5% deposit will be paid;
•Identify the solicitors you will use should your offer be accepted;
• Provide any other information that you feel should be taken into consideration in the assessment of your bid.
Written Offers for the property are invited by 12 Noon on Friday 31stMarch 2023All offers should be marked “Land at Barkham Road Barkham-Offer to Purchase” and addressed to:-Mr Steven Smith Haslams Surveyors LLP, County House, 17 Friar Street, Reading, Berkshire, RG1 .ukVATThe land is not elected for VAT and VAT will not be payable on the purchase price. Viewings–Important Notice Viewings of the land and woodland can be at any time at the prospective purchaser’s risk and subject to the following:-Please note the two gates giving access to the land are padlocked and must not be opened. It is not possible to drive along the track, park up and turn around without trespassing on the land outside of the vendor’s ownership (i.e. encroach on to Field House’s land).We therefore request any party wishing to view the land to respect the privacy of the owners of Field House and park on School Road opposite, walk across the Barkham Road, and along the track to enter the land via the pedestrian gate that serves the public right of way.

Enquiries
All enquiries should be directed to the vendor’s sole agent:
Mr Steven Smith or John Radford Haslams Surveyors LLP County House 17 Friar Street Reading Berkshire RG1 1DBTelephone: (Steven Smith) Telephone: (John Radford)Telephone:
(Switchboard)
Email: or

Technical Information Pack - A copy of the Technical Information Pack is available to interested parties upon request and will
contain the following additional information:
•Legal title (Land Registry registered BK349840)
•Deed dated 31stJanuary 1964 with the Southern Gas Board.
•Former conveyance plans 28thMay 1948 and 26thSeptember 1991.
•Conveyance dated 8thJune 1998 containing the private right of way.
•Tree Preservation Order (TPO 840/2022).
•Local Planning Authority details on the prior approval planning permission dated 5th December 2006



Marketed by: Haslams Estate Agents, Reading