"anton" wrote in
:

1. You need planning permission to convert farmland into
another use, such as a garden.
2. Grazing of farm animals is fine, horses ain't agricultural animals
so I think they might need a 'change of use'.
2. One thing you can do on farmland without a 'change of use'
is plant a wood- not like a country park, but as a wood. 'Amenity
use' is now recognised as one legitimate use of woodland e.g
having a pretty clearing in the middle, and having a mix of trees
suitable for a range of wildllife. grants are available, the nice man
from the Forestry Commission will come and have a preliminary
discussion and guide you on what is and waht isn't
allowed. Even without grants, it's surprisingly cheap with many trees
being 50p each. Local contractors can plant and maintain the wood
also very cheaply. Once planted be aware that there are draconian
laws against ripping up a 'wood', even if its only 5-year old
saplings. 3. Another thing that you can do on farmland without a
change of use is plant an orchard. Now that's a thought!

Thanks Anton. I think I would come under 1) because the idea would be to
create a large garden (2-3 acres?), probably mostly lawned at first, then
add bells and whistles as the years go by. Fruit trees might play a role,
but not really anything someone could reasonably call an orchard...

Any idea what sort of thing councils take into account when considering an
application under 1)? I haven't a clue about the ins and outs, but suspect
that since so few people do it, permission would rarely be granted. No idea
whether this is true though.

Chris