The Down Ampney Estate

The Down Ampney Estate is one of the largest and most prestigious estates in the region, providing a significant diversified income stream, whilst also presenting many more future opportunities for an incoming buyer.

The income is currently derived from agriculture, mineral extraction, residential and commercial properties and leisure enterprises. Additionally, its strategic location and the various buildings and steadings across the estate offer purchasers the opportunity to significantly enhance its revenue and capital value with further investment.

The Estate extends to 3,811 acres, of which 2,739.98 acres of Grade 2 and 3 land is farmed under a Contract Farming Agreement (CFA) with Velcourt. In addition, the land area includes 95.58 acres of existing mineral workings, 236.98 acres of woodland and 114.91 acres of lakes, ponds and rivers. The balance of the farmland being let on short term agreements or managed in-hand. The budgeted 2024 gross income for the estate is approximately £1.17m.


Farming

The Down Ampney Estate is one of the largest and most prestigious farming enterprises in the region. It is well laid out for commercial arable farming with good field sizes and extensive road access. The soil is a mixture of Grade 2 and Grade 3, according to the Provisional Land Classification Maps, ranging from well drained calcareous and non-calcareous fine loamy soils over limestone gravel to slowly permeable fine loamy over clayey soils.

The majority of the estate (2,739.98 acres) is farmed as part of an arable rotation under a Contract Farming Agreement with Velcourt. Velcourt have farmed the estate since 2018 and worked closely with the vendor to maintain good soil husbandry, along with the establishment of a Countryside Stewardship Scheme. The structure of the current Contract Farming Agreement allows an incoming buyer complete flexibility, whether that be continuing with Velcourt on a longer-term basis or exploring alternative options. The budgeted return to the landowner for 2024 is £416,000.

In addition, approximately 497 acres are let to third parties on various grazing agreements, garden agreements, and short term Farm Business Tenancies, generating c.£26,500 per annum.

Minerals

The Down Ampney Estate overlies a significant sand and gravel deposit on the Gloucestershire / Wiltshire County boundary estimated at approximately 15m tonnes. The Cotswolds area is an established source of good quality construction aggregate with a number of operational quarries close to the estate.

There is an existing operational quarry to the west of Down Ampney village generating a significant income of approximately £390,000 per annum. A summary of mineral resources is provided below, with further details available from the selling agents.

Mineral Resources:

1) Airfield Quarry (Lot 1): Gloucestershire County Council recently resolved to grant planning permission for the development of Airfield Quarry (reference 21/0032/CWMAJM) subject to planning conditions and a s106 agreement. This development covers 583 acres, with an extraction area of 440 acres. It's predicted to yield 6.5 million tonnes of mineral over about 13 years, generating an annual index-linked royalty income of approximately £1.8 million together with a surface rent of £190/acre. Final restoration plans include a mix of arable, woodland, pasture, and meadow, ensuring sustainable land use post-extraction with opportunities for higher-value alternative uses. Hills Quarry Products Limited have a lease option to operate this site.

2) Latton Quarry (Lot 2): Operated under lease by Hills Quarry Products Limited, this quarry has about 96 acres of permitted extraction area. There is an anticipated 750,000 tonnes of saleable aggregate remaining within Latton Quarry, and the site will be progressively restored by backfilling the void with inert fill. The current royalties are £3.25 per tonne for minerals extracted and £1.04 per tonne for inert waste backfilled.

3) Northern Area (Charlham Farm) ~ Lot 2: The deposit identified to the north of Down Ampney is included in the Gloucestershire County Minerals Core Strategy as a preferred area. This comprises a landholding of approximately 390 acres (158 ha) and may yield in excess of 3.6m tonnes of sand and gravel, subject to geological investigation and analysis.

4) Land to the South of Airfield Quarry (Lots 2 and 4): Thought to contain c3.7m tonnes of sand and gravel, subject to further investigation and analysis.

Residential

The portfolio of residential property is spread throughout the estate, in farmsteads and on the outskirts of the village of Down Ampney. Of the portfolio of 30 houses, 19 are let on Assured Shorthold Tenancies, 3 are under secure tenancies, and the rest are either vacant or temporarily unoccupied.
The current residential rent roll amounts to approximately £246,000 per annum, with the opportunity to increase this through the refurbishment of the currently unoccupied properties.

Commercial

A mixture of commercial lets including offices, storage, light industrial uses and a rally driving school, details as follows:

Manor Farm: A range of former farm buildings in a farmyard setting converted to workshops, storage, and offices units including the Farm Office.

Silt Lagoon: Outdoor rally school and workshop.

3 Former gravel working lakes: Let on commercial agreements for various leisure uses.

The Creamery: Including a large area of concrete along with the former creamery buildings. The site is currently vacant, however consent was granted for change of use to an agricultural machinery showroom in 2021 which has not been implemented (Ref: PL/2021/08455). The current commercial rental income is approximately £91,000 per annum.


Development

The farm steadings at Castle Hill, Manor Farm, Alex Farm and Westfield Farm, along with the Creamery site and other roadside areas, particularly including the land adjoining the Cirencester Road roundabout at the northern end of the estate, offer substantial potential for redevelopment for both commercial and residential purposes, subject to the necessary consents.

Leisure

The Estate borders Cotswolds Water Park, the UK's largest marl lake system, including 180 lakes, spread over 42 square miles. The proximity of the park to the estate presents significant opportunities for developing further leisure uses.

Natural Capital

The 145 acres of water meadows, known as the Basin Meadows, border the National Nature Reserve at Cricklade North Meadow. As in the neighbouring reserve, the Basin Meadows boast rare snake head fritillary wildflowers, which bloom each spring and present significant national interest.
The former gravel works, now used for leisure and recreational purposes, along with the former Cotswold Canal, which runs alongside the River Churn offer potential for additional environmentally focussed income streams.