Ecological Land Co-op is looking for new sites – can you help?

Adam and Sinead of Aweside Farm in Arlington, photo: Danny Fitzpatrick

The Ecological Land Co-operative is dedicated to supporting smallholdings using sustainable farming practices to grow food and produce for local communities. Now it’s looking for land for six new small farms.

The Ecological Land Co-operative works to provide affordable opportunities for ecological land-based livelihoods in England and Wales. It already manages a site for three small-holdings in Arlington using regenerative farming methods (and other sites in Cornwall, Somerset and the Gower Peninsula).

Now, it is looking for more agricultural land to create residential smallholdings for new entrants to ecological agriculture. The aim is to provide land for anyone who wants to grow healthy food and produce for local communities.

The co-operative says it would like to acquire land for at least six new small farms this year, with a view to protecting sites for ecological agriculture in perpetuity. While a donation of land would be great, the co-op says it can also buy land and will also consider a long lease at a peppercorn rent.

The co-operative is looking for land with the following characteristics (but would be interested in hearing about any opportunities):

anywhere south of the geographic line from Aberporth to Banbury to Kings Lynn. 
between 5 and 40 acres
with a price under £375,000 in total
reasonable grade, cultivable land no more than 250m above sea level
ideally flat ground, or southern aspect (or SE/SW) with limited or no steep slopes!
a water connection
direct vehicle access off the road
situated where the development would not seriously affect the visual amenity of others
with no overage, clawback or uplift provision attached