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73 acres, Butterworth Fold Farm, Lancashire
For Sale - Offers in Region of £3,750,000

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• Sought after edge of settlement location
• A detached true bungalow
• A residential caravan
• A stone two storey cottage
• An extensive range of modern and traditional buildings
• Short and long term development potential
• Existing use is as a livery yard providing 31 stables
• Land area extending to approximately 73acres or thereabouts in total
• For sale by private treaty as a whole

LOCATION
Butterworth Fold Farm sits to the west of the town of Rochdale adjacent to the
parish of Birtle with Bamford and it is located approximately 3.2miles from Rochdale Town Centre and 3.5miles from Bury Town Centre. There is easy access to the M66 and the M62 and to the wider motorway network. There are a wide range of services and amenities within close proximity to the property.
DESCRIPTION
Butterworth Fold Farm comprises a detached true bungalow, a residential caravan
within the curtilage of the bungalow, a stone-built cottage and an extensive range of modern and traditional farm buildings which are predominantly used as a commercial livery business together with approximately 63.6acres of grassland and 7.32acres of woodland.
The south eastern part of the property sits adjacent to existing development within the settlement boundary of Bamford, the recently approved Places for Everyone Plan housing land allocation JPA17: Bamford/Norden has moved the settlement boundary so that the whole of the eastern boundary of the farm now adjoins the settlement boundary. The recent expansion of the settlement towards Butterworth Fold Farm following the adoption of the Places for Everyone Plan will increase the prospect of the farm coming forward for similar development in the future.
The Bungalow:
The bungalow sits in its own parcel of land which extends to approximately 1.18acres or thereabouts (edged blue on the land plan). The bungalow provides an entrance hallway, a lounge, a living room, a dining kitchen, an office, a rear entrance area and utility room, three bedrooms and a bathroom. The property is in need of some refurbishment and renovation.
Within the curtilage of the bungalow there is an open fronted mono-pitch garage, an adjoining mono-pitch timber greenhouse, a static caravan that has been occupied as a separate dwelling for in excess of ten years, three former poultry sheds now used for stables and storage and a purpose built L shaped stable building.
The Gatehouse:
The Gatehouse is a two-storey stone built cottage which is located at the eastern end and attached to a large two storey barn, it provides an entrance hallway, a living room, a dining kitchen and pantry at ground floor and three bedrooms and a bathroom at first floor.
The Buildings:
There is an extensive range of both modern and traditional farm buildings, which excluding the bungalow and the buildings within its curtilage, cover an area extending to 1.92acres, a schedule of the buildings providing their size and current use is attached.
The Land:
Excluding the yard area and access lane the land extends to approximately
70.92acres or thereabouts, there are approximately 26.18acres of meadow;
37.42acres of pasture and 7.32acres of woodland. A schedule of the areas of the
various land parcels is included.
SERVICES
The property has the benefit of mains gas, electric, water and foul drainage. There is also a good and reliable spring water supply which is available in the fields and in the buildings.
TENURE
Freehold with Vacant Possession on completion. The bungalow and curtilage as
shown edged blue on the sales plan is owned personally by Mr James Swallow
whereas the rest of the property is owned by James Swallow Limited and the
company is offered for sale.
PLANNING
The farm is located in an area designated as Green Belt in the adopted local plan and the Green Belt planning policy imposes restrictions on the type of development that will be considered acceptable on the property. While Green Belt policy is generally considered to be very restrictive there are certain types of development that are considered to be acceptable, one example of this which is relevant to potential development at Butterworth Fold Farm is
the ability to obtain planning permission to redevelop brownfield/previously developed land in the Green Belt.
The latest version of the National Policy Framework which was published in December 2024 states that one of the exceptions that allows development in the Green Belt to be considered appropriate is:
Limited infilling or the partial or complete redevelopment of previously developed land (including a material change of use to residential or mixed use including residential), whether redundant or in continuing use (excluding temporary buildings), which would not cause substantial harm to the openness of the Green Belt.
As the farmstead at Butterworth Fold Farm has been used for non-agricultural purposes for in excess of ten years it is classed as previously developed and can in principle therefore be redeveloped for residential purposes. This would be likely to involve a mixture of conversion and demolition and redevelopment and would involve an area extending to approximately 2acres or thereabouts.
Given the amount of built development already on the site we believe it would be possible subject to planning to convert the two-storey barn into three dwellings, to demolish the remaining buildings and erect circa twelve detached dwellings, all of which would have an outlook onto open fields without in our opinion causing substantial harm to the Green Belt. It will be for buyers to take their own planning advice.
OVERAGE
The Vendors intend to impose an overage/clawback on the land (not the farmstead) in respect of any future residential or commercial development (excludes agricultural and equine development) which will be at 15% of the increase in value above agricultural or current value for a 15 year period.
COUNCIL TAX
The Gatehouse Band C
Butterworth Fold Farm (Bungalow) Band D
VIEWING
Strictly through the selling agents Gary Hoerty Associates, 01200 449700 by
appointment only.
PLANS AND AREAS
The plans in these particulars are a copy of the Ordnance Survey data from Promap. All plans are for identification purposes only and areas are approximate and subject to verification in the title documents.
METHOD OF SALE
The property comprised in Land Registry Title Number GM69065 is offered for sale by private treaty and the shares of James Swallow Limited which owns the property comprised in Title Number MAN206624 are offered for sale by private treaty.
WAYLEAVES, EASEMENTS AND RIGHTS OF WAY
There are no public footpaths over the land.
LOCAL AUTHORITY
Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council, Council Offices, Smith Street, Rochdale, OL16 1XU
MONEY LAUNDERING REGULATIONS
Prospective buyers should be aware that in the event they submit an offer on the property it is required that they provide documents in relation to money laundering regulations.
These must be in the form of confirmation of the purchasers ability to fund the
purchase, photographic identification (i.e. driving licence or passport) and
a utility bill showing the potential purchaser’s address, these can be provided in the following
ways:
· Bring original documents to copy into Gary Hoerty Associates Ltd office.
· Post original documents to copy by Gary Hoerty Associates Ltd
· Post a certified copy via your solicitor.