Location
The Estate predominantly sits within a ring fence to the north, south and west of the village of Sutton Bridge, whilst some of the land to the north is bordered by the village of Gedney Drove End. The city of Peterborough lies some 31 miles south west of the Estate and provides a full range of facilities, shops, a mainline train link and access to the A1(M) motorway. Locally, the towns of Kings Lynn (12 miles east) and Spalding (17 miles west), provide a variety of local amenities.
ROAD - The A1 (M) is approximately 30 miles from the estate via the A1101 and A47, providing good access to the north and south.
RAIL - The train station at Peterborough offers a high-speed direct service to London Kings Cross from 49 minutes.
AIR - The nearest airport is Cambridge Airport, which is suitable for private jets, approximately 54 miles away.
Disclaimer: All journey times and distances are approximate.
Description
LOT ONE
Located at the heart of the Estate, with excellent access from public highways, this block encompasses a variety of predominantly short and medium-term Farm Business Tenancy (FBT) agreements, alongside a smaller proportion of Agricultural Holdings Act (AHA) tenancies.
The land is classified as grade 1, being freely draining silt soils capable of growing a variety of crops, including potatoes and sugar beet. In addition to the properties within the agricultural tenancies, lot one contains 10 residential properties, presently generating an annual income of £77,760.
There are several primary farm steadings within this block, including Leam Farm, Rookery Farm, Maze Farm, Avenue Farm, King John's Farm, and Curlew Lodge Farm.
The agricultural rent roll for Lot 1 is approximately £517,600 per annum.
The residential properties within Lot One are concentrated around Guys Head Farm, Maze Farm and on New Road, with one additional property on West Bank.
In addition to the properties included with the agricultural tenancies, there are 5 detached and 5 semi-detached properties, producing a rent roll of £77,760 per annum.
SUMMARY
The Sutton Bridge Estate is a substantial let farming estate located in the renowned and fertile Lincolnshire Fens and being offered for sale on behalf of The Henry Smith Charity.
One of the most important commercial farming estates in South Lincolnshire, the estate is situated around the village of Sutton Bridge and extends to approximately 5,044.64 acres (2,041.52 hectares).
The arable area amounts to approximately 4,570.76 acres (1,849.72 hectares) with the balance being residential properties, farm buildings, pasture land, woodland, marshland, spinneys, tracks, ponds and drains.
All of the arable land is classified as grade 1 on the Provisional Agricultural Land Classification Map. The silt soils sustain a diverse array of crops including cereals, oilseed rape, potatoes, field vegetables, onions and sugar beet.
Included within the agricultural tenancies are 5 residential properties. In addition, the residential portfolio comprises 33 properties, all of which are let under Assured Shorthold Tenancies (ASTs).
The estate also benefits from an allocation to the west of the village of Sutton Bridge for 210 homes.
THE FARMING ESTATE
The arable farmland extends to approximately 4,570.76 acres (1,849.76 hectares) and features high-quality, free-draining silty soils. This soil composition allows for the cultivation of a diverse range of specialist crops and high-yielding combinable crops.
The soil types on the estate are all of the Wisbech soil series, as indicated by the Soil Map of England and Wales.
The fields are generally large, facilitating efficient modern farming practices, and are easily accessible from public roads and private access tracks.
The majority of the land is designated as grade 1 on the Provisional Agriculture Land Classification Map. The remaining portion, being coastal salt marsh to the north, is classified as grade 4, which is on a long lease to Natural England (formerly Nature Conservancy Council).
The estate supports a large number of tenants across multiple tenancies, ranging from larger equipped holdings of 200 acres upwards to much smaller bare land parcels. The current agricultural rent roll is £1,082,134 per annum.
FARM BUILDINGS
The Estate comprises multiple farm steadings across the holding which are actively utilised by the tenants. The yards are of varying design and specification, but include crop storage facilities, workshops, general-purpose agricultural buildings, traditional structures, and farm offices.
Recent investments have been made to enhance and modernise several buildings, focusing on improving grain storage capacity and overall operational efficiency.
RESIDENTIAL
The residential portfolio comprises 33 properties, dispersed across the estate, all of which are let under Assured Shorthold Tenancies (ASTs). The current residential rent roll is approximately £260,640 per annum.