THINK before you purchase is the advice being offered by Huntingdonshire District Council to anyone thinking of buying a plot on a 13-acre site of land opposite Middlemarsh Farm, north of Sawtry. This area of agricultural land is being actively marketed f

THINK before you purchase is the advice being offered by Huntingdonshire District Council to anyone thinking of buying a plot on a 13-acre site of land opposite Middlemarsh Farm, north of Sawtry.

This area of agricultural land is being actively marketed for sale. The marketing particulars say that it is to be divided into 159 smaller plots and an indicative layout has been prepared showing the plots served by a loop road leading off Sawtry Road.

The sales particulars suggest that given the high demand for new housing in the area, added pressure will be put on local authorities to release greenfield land for residential development.

It is implied that this site, located between Sawtry and Glatton, may be a greenfield site which could be released for development in the future - therefore offered good investment potential.

However, the land is clearly shown in the Huntingdonshire Local Plan as agricultural, and outside of the settlement boundaries of Sawtry and Glatton. No planning application has been submitted for residential development, and the council does not consider there is any likelihood that such permission would be granted - therefore prospective purchasers are advised to exercise caution before proceeding with their purchase.

The council is in the process of serving an order that will take away permitted development rights which normally apply to agricultural land. This order will, among other things, prevent the land from being fenced into separate units without express planning consent.