“I just want 10 acres”
“I just want 10 acres.”
It’s the ultimate utopian dream, living in north east Victoria with 10 to 20 acres and a sprawling country house; it’s my dream as well!
The dream, however, is very difficult to realise due to the planning controls across Victoria.
My advice, often provided over a coffee at my local cafe, is buy a 10 to 20 acre property with an existing house. Right there, I’ve just lost a client because if you do this you generally don’t need a planning consultant in this situation.
You see, if you buy a property with an existing house you have existing use rights and you do not need any further planning permission.
The test is different for a vacant lot however, especially where it is zoned Farming. My advice to clients looking to buy the 10 to 20 acres is “you need to become farmers.” Generally speaking, you will need to demonstrate that you need to live on the land to farm the land. You will need to demonstrate to Council that there are daily, weekly, monthly and yearly tasks which require someone to live on the land, permanently (not a holiday house), to farm the land. That is why we team up with an agricultural scientist to determine what can be produced on the land.
My advice, if you are looking for some land is:
- Buy an existing house
- Look for land zoned Rural Living or Low Density Residential
- Become a farmer