Located in an attractive rural location and popular visitor area of East Sussex with sight of the rolling South Downs, Sharnfold Farm has a good range of buildings, PYO, farm shop and café, coarse fishing lake and caravan site in a popular tourist area providing significant diversified income via established commercial enterprises and excellent potential for further development.
The farm is an established smallholding and award winning farm visitor attraction of about 78.2 acres in all, having a strong brand identity and good online presence. The property has been in the vendor’s ownership since 1983, when it originally operated as a traditional mixed farm. Over four decades the owners have carefully and successfully adapted and developed the farm and business in an entirely sustainable manner. The property now has a variety of uses and component parts that combine to generate a very healthy turnover.
When the vendors first took on the farm they established a small PYO fruit and vegetable enterprise. The farm shop was first opened in 2001 selling home grown produce in tandem with the PYO unit. The addition of the butchers came in 2009.
The introduction of the café forming part of the open plan farm shop area presently provides about 30 covers with additional outdoor seating. An already implemented planning consent would allow for the further extension of the café area to provide an extra 40 covers internally, ancillary facilities and decked veranda outside – and an opportunity to considerably expand the income potential from this sector of the business. The children’s outdoor play area and nature trail have been developed over time.
There are two lakes on the farm, created by the owners in the mid-1990s with the commercial coarse fishing enterprise established soon after. The fishing lake is well stocked with tench, barbel, perch, chub, bream, roach and crucian carp presently open to the public 364 days a year.
More recently, the Caravan Club Certified campsite was implemented and covers less than an acre with permission for five caravans.
The farm land generally is perfectly suited to growing good quality fresh produce and benefits from a modern irrigation system fed by one of the farm lakes with about equal areas laid to fruit and vegetable produce and pasture. There is scale to alter the cropping as required.
Subject to all necessary consents, the farm offers many avenues to expand the business, not only through development of existing enterprises but through new ventures such as an indoor soft play provision, holiday accommodation via redevelopment of existing buildings or mobile lodges, weddings/events venue and camping/glamping. Some of the farm buildings may offer potential for alternative use and development.
The four bedroom detached farmhouse with farm office which is subject to an Agricultural Occupancy Condition (AOC) and 106 Agreement sits at the centre of the farm. The farmhouse provides some 2,350 sq ft of accommodation over two floors.
Pevensey, East Sussex
Guide £2,250,000 million
About 78.2 acres
01435 810077 | www.samuelandson.co.uk
