£40m land sale attracts almost one thousand viewings

Agents handling one of the largest and most diverse agricultural property sales in the West Midlands for decades expect to handle more than 1,000 viewings before the sale ends next month.

Land and rural estate agents Fisher German is working for Herefordshire Council on the sale of part of its smallholding estate, which could net the local authority more than £40m.

The 59 lots cover more than 4,000 acres and range in estimated value from around £175,000 to £2m. The sale is due to run until July 5.

Stuart Flint, head of agency at Fisher German, said the majority of people viewing the properties had a local or regional interest.

He said: “We have had strong demand right across the board. The size and scale of the sale made national headlines and that has attracted viewings from a wide range of locations but we have found that the majority of viewers are either based locally or at least have a strong local interest.

“We have local famers wanting to expand or relocate their operations, investors, residential purchasers and ‘lifestyle’ buyers who are interested in a move to the area.

“Herefordshire is a beautiful county and there are some very attractive properties and lots included so we knew that we would have a range of interested parties aside from investors.”

He said some offers had already been received well in advance of the tender date but strict controls were in place to maintain confidentiality.

Currently, all 59 lots remain for sale and are fully available to the closure of the sale.