Environment and roads

Frequently asked questions

What is the rural estate?

The rural estate is a collective term given to countryside property owned by the County Council and managed by staff in the Environment Department. The estate includes farmland, woods, farm buildings, houses, village greens and recreation sites.

How big is the estate?

The rural estate covers an area of approximately 10,380 acres (4,200 hectares). Most of the land is let to third parties. There are 58 farms, and 390 other lettings and property interests.

Where is the estate?

The estate is spread across Hertfordshire but there are major holdings around Hitchin and Baldock, between Potters Bar and Borehamwood and at Kings Langley, Aldenham and Tring.

Why does the County Council have an estate?

The Council has a Rural Estate because of past decisions to acquire property in the countryside to meet a range of services. Today these rural properties are combined and managed as a single resource. The estate has been the subject of many policy reviews with the most recent adopted in 2004. In broad terms the key objective of the estate now is to safeguard and enhance the owned parts of Hertfordshire’s countryside, to raise capital receipts from sales and to secure revenue income.

How much do I pay in my taxes for the estate?

The Council Tax payer does not contribute anything toward the management and upkeep of the estate. The estate is entirely self sufficient and produces a profit which is reinvested in other Environmental services. All staff wages and maintenance costs are paid out from the estate rent role.

Can tenants purchase their farms?

Through an approved “Improvement Plan” land and buildings not meeting core strategy will be sold but only with vacant possession to achieve the best possible price. The Council generally only sells residential plots and sites with development schemes in place. Land is usually kept and rented out.

How can I rent property on the estate?

If any farm or land become available for re-letting it is usually advertised in Farmers Weekly and local papers. The County Council does not keep a waiting list of potential tenants.

What are the main farming activities on the estate?

The majority of the estate is let as small family run farms often forming the core of larger farming enterprises. Many of these farms are livestock based with dairy farms and beef suckler cow enterprises. The estate also runs a number of equestrian yards and many farms also have subsidiary business activities to counteract declining agricultural income in recent years.

Is the Rural Estate unique to Hertfordshire

All County Councils and some other local authorities acquired land for smallholdings from 1908 onwards. Many still retain those estates but a significant number have been substantially reduced in size by disposals, appropriations for other local government purposes, local government re-organisation etc.