Box Tree Farm, Wennington, Lancashire, £2,750,000 (guide price)
The property is situated on the edge of the small village of Wennington in the Lune Valley approximately 12 miles north east of the city of Lancaster. Wennington railway station, nearby, has direct services to Morecambe and Leeds. Wennington Hall, within walking distance, has recently been acquired with plans for conversion into a country house hotel, bar / restaurant, leisure
& spa complex, which will be a fantastic addition to the local area.
Wennington, at its southeastern boundary, borders the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and The Yorkshire Dales National Park is only 5 miles to the east of Wennington with the Lake District National Park situated approximately 17 miles to the northwest. The larger town of Bentham with its popular, local Golf Club is only 3 miles away whilst the historic market town of Kirkby Lonsdale is only 8 miles way to the north, where there is a more comprehensive range of retail and leisure facilities. The coast is only ½ an hour away with construction having started on the Eden Project Morcambe.
The locality is very popular with short stay holiday makers from the northwestern towns and cities largely due to the excellent access to the M6 Motorway. Manchester is approximately 65 miles away (1 hour 23 mins by car); Preston 32 miles (47 minutes) and Lancaster only 12 miles (25 mins).
BOX TREE ESCAPES
Box Tree was originally developed as a camping pod business but over time the owner started phasing out the camping pods and replaced the pods with 2 highquality holiday lodges in 2020 followed by a further two in 2021.
Box Tree Escapes currently comprises 4 holiday lodges that are let out on a short-term basis via the booking agent Sykes Holiday Cottages and the owners dedicated website
The lodges, called 'The Barbon', 'The Lune', 'The Roeburn' and 'The Wenning' all measure 55' x 22' in size and are similar in design, all boasting the same high specification accommodation with four bedrooms (1 x family room with king-size and cabin bunk bed, 2 x king-size with en-suite shower, basin and WC, 1 x adult twin) and large open plan living spaces with modern contemporary
kitchens, dining and sitting areas.
The lodges are fitted with modern appliances and all have private patio's, hot- tubs and ample car parking.
The lodges are proving to be very successful & in their first full trading season have managed to turnover in excess of £60,000 each.
Moving forward we would suggest that further lodges are sited on the former camping pod plots, subject to obtaining the necessary consents which we would fully expect to be forthcoming. There is approximately 1.7 acres of land remaining on the holiday park so this area should easily accommodate 11 twin unit lodges. Ideally, the adjacent 1 acre field should also be incorporated into
any future redevelopment of the holiday park.
BOX TREE FARM
The farmhouse was originally the owner's house, but he has subsequently moved out and this has also become a luxury rental property available to rent via Sykes Cottages. See link below. It has also proved to be an exceptionally popular rental property being able to accommodate 10 guests with 4
bedrooms and 4 bathrooms / shower rooms. The farmhouse could continue to be used as a rental property or would also be well suited to a family home. To the rear of the farmhouse is a detached brick outbuilding which would convert well to an additional holiday let and behind this is the farmyard where there are 3 substantial agricultural storage buildings. The buildings each measure approximately 80' x 60' (4,800 sq ft) and are of steel portal frame construction with concrete floors and walls with pitched corrugated fibre cement roof coverings. Additional planning permission exists for a 20m x 40m all-weather equestrian menage and a further 24m x 10m agricultural shed on the yard. As such, the property may suit equestrian buyers as in addition to the all-weather menage permission there is a further 24 acres of grazing land.
BUSINESS
Box Tree Escapes runs the 4 holiday lodges and the Draft Accounts Year Ended 31 July 2022 show a turnover of £243,000 and a Net Profit (EBITDA) of approximately £130,500. In addition to this, the farmhouse has, to date, been rented out for 5 months via Sykes Cottages and has already produced £30,000 worth of income over the 5-month period. On a pro-rata basis this could amount to approx. £78,000 over a full 12-month trading period. Further rental income is received from the two agricultural buildings of approximately £27,000 per annum, 24 acres of land rented out on a verbal
agreement to the local farmer at £200 per acre (£4,800) plus receipt of the single farm payment of circa £2,500.