New details of historic Patshull Estate sale revealed

It is owned by the Crown Estate – which manages the Queen's public estate – and extends across around 4,000 acres of farmland and woodlands at Patshull, near Pattingham.

It does not include Patshull Hall, the Patshull Park Hotel, Golf and Country Club or the fishing lakes, but the Patshull Estate does take in the Patshull Activity Centre and the Dartmouth Arms pub at Burnhill Green.

In the wake of fears among local people about their future the Crown Estate's head of rural, Malcolm Burns, has written to the chairman of Pattingham and Patshull Parish Council, Rob Lines, outlining some details of the proposals and discussions with the residents, farming families and others affected by the proposed sale.

Mr Burns said the decision to market the Patshull Estate for sale followed a review of the Crown Estate's broader rural portfolio.

"The estate itself covers approximately 4,000 acres of farmland and woodlands, the farms let under long and short term tenancies to three farming families. Prior to making the decision to sell, we have been discussing the future of the Estate with our tenant farmers for several months. As a result, one has decided to buy their farm, which means it will not form part of the Estate sale.

"The Estate will be sold subject to the two remaining long term tenancies, meaning that the rights of these tenants will be unchanged."

Mr Burns continued: "The Estate sale will include nine residential properties. Some of these are currently vacant but three are let under Assured Shorthold Tenancy agreements. As these agreements allow little security for the tenant, which might be a concern, we have agreed to put in place new 12 month tenancies on the same terms to the four residents, if they wish, to provide greater certainty.

"The Estate is also home to the Patshull Activity Centre which is used by the local Scout group. The current lease expires in December 2019 and over the past two years we have been working proactively with the scout group to collectively develop a proposal that will protect the future of the centre for years to come. These proposals will be unaffected by the sale and will hopefully be finalised shortly.

"The Dartmouth Arms, at Burnhill Green, is also part of the Estate and we are currently in discussion with the tenant to see if we can agree terms for a sale. We have also agreed terms for a new permanent site for the Patshull Activity Centre, which will be unaffected by the sale."

Mr Burns has also said he will contact Mr Lines again once an sale agreement is reached or if it is decided to take the Estate off the market.

The Crown Estate's portfolio extends across the UK, including central London properties such as Regents Street and St James, and Windsor Great Park, as well as managing the seabed and coastline. The Crown Estate is not allowed to borrow money, so sales of property and land is one of the ways it uses to raise funds to reinvest into the business. All Crown Estate profit goes back into the Treasury.