CARMACOUP FOREST Glespin, South Lanarkshire 310.50 Hectares / 767.24 Acres FREEHOLD FOR SALE AS A WHOLE John Clegg & Co Chartered Surveyors
CARMACOUP FOREST Glespin 1 mile Irvine 35 miles Lockerbie 46 miles Edinburgh 46 miles (Distances are approximate) SOLE SELLING AGENTS John Clegg & Co 2 Rutland Square Edinburgh EH1 2AS Tel: 0131 229 8800 Fax: 0131 229 4827 Ref: Patrick Porteous SELLER S SOLICITORS Anderson Strathern LLP 1 Rutland Court Edinburgh EH3 8EY Tel: 0131 270 7700 Fax: 0131 270 7788 Ref: Gail Clarke A well-located, highly productive commercial conifer forest with a significant volume of timber, along with additional potential for income from coal and wind energy projects. Benefitting from good access facilities onto the A70 with sporting rights included. As a whole: offers over 1,675,000
LOCATION Carmacoup Forest is situated to the south west of Glespin village, just off the A70 and 5 miles west of the M74 in South Lanarkshire. The property is not far from Glasgow and Prestwick airports and is conveniently located for road haulage to the various timber markets in southwest Scotland. The property is shown on the location and sale plans and can also be found on 0S 1:50,000 sheet 71, Grid Reference NS 776267. ACCESS The A70 public road is approved for haulage of timber from Carmacoup Forest, providing unrestricted access onto the A70, shown on the sale plan at point A1. This leads onto a shared single track access road, originally constructed to support a rail link to the nearby mine, thereby benefitting from a good foundation. The road then crosses a well-constructed (former) rail bridge over the Douglas Water, which has undergone improvements. The access road continues south along the dismantled railway to the main access to Carmacoup at point A3, with maintenance according to user. This was used recently for the extraction of timber from the felled area in the eastern corner of the forest, shown on the sale plan. However, a short section of this access road through the felled area has been temporarily excavated as part of the open cast mining operations and is currently closed. The open cast mine operators The Scottish Coal Company Ltd have an obligation to restore the excavated area and at the same time restore the forest access road. DESCRIPTION Carmacoup Forest was established in two stages with compartments 1-12 planted between 1979 and 1981, followed by compartments 13-17 between 1985 and 1987 with predominantly Sitka spruce and a small amount of Japanese larch and scattered broadleaves. The majority of the crop has been chemically re-spaced with an average yield class of 16, increasing to 18 in the lower lying compartments. As a result of the re-spacing programme, a significant volume of timber could be felled within 5 years with a production programme phased over the period 2016 to 2028. A Long Term Forest Plan has not yet been prepared and therefore the purchaser will have the opportunity to plan felling operations to suit their own objectives for future management of the forest. The forest is well designed with a good ride layout between compartments with no further access roads required. The forest itself is situated on the eastern slopes of Parisholm Hill and the headwater of Carmacoup Burn which runs through the forest to the Douglas Water. A short section of the Douglas Water is included within the property title to the very north of the forest, where the land adjoins the A70 public road. There is also a prescriptive right of access for woodland and sporting management purposes from the junction at point A2 leading up to the forest at point A4, connecting with the existing internal forest road network. Maintenance of these routes will be according to user. The internal road network is well laid out, requiring some improvements prior to further harvesting or haulage of timber with the addition of some compacted surfacing material. This can either be sourced from within the forest from existing borrow pits or potentially from the neighbour, The Scottish Coal Company Ltd. SPORTING RIGHTS The sporting rights are included in the sale of the property with excellent Roe deer stalking, averaging 7-8 does and 4-5 bucks per annum. For further crop information, including a compartment schedule and plan please contact the selling agents.
MINERAL & SURFACE COAL MINING RIGHTS The mineral rights are included except those reserved by statute. The Scottish Coal Company Ltd (SCCL) have a lease over 100.30 hectares of Carmacoup which is in place until 20 December 2014 with an option to extend for a further 3 years. The extent of the lease is shown on the sale plan and the lease provides an annual rent of 1,575 per annum and a tonnage rent of 1.79 per tonne of coal extracted, which is reviewed annually in line with RPI. 12.43 hectares has been felled by the tenant, providing timber compensation at agreed rates. The tenant has so far only extended the Glentaggart Surface Mine into 4.72 hectares of the eastern corner of Carmacoup, yielding approximately 14,000 tonnes of coal. Based on site investigation results, further excavation is presently unlikely. The tenant is however bound to restore the excavated area to a standard suitable for replanting and to reinstate the road line by the end of 2012. Following reinstatement the owner of Carmacoup Forest will have a commitment to replant the felled area of 12.43 hectares and will be paid 400 per hectare by the tenant for doing so, as per the terms of the lease and planning permission granted by South Lanarkshire Council. A small area of land, amounting to 1.02 hectares, shown hatched in the southern corner of the sale plan was recently acquired and is included in the sale. This area has been worked by SCCL and the purchaser of Carmacoup will be expected to enter into an undertaking to accept the obligations placed on this section of land, terms of which are similar to the present lease with SCCL. For further information on the terms of the lease, planning permission and undertaking please contact the selling agents. WIND ENERGY The current owners have negotiated an exclusivity agreement, which is in the process of being finalised. This will grant the developer the right to explore the potential for a much wider wind farm application, extending beyond Carmacoup Forest onto neighbouring properties to the south and west. The seller is to retain a standard security of 25% of any uplift in the value of the property derived from any wind energy projects granted planning consent. This will apply over the property for a period of 15 years from the date of entry with terms to be agreed. Further information on this is available on request from the selling agents. WAYLEAVES, THIRD PARTY RIGHTS & DESIGNATIONS The owners (SCCL) of the adjacent land known as Chapel Hill have the right to construct a new access route, should the need arise between points A6-A7, although unlikely as this area has now been mined. The neighbouring proprietors of Hareshaw Hill Forest to the south have a right to construct a new forest access road between points A5-A8, for the purpose of timber extraction. Although it is more likely that they would wish to negotiate use of the existing forest access road in practice. BOUNDARIES All boundary fences or walls where they exist are to be maintained mutually between the owner and proprietors of the neighbouring land. The Scottish Coal Company Ltd have an obligation to replace the boundary fences removed for mining, once soil restoration has taken place. WOODLAND GRANTS There are no grant schemes in place and no transfer of obligations required. For further information on current grants available please visit the FCS and Scottish Government websites: www.forestry.gov.uk/scotland www.scotland.gov.uk/topics/rural/srdp VIEWING Viewing is possible at any time during daylight hours so long as potential purchasers are in possession of a set of these sale particulars. Please leave gates as you find them and exercise caution in the vicinity of the surface mine. CLOSING DATE If you are interested in this property and would like us to notify you of a closing date, it is important that you notify us in writing of your interest with your full contact details.
TAXATION At present, all revenue from timber sales is Income and Corporation Tax free. There is no Capital Gains Tax on growing timber, although there may be a liability on the land. Under the Inheritance Tax regime, 100% Business Property Relief should be available on commercial woodlands. VAT is charged on forestry work and timber sales, although its effect is neutral if managed as a business. Government grants are received tax free with the exception of farm woodland and subsidy payments. PLANS, AREAS AND SCHEDULES These are based on the Ordnance Survey and are for reference only. They have been carefully checked and computed by the selling agents and the purchaser shall be deemed to have satisfied themselves as to the description of the property and any error or mis-statement shall not annul the sale nor entitle either party to compensation in respect thereof. AUTHORITIES Central Scotland Conservancy Area Office South Lanarkshire Council Bothwell House Council offices Hamilton Business Park, Caird Park Almada Street Hamilton ML3 0QA Hamilton ML3 0AA Tel: 01698 368530 Tel: 0303 123 1015 Fax: 01698 423464 IMPORTANT NOTICE John Clegg & Co LLP, its members, employees, clients and joint agents give notice that: 1. These particulars (prepared in March 2011) and all statements, areas, measurements, plans, maps, aspects, distances or references to condition form no part of any offer or contract and are only intended to give a fair overall description of the property for guidance. John Clegg & Co LLP will not be responsible to purchasers, who should rely on their own enquiries into all such matters and seek professional advice prior to purchase. 2. Neither these particulars nor any subsequent communication by John Clegg & Co LLP will be binding on its clients, whether acted upon or not, unless incorporated within a written document signed by the sellers or on their behalf, satisfying the requirements of section 3 of the Requirements of Writing (Scotland) Act 1995. 3. The sellers do not make or give, and neither John Clegg & Co LLP nor its members or employees nor any joint agent have any authority to make or give, any representation or warranty in relation to the property. 4. The property (which may be subject to rights of way, servitudes, wayleaves and others) will be sold as per the title deeds, which may differ from these particulars. Photographs may depict only parts of the property, which may not have remained the same as when photographed. 5. Where reference is made to grant schemes, planning permissions or potential uses, such information is given by John Clegg & Co LLP in good faith, but purchasers should rely on their own enquiries into those matters. 6. Prospective purchasers should be aware of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 and to the influence and effect they, and any statutory designations, may have on the property. 7. The sellers will not be obliged to accept the highest, or indeed any, offer and may at any time accept an offer or withdraw the property from the market. Neither the sellers nor John Clegg & Co LLP will be responsible for any costs incurred by interested parties.
CARMACOUP FOREST England: 01844 215800 John Clegg & Co Scotland: 0131 229 8800 John Clegg & Co LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in Scotland (No. SO302718) whose registered office is at 2 Rutland Square, Edinburgh EH1 2AS Wales: 01600 715311