‘Highly productive’ arable farm on Suffolk Heritage Coast seeking buyers

The historic Cedar Farm is nestled in the vicinity of the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), the latter being one of Britain’s finest landscapes covering some 155 square miles.

Marketed by agents Clarke & Simpson, Cedar Farm combines highly productive arable land, a whole farm irrigation system and a temperate coastal climate. It also boasts an impressive Grade II Listed principal house, three further residential properties and an extensive farmstead with buildings extending to over 43,000 square feet.

With 691,900 cubic metres of summer and winter abstraction licences, the farming business has been centred around the production of high-value vegetable crops.  This has been complimented by a traditional combinable crop rotation on the heavier soils and active and sensitive management across the grass and woodland areas.

Situated within the villages of Alderton and Hollesley in an AONB, the occupants of Cedar Farm can also enjoy the tranquillity and beauty of its surroundings, enriched by a huge diversity of environmental credentials in the form of both flora and fauna.

The Suffolk coast, located within a stone’s throw from the farm, is renowned for its natural habitats and offers excellent walks, beaches and bird watching opportunities. Moreover, Aldeburgh, Southwold, Orford and Shingle Street, all nearby, are becoming increasingly popular destinations with high demand for second home ownership and rental properties.

History and dwellings

Along with the adjacent Virtues Farm, also included in the sale, Cedar Farm was originally purchased by Arthur Mortier in 1951 and extended to approximately 650 acres (263 hectares). A W Mortier (Farms) Ltd was formed in 1964 and subsequent purchases of land at Poplar Farm, Church Farm and Walnut Tree Farm were made.

By the mid-1980s, the organisation was farming approximately 2,000 acres, which was further extended to over 6,000 acres in the early 2000s. From 2018 to 2021, A W Mortier (Farms) Ltd went through a period of restructuring, implementing the current farming system that is undertaken over approximately 3,300 acres and employs some 35 staff.

Cedar Farmhouse, a detached two-storey Grade II Listed period dwelling, lies within the main farmyard at Cedar Farm. The interior of the property has been subdivided to provide accommodation for farm employees – to include communal kitchen, boot room, laundry, two shower rooms and six double bedrooms.

Adjacent to the entrance of Cedar Farm, Cedarwood bungalow, a detached single storey property constructed in the 1970’s, enjoys a pleasant rural position with direct access to farmland.

Other than the main farm, the property for sale comprises land from Virtues Farm, Moors Farm, Poplar Farm, Church Farm and Walnut Tree Farm.

Virtues Farmhouse, the principal dwelling on the farm, comprises an attractive and well-appointed Grade II Listed dwelling of over 5,000 sq ft. Constructed in the 18th Century with 19th Century additions, the house was then extended and renovated by the current owner in 2009.

Found within the front courtyard are a range of traditional domestic outbuildings offering scope for alternative use, subject to the necessary planning consents. Beyond the formal gardens attached to the farmhouse are areas of managed grassland and woodland, in all, extending to approximately 8 acres.

Meanwhile, Walnut Tree Farm occupies a delightful and secluded rural setting to the south west of Hollesley village. It comprises an attractive detached farmhouse, small range of traditional and more modern farm buildings, picturesque lake and surrounding grassland.

The buildings on site include an open-sided Dutch barn, machinery store, traditional red brick barn, cart lodge and an enclosed workshop. The adjoining traditional barns have planning permission to be converted into four holiday units, with planning permission also granted for the erection of five log cabins on the adjoining grassland on the south side of the lake.

Walnut Tree Farmhouse is currently let on an Assured Shorthold Tenancy at a rent of £900 per calendar month, ending on 31st March 2024.

While there is a small range of buildings at Moors Farm and Walnut Tree Farm, the main farming operations are centred around the principal agricultural buildings at Cedar Farm. With good access off the public highway, the buildings provide practical and well-maintained storage facilities for both vegetable and cereal production, and extend to some 43,000 sq ft.

Cedar Farm includes a wide array of buildings to accommodate large-scale agricultural production.

‘High yielding’ agricultural land

Cedar Farm is a high yielding light land farming enterprise with large fields suitable for modern farming machinery. The soils are a mixture of deep, well drained sands typical of the Newport 4 and Newport 2 soil series and classified as Grades 3 and 4. The current cropping includes potatoes, onions, parsnips, asparagus, malting barley, maize for AD and sugar beet.

The farm also contains a block of approximately 245 acres (100 hectares) of ‘heavier’ peaty arable land, being of the Wallesea 1 soil series. These consistently high yielding soils allow a balanced cropping and operational rotation based around a range of combinable crops consisting typically of wheat, barley, sugar beet, maize and rye for AD.

In addition, Cedar Farm boasts the combination of a temperate coastal climate, light free draining soils and a plentiful supply of water. The property incorporates a comprehensive irrigation system that has enabled the consistent farming of high value vegetable production and an integrated cropping rotation whilst protecting soil quality.

Eligible land is registered under the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and the current owner will make the 2023 claim. There are no Environmental Stewardship Schemes in place on the farm.

All light land on the farm is suitable for irrigation, with summer and winter abstraction licences transported via underground mains and a network of hydrants. There are two seepage reservoirs at the property, one at Walnut Tree Farm and a further system of well points on land at Poplar Farm.

Furthermore, a grant application and planning permission have recently been submitted for the creation and installation of a 250,000 cubic metre reservoir at Moors Farm.

The main water source on the farm is from the Black Ditch, which meanders through the property from west to east before running into Barthorp’s Creek, and then out to sea. There is also capacity for further winter licensing if required.

Lastly, the property features a comprehensive network of established roads and tracks, providing a good level of connectivity for all farming activities. In addition to the arable operation, there are attractive areas of woodland and grassland, including an area of cricket bat willows, grown under contract.

With the exception of the asparagus, grown under contract, all farming operations at Cedar Farm are run in hand.

Cedar Farm is offered for sale as a whole with a guide price of £21 million and the intention of achieving exchange of contracts as soon as possible with completion by agreement.  A deposit of 10% of the purchase price will be payable on exchange of contracts. All viewings are strictly by appointment with the vendor’s agent, Clarke & Simpson.

Oliver Holloway, partner at Clarke & Simpson, commented: “Clarke and Simpson is delighted to have been instructed to offer for sale, Cedar Farm, Alderton (…).

“The sale of the farm offers a unique opportunity to acquire a sizeable thriving farm which benefits a future inheritance planning and investment strategy – farms of this size in Suffolk coming to the open market have been few and far between in recent years and we are confident that Cedar Farm is likely to appeal to a wide audience of potential purchasers.”