Dog-walkers pay £100,000s for the pleasure

You buy a £1,200 dog, you pay vets bills of £100s and feeding the animal averages £70 per year. But where dog-owners used to complain about that, now they are splashing out up to £350,000 on land primarily for dog walking.

TIt's dog owners that are driving price rises in a market for land where they can walk their dogs. It has created a mini-boom in prices for the right kind of land, which now goes for three times the £4,000-per-acre UK average for agricultural land.

That's what's driving interest in land that Vantage Land has for sale at Saltash, near Plymouth in Devon. This 7-acre plot in a delightful location down quiet Longlands Lane on the edge of this town has most recently been used for grazing. But now it is attracting dogwalking buyers.

The land has commanding views of the River Lynher, its own water supply and mature hedging on either side. It would be a useful pony paddock were it not for the dogwalkers who want to buy it.

"We're seeing a surge in demand from people, mainly from cities, who want land nearby where they can let their dog run at weekends, where they can picnic and maybe even grow vegetables or their own woodland," says Vantage Land.

Priced at £80,000, it is a mile from the main A38 and five miles from Plymouth over the Tamar Bridge. It is also within easy reach of both Dartmoor and the dramatic Cornish coast.

"People are buying amenity land in 5-acre to 60-acre blocks because they want somewhere to walk their dogs. This is land that is only marginally commercial for agricultural use and no use yet for building but ideal for watching your dog at play and for giving yourself some exercise.

"In terms of this land's investment value, buyers are thinking in terms of capital uplift rather than yield - that's how much more they will make from it when they sell it rather than how much rent they can get from it now."

Occasionally there is development potential on land like this but most dog owners seem happy to keep it like it is. They can justify their investment in terms of the speedy rise in prices for land of this kind.

If it comes with woodland, some tax breaks apply. Income from commercial timber sales is free of both income and capital gains tax and, after two years of ownership, woodland is 100% free of inheritance tax. "But most owners are just happy that their dog is happy," say Vantage Land.

For more information, contact Vantage Land on 01727 701640. Visit www.vantageland.co.uk

Notes for editors

Vantage Land was started in 2003 as a specialist land buyer and seller, working closely with landowners throughout the UK.

It has a portfolio of land for sale all over England.

Vantage Land provides a proactive, professional service that puts the needs of the customer first. It is dedicated to providing the best possible results. Meeting its customer's needs is at the core of its business culture.

Vantage Land is located in modern purpose designed offices in Hertfordshire. Visitors are welcome.

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