Denbrae Farm, Cupar, Fife, KY15

CLOSING DATE SET FOR WEDNESDAY, 29 May 2024 AT 12 NOON.

Closing Date Set: 12.00 noon on Wednesday 29 May 2024

SITUATION
Denbrae Farm is an attractive mixed arable unit situated in a desirable location within rural North East Fife, a short distance to the north of the popular town of Cupar and about 8 miles west of St Andrews. Cupar offers an excellent range of local amenities with a very good selection of shops, supermarkets, pubs, restaurants and leisure facilities, while just a short drive to the east lies the ancient and historic university town of St Andrews, renowned worldwide as the Home of Golf. Dundee is about a twenty minute drive to the north over the River Tay, and is a city very much on the up which is already home to Scott's ship RRS Discovery and the V & A Museum. Dundee provides a wider offering of retail, business services and amenities, whilst Perth is just over half an hour to the north west, and Edinburgh is about an hour's drive to the south.

The farm benefits from an attractive outlook across the surrounding countryside comprising a mix of rolling farmland, areas of woodland and hill ground. The area is home to an array of wildlife and provides great scope for the outdoor enthusiast with walking, cycling and riding all readily available. There are many highly regarded golf courses in the area including championship courses at Carnoustie and the Old Course at St Andrews, both of which regularly host the British Open, Ladybank, The Duke's Course, Kingsbarns, Elie, Lundin Links and Crail. There are also the pretty fishing villages of Fife's quaint East Neuk such as Anstruther, Pittenweem and St Monans within comfortable driving distance. In terms of days out there are good sandy beaches at St Andrews, Elie, Kingsbarns and Tentsmuir, along with a number of popular National Trust for Scotland properties including Hill of Tarvit, Falkland Palace and Kellie Castle.

State schooling is available locally in Cupar with independent schooling being provided at the High School of Dundee and St Leonards in St Andrews. There are railway stations in Cupar, Leuchars and Ladybank with Edinburgh Airport about one hour to the south. The regional airport at Dundee offers a good selection of short-haul flights.

This area of Fife is well served by a wide variety of agricultural contractors, merchants, and suppliers, and there is a successful local machinery ring which can provide additional farming resources as required. Regular livestock sales are held at UA Stirling Agricultural Centre which is 55 miles to the west. Traditionally this area of Fife is known for its fertile land, capable of producing high yields of an extensive range of crops and the area is well suited to intensive cropping and livestock.

METHOD OF SALE
Denbrae Farm is offered for sale as a whole.

FARMING SYSTEM
The current owner's family have farmed Denbrae since 1918, with the farming system historically being centred on a mixed arable and livestock farming enterprise, with cereals and temporary grass grown as part of the rotation and with some of the grain and all of straw used for home consumption. The land has benefitted from regular applications of farmyard manure generated from the livestock enterprise which has historically comprised of 30 suckler cows and 100 store cattle, with 200 breeding ewes plus followers, although stocking numbers have been reduced in recent years. The arable ground in more recent time has been let to a local farming business and used for the growing of winter and spring cereals, in addition to other crops such broccoli, sugar beet and rye.

DESCRIPTION
Denbrae Farm presents an excellent mixed arable unit located in a highly sought after and accessible location within North East Fife. Denbrae Farmhouse is situated on the south eastern side of the traditional courtyard which forms part of the farm steading and is accessed directly off the public road, with a further semi-detached cottage located a short distance to the south east of the farm steading adjacent to several third party cottages. The holding benefits from an excellent range of modern and traditional farm buildings situated adjacent to the farmhouse which are readily accessible from the public road, and which may present future development opportunities for alternative use subject to obtaining necessary planning consents.

The farmland at Denbrae comprises a productive mix of Grade 3.1 and 3.2 arable and pasture ground which extends to approximately 153.55 Ha (379.42 Acres) in total and is split in two separate blocks by the public road. The farmland benefits from an excellent level of access either from field gates which lead directly onto the adjacent public road or via a network of internal farm tracks which lead north and south from public road.

Denbrae Farmhouse
The farmhouse is situated on the south eastern side of the traditional courtyard which forms part of the farm steading and is accessed directly off the minor public road. The house benefits from a southerly aspect and fine views over the surrounding countryside. The farmhouse is of traditional stone construction under a pitched slate roof and accommodation is provided over one level comprising 3 Bedrooms, small Kitchen, Living Room and Bathroom. The accommodation and room dimensions are set out in more detail in the floor plan contained within these particulars. The farmhouse requires modernisation throughout but with addition of the adjacent farm buildings may present a unique opportunity to develop into a substantial family home.

No.4 Denbrae Cottage
A semi-detached cottage located just to the south east of the farm steading adjacent to 4 other third party cottages. The cottage is of traditional stone construction set under a pantile roof with flat roof extension to the rear. The accommodation laid out over one level and the room dimensions are laid out in more detail in the floorplans contained within this brochure.

Garden Ground
To the front and west of the cottage there is an attractive area of private garden ground which is mostly laid to lawn and enclosed by a small hedging and stone dyke. There is a timber-built garage and a brick-built log and coal bunker adjoining the southern wall of the cottage. The cottage is accessed via a shared private road which leads south from the public road, and the property benefits from an area of hard standing adjacent to the garage providing vehicle parking. There are a number small paddocks located to the west of the cottage, which would allow for further enlargement of the garden area, or may present opportunities for other amenity uses if required.

Denbrae Farm Buildings
The farm is serviced by an extensive range of traditional and modern farm buildings which are situated centrally within the holding and lie adjacent to the public road. The traditional buildings form a
courtyard steading with several more modern buildings located to the north west of the farm steading.

The buildings comprise:

Traditional Courtyard Steading
Located adjacent to the farmhouse and largely of traditional stone construction, under a mix of box
profile, corrugated, pantile and slate roofs. The traditional buildings may present future opportunities
for conversion and development to alternative use, subject to obtaining necessary planning consents.

The traditional steading is split into the following:
1. Cart Shed (18.9m x 5.9m) of stone construction under a slate roof with an earth floor and loft space above.
2. Former Mill Shed (41.8m x 5.86m) of stone construction under a box profile roof with an earth and concrete floor.
3. Cattle Reeds (20.6m x 20.1m) of stone construction under slate and pantile roofs with a cobbled floor split into 4 courts.
4. Store/Former Stable (22.1m x 5.5m) of stone construction under a box profile roof with a concrete
floor.
5. Small Stable (5.5m x 3.82m) of stone and brick construction under a slate roof with a cobbled floor.
6. Workshop (6.2m x 4.75m) of stone construction under a slate roof with a concrete floor.
7. Loose Pen (6.1m x 4.79m) of stone construction under a slate roof with a concrete floor.
8. Byre & Loose Pens (21.89m x 5.13m) of stone construction under a slate roof with a stone floor.
9. Turnip Shed (19.8m x 6.16m) of stone construction under a slate roof with a cobbled floor.
10. Cattle Court (22.4m x 5.21m) of stone construction under a tin and slate roof with a concrete floor.
11. Mono-pitch Implement Shed (10.2m x 5.68m) of stone construction set under a tin roof with an earth floor.
12. Former Engine Room / Store (7.6m x 5.89m) of stone construction under a box profile roof with a concrete floor.

In addition to the traditional range of buildings there are several more modern buildings including:

13. Lean-to Store * (12.2m x 11.0m) of timber frame construction under a tin roof with tin walls and an earth floor.
14. Store Shed 2 (7.66m x 6.26m) of timber frame construction with under a tin roof and side cladding and an earth floor.
15. Atcost Shed (36.7m x 12.0m) of concrete frame construction under a corrugated roof with brick walls and a concrete floor.
16. Pole Barn* (18.0m x 13.0m) of timber pole construction under a tin roof with an earth floor.
17. Grain Silo with capacity for about 40 tonnes.

* Please note there has been some storm damage to the roofs on buildings No 13 and 16 since the photographs were taken. The Seller does not intend to repair these roofs prior to a sale.

There is large yard area located to the west of the farm buildings used for fodder and machinery storage.

Farmland
The farmland at Denbrae extends to approximately 153.55 Ha (379.42 Acres) in total including road, yards and buildings, with the farmland principally classified by the James Hutton Institute as a productive block Grade 3.1 and Grade 3.2 and down to mix of arable and pasture ground. The arable land is very well suited to growing a wide range of cereal and vegetable crops with the most recent cropping including winter and spring barley, wheat and rye, in addition to a range of other crops such as broccoli, sugar beet and flax as part of a regular grassland rotation. There are several areas of pasture located to the north west of the farm steading which have been used for sheep grazing, with several small areas of amenity woodland interspersed across the holding providing shelter and amenity. A detailed cropping history schedule is contained at the end of this brochure. The land is generally of a southerly aspect, rising overall from approximately 55m on the most southern boundary to 130m above sea level at its highest point within the north west corner of field 5. The arable land can be worked to a good depth and a continuous programme of ditching and drainage works, and healthy application of farmyard manure generated on the holding over the years, have ensured that the land has been utilised to its maximum potential. The land is relatively free draining allowing for both establishment and harvest to be successfully completed at the extreme ends of the season. The enclosures are all well laid out and of a generous size, can easily accommodate modern machinery, and are readily accessible directly off either the public road or via an excellent network of internal tracks which lead off the main road.

EPC Rating = F