Shotley Estate Woodlands, Consett, Northumberland, DH8

A well-managed commercial woodland portfolio in an attractive location with good transport links.

Description

Situation
The Shotley Estate Woodlands lie on the west side of the Derwent Valley on the Northumberland and Durham border approximately 1 mile west of Shotley Bridge and 2 miles from Consett. The property is situated almost mid-way between Hexham (17 miles), Newcastle (16 miles), and Durham (15 miles). The woodlands lie in a number of separate blocks, mostly with good access directly onto council-maintained roads. The Woodlands also benefit from good access to the A68 trunk road and are well placed for access to several nearby sawmills including Harelaw Sawmill, Consett (8 miles), James Jones, Gateshead (14 miles) Egger, Hexham (16 miles), and TaylorMade, Durham (21 miles).

Description
The woodlands in all extend to approximately 220.55 hectares (545 acres), being the major proportion of the woodlands historically owned and managed by the Shotley estate. The woodlands have been commercially managed with excellent stands of mixed aged timber, the majority of which is well-established conifers offering a regular income stream for the purchasers. The woodlands lie within attractive countryside on the western side of the Derwent Valley and generally benefit from good road frontage and accessibility.

The land lies between 100 metres above sea level up to 276 metres above sea level on the western boundary. Most of the land is grade 3 on the Agricultural Land Classification Maps, with some grade 4 land towards the western boundary. The soils are typically slowly permeable, seasonally wet, acid loamy and clayey soils, good for tree growth with the woodland generally on level, or slightly sloping ground.

The woodlands are generally commercial woodland blocks managed for timber production. The estate historically employed a team of forestry staff who worked in the estate’s sawmill, woodlands, and tree nursery, so there is a legacy of commercially managed woodland. Timber is generally of good form and capable of supplying the high value sawlog market in addition to a range of lower grade products from pallet wood and chip wood/ biofuel. The stands are characterised by regular thinning, which has achieved even densities and a yield class being at the mid to higher end of those expected for the species. The primary conifer species are Scots pine, Norway spruce, Sitka spruce and Douglas fir. The estate benefits from high levels of natural re-generation of both conifer and broadleaved species in many of the woodland blocks. Oak is particularly well-suited to the site and can be found across many of the compartments mixed with conifers.

The property has been lotted to provide greater flexibility and opportunity for purchasers. This sale also includes arable land which could appeal to local farmers, or offer opportunities for further tree planting, BNG, or carbon offsetting opportunities. There is an attractive grass paddock with small woodland strip immediately to the east of the houses at Low Waskerley which would make ideal paddocks.




Acreage: 545 Acres

Additional Info

Nearest Postcode: DH8 9JY (Low Waskerley), adjacent to lots 2, 3 & 4.

Rights of Way, Easements and Wayleaves: The property is sold subject to and with the benefit of all wayleaves, easements and rights of way whether public or private whether mentioned or not. There are a few public footpaths which cross the estate together with one bridleway which passes through lot 1. There is a claim for a Byway open to all traffic going through part of lot 1. The main Waskerley Edge plantation has no public rights of way crossing it. There is access from the public highway to many of the woodlands, complemented by some internal forest tracks for management and extraction purposes. The compartments in lot 1 which have no direct road frontage, have the benefit of a legal right of way over tracks or farmland to the nearest convenient track or public road. In practice, as the adjoining farmland is in third party ownership, access routes have been subject to agreement with the adjoining landowners, and compensation paid as appropriate.

Sporting Rights: The sporting rights are included in the sale in so far as they are owned.

Local Authority: Northumberland County Council

Environmental Schemes and Licences: The entire woodland was entered into the Countryside Stewardship High-Tier Woodland Improvement Grant (WD2), which commenced in January 2022 with the scheme running for five years, expiring at the end of December 2026. The woodland is currently managed under a Forestry Commission approved management plan and associated felling licence, (licence number 022/1172/2021), which runs until 29th June 2026. The clearance of windblow in compartment 37b (lot 2) was undertaken under felling licence 022/392/2022. An extension was granted until 31st January 2026 to re-stock compartment 37b.

Designations: Compartments 62 and 63 in lot 1 lie within the Shotley conservation area.

Mineral Rights: The mineral rights are reserved to previous owners.

Tenure: The freehold of the property is offered for sale with vacant possession on completion. Felled timber stacked at roadside is reserved to the vendors.

Method of Sale: The property is offered for sale by private treaty as a whole or in lots. Prospective purchasers are encouraged to register their interest with the selling agents as soon as possible, and to confirm which areas they are interested in.

Viewing: Strictly by appointment with the sole selling agents, Savills York .

Health and Safety: Given the potential hazards we would ask you to be as vigilant as possible when inspecting the woodlands for your own personal safety.

Date of Information: Particulars prepared August 2025, Photographs taken August 2025, Reference 20250828AWBDA