Graemetic Ltd - Ravenwood Construction

Building a future for the family farm

You can't - as the saying goes - make a silk purse from a sow's ear, but how about turning a bankrupt pig unit into a multi-million pound complex of second homes for city-dwellers?

It might sound far fetched, but that's just what Suffolk farmers Jonathan and Clare Simper have achieved on their family farm. And what makes it even more remarkable is that the project has had the blessing of planning officials at every stage - despite being situated on East Anglia's Heritage Coast.

Up until four years ago, the family was typical of many farmers across the UK in that they were struggling to find opportunities to make money from the land. Jonathan, in partnership with his father Robert, had farmed up to 1,400 acres of owned and tenanted land near Bawdsey up to the late 1990s, but when their rented land was taken back in-hand, making a living from the remaining 240 acres proved difficult.

One new enterprise they tried was growing mushrooms under cover, although imports from Central Europe eventually put paid to that particular project.

The turning point came shortly after a period when the family had rented out part of their Manor House Estate to an enthusiastic pig producer. Although he got off to a good start, the erratic nature of the pig industry eventually forced him into bankruptcy.

With the farm at Manor Estate sitting unused, Robert, Jonathan, Clare and William Esposito - a lifelong friend of the family who had a background in accountancy and had joined the Simpers to help set up the mushroom enterprise - set about working out what they would do next; they eventually found inspiration in what they saw going on around them. In all the local villages, every house that came onto the market was being snapped up by outsiders, buying second properties for weekend and holiday use.

"We recognised a demand for housing and realised we had farm buildings that could be converted to meet that demand," Jonathan told Farmers Guide. "With that seed of an idea, we started our own building company to put together a project and bring it to fruition."

Ravenwood Construction was set up in 2003 and spent its first year-and-a-half developing its plans in conjunction with the planning department at Suffolk Coastal District Council.

"We wanted to build normal residential houses or barn conversions to sell, but the council said we couldn't," Jonathan said. "The planners said we could build holiday lets, but that wasn't a route we wanted to go down. In the end we reached a compromise and got permission for a development of second homes with restricted occupancy."

What Ravenwood Construction achieved in its first 18 months would, frankly, put many agents to shame (most suggest four years as a realistic target to get a planning application approved). From a site valued at just Ł50,000 before planning permission was granted, Manor House Estate with consent for 21 second homes - 12 new builds and nine conversions - increased in worth to Ł1.1 million.

"Most people think the planners are just there to promote their own agendas, but they are simply following national and local planning policies that have been laid down for them," Jonathan said. "What we have done is to understand what the planning regulations say and sit down with the planners and discuss the ways that might be interpreted.

"Too many people, when they don't get the planning permission they want, will simply write to the planners and say 'we want planning permission, please reconsider your decision'. But that's not how it works.

"William and I spent a full year listening to the planners and getting to know the regulations so that we could put together an application that both we and the planning department could live with."

Building work started on the Manor House Estate site in autumn 2004 and this month the final home, the last of the nine barn conversions, will welcome its owner.

The work was done in three phases with five new builds starting the project, another seven new builds in the second phase and the nine conversions making up the final phase.

"The work was planned so that we could steadily release the homes to their owners to maintain cashflow," Jonathan said. "At the same time, the phases were far enough apart on the site to keep disruption to occupiers from the continuing building work to a minimum."

All the building work has been carried out by Ravenwood Construction with the help of local tradesmen and using - where possible - local materials. The company employed a project manager from the start and has kept tight control, over the project, which has been completed on-time and on-budget.

Jonathan and Clare have also been fully employed by the project. Based in the estate office on the site, they have negotiated almost all the sales themselves and have been fully involved in marketing the homes.

"Our buyers seem to like the idea that they are buying their second home from the farmer who owns the land, is managing the project and intends staying around to manage the site in the future," Jonathan said.

The 21 homes were all sold off-plan and the buyers had a large say in the design of the kitchens and bathrooms. As well as the freehold to their properties, which they can occupy for all but six weeks of the year (early January to the middle of February), they get access to 80 acres of parkland that Jonathan and Robert have dedicated to the estate. Featuring woodland, grassland and hedges, and with paths and picnic areas, this land is for the residents to enjoy in privacy.

In all the project has grossed about Ł5.5 million and is developing into a friendly community that is providing jobs and other benefits in the local area.

"Part of our plan was to secure jobs in the area and we now have two former farm staff working for the estate management company," Jonathan said. "Local shops have also benefited, not only through the extra business from the building workers, but the second home owners as well."

While the Manor House Estate management company, which is part owned by the home owners and partly by Ravenwood Construction, will continue to provide an element of income for the Simper family, Jonathan, Clare and their team, have already started lining up more projects for the future.

They already have planning permission for three barn conversions on a site at Dennington, near Framlingham, which was again achieved in record time.

Secure future

So, with the Manor House Estate project almost complete, is Jonathan Simper a builder or a farmer.

"I'm definitely a farmer who builds," he said. "The whole reason for taking on the project was to keep my family on the land, and one of the first things we did when we had some money was to buy more land.

"In fact, we own more land today than we did when my grandfather, Norman Simper, moved here in 1940."

The recent purchase was 180 acres and some buildings at the former Hollesley Bay prison farm, which brings the Simpers total holding to about 420 acres, although this extra land is unlikely to persuade Jonathan to return to farming full time.

"Most of the land is farmed under contract and it's likely to stay that way," he said. "Things are not getting any easier for farmers and although prices have improved recently, they're still no higher than they were when I left school.

"It's a wonder that anything is grown at all. At one recent farm walk, we saw a farm where the decoupled single payment accounted for the unit's entire profit - and yet they still went through the motions of growing wheat year after year. What's the point of that?"

Perhaps still urged on by the experience of the failed pig man at Manor House Estate, Jonathan is firmly focussed finding the next deal that will help ensure his family's future as landowners.

"We're actively looking for partners to develop new projects on farms across East Anglia and further afield," he said. "We effectively flattened all the buildings that my father and grandfather had built at Manor House Estate to make the most of our asset. They had served their purpose and there was no point keeping them.

"Other farmers will have similar assets that they can develop and we can help. We know what is possible - and just as importantly what isn't - and can bring that experience to the table."

Rather than work on a consultancy basis, Jonathan is more interested in working in joint ventures where the rewards can be considerable for all concerned.

"We have expertise in planning, building, selling and William, who is now our Finance Director, has the contacts to put the financial backing in place for any size of project," he said. "We can't promise that every site has the potential to be developed, but we can point those that do in the right direction, whether that is residential use or light industry.

"As farmers, we also have an insight into the needs of the sector and can help meet these requirements whether they involve raising cash through a project to reduce debt, or developing a site into homes to keep one back for a member of the family."

*****

Award winning project

The Manor House Estate was named winner of the 2006 Best Alternative Land Enterprise (Bale) Award.

Organised by the Suffolk Agricultural Association, the competition aims to find the best farm diversification project in Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire.

In making their decisions, the judges considered the history of the business; its relationship with the farming business; how the business contributed to the local economy; the skills used in setting up the business; and how the income and profitability of the business had grown since its inception.


Published by Farmers Guide, June 2007. Building a future for the family farm You can't - as the saying goes - make a silk purse from a sow's ear, but how about turning a bankrupt pig unit into a multi-million pound complex of second homes for city-dwellers? It might sound far fetched, but that's just what Suffolk farmers Jonathan and Clare Simper have achieved on their family farm. And what makes it even more remarkable is that the project has had the blessing of planning officials at every stage - despite being situated on East Anglia's Heritage Coast. Up until four years ago, the family was typical of many farmers across the UK in that they were struggling to find opportunities to make money from the land. Jonathan, in partnership with his father Robert, had farmed up to 1,400 acres of owned and tenanted land near Bawdsey up to the late 1990s, but when their rented land was taken back in-hand, making a living from the remaining 240 acres proved difficult. One new enterprise they tried was growing mushrooms under cover, although imports from Central Europe eventually put paid to that particular project. The turning point came shortly after a period when the family had rented out part of their Manor House Estate to an enthusiastic pig producer. Although he got off to a good start, the erratic nature of the pig industry eventually forced him into bankruptcy. With the farm at Manor Estate sitting unused, Robert, Jonathan, Clare and William Esposito - a lifelong friend of the family who had a background in accountancy and had joined the Simpers to help set up the mushroom enterprise - set about working out what they would do next; they eventually found inspiration in what they saw going on around them. In all the local villages, every house that came onto the market was being snapped up by outsiders, buying second properties for weekend and holiday use. "We recognised a demand for housing and realised we had farm buildings that could be converted to meet that demand," Jonathan told Farmers Guide. "With that seed of an idea, we started our own building company to put together a project and bring it to fruition." Ravenwood Construction was set up in 2003 and spent its first year-and-a-half developing its plans in conjunction with the planning department at Suffolk Coastal District Council. "We wanted to build normal residential houses or barn conversions to sell, but the council said we couldn't," Jonathan said. "The planners said we could build holiday lets, but that wasn't a route we wanted to go down. In the end we reached a compromise and got permission for a development of second homes with restricted occupancy." What Ravenwood Construction achieved in its first 18 months would, frankly, put many agents to shame (most suggest four years as a realistic target to get a planning application approved). From a site valued at just Ł50,000 before planning permission was granted, Manor House Estate with consent for 21 second homes - 12 new builds and nine conversions - increased in worth to Ł1.1 million. "Most people think the planners are just there to promote their own agendas, but they are simply following national and local planning policies that have been laid down for them," Jonathan said. "What we have done is to understand what the planning regulations say and sit down with the planners and discuss the ways that might be interpreted. "Too many people, when they don't get the planning permission they want, will simply write to the planners and say 'we want planning permission, please reconsider your decision'. But that's not how it works. "William and I spent a full year listening to the planners and getting to know the regulations so that we could put together an application that both we and the planning department could live with." Building work started on the Manor House Estate site in autumn 2004 and this month the final home, the last of the nine barn conversions, will welcome its owner. The work was done in three phases with five new builds starting the project, another seven new builds in the second phase and the nine conversions making up the final phase. "The work was planned so that we could steadily release the homes to their owners to maintain cashflow," Jonathan said. "At the same time, the phases were far enough apart on the site to keep disruption to occupiers from the continuing building work to a minimum." All the building work has been carried out by Ravenwood Construction with the help of local tradesmen and using - where possible - local materials. The company employed a project manager from the start and has kept tight control, over the project, which has been completed on-time and on-budget. Jonathan and Clare have also been fully employed by the project. Based in the estate office on the site, they have negotiated almost all the sales themselves and have been fully involved in marketing the homes. "Our buyers seem to like the idea that they are buying their second home from the farmer who owns the land, is managing the project and intends staying around to manage the site in the future," Jonathan said. The 21 homes were all sold off-plan and the buyers had a large say in the design of the kitchens and bathrooms. As well as the freehold to their properties, which they can occupy for all but six weeks of the year (early January to the middle of February), they get access to 80 acres of parkland that Jonathan and Robert have dedicated to the estate. Featuring woodland, grassland and hedges, and with paths and picnic areas, this land is for the residents to enjoy in privacy. In all the project has grossed about Ł5.5 million and is developing into a friendly community that is providing jobs and other benefits in the local area. "Part of our plan was to secure jobs in the area and we now have two former farm staff working for the estate management company," Jonathan said. "Local shops have also benefited, not only through the extra business from the building workers, but the second home owners as well." While the Manor House Estate management company, which is part owned by the home owners and partly by Ravenwood Construction, will continue to provide an element of income for the Simper family, Jonathan, Clare and their team, have already started lining up more projects for the future. They already have planning permission for three barn conversions on a site at Dennington, near Framlingham, which was again achieved in record time. Secure future So, with the Manor House Estate project almost complete, is Jonathan Simper a builder or a farmer. "I'm definitely a farmer who builds," he said. "The whole reason for taking on the project was to keep my family on the land, and one of the first things we did when we had some money was to buy more land. "In fact, we own more land today than we did when my grandfather, Norman Simper, moved here in 1940." The recent purchase was 180 acres and some buildings at the former Hollesley Bay prison farm, which brings the Simpers total holding to about 420 acres, although this extra land is unlikely to persuade Jonathan to return to farming full time. "Most of the land is farmed under contract and it's likely to stay that way," he said. "Things are not getting any easier for farmers and although prices have improved recently, they're still no higher than they were when I left school. "It's a wonder that anything is grown at all. At one recent farm walk, we saw a farm where the decoupled single payment accounted for the unit's entire profit - and yet they still went through the motions of growing wheat year after year. What's the point of that?" Perhaps still urged on by the experience of the failed pig man at Manor House Estate, Jonathan is firmly focussed finding the next deal that will help ensure his family's future as landowners. "We're actively looking for partners to develop new projects on farms across East Anglia and further afield," he said. "We effectively flattened all the buildings that my father and grandfather had built at Manor House Estate to make the most of our asset. They had served their purpose and there was no point keeping them. "Other farmers will have similar assets that they can develop and we can help. We know what is possible - and just as importantly what isn't - and can bring that experience to the table." Rather than work on a consultancy basis, Jonathan is more interested in working in joint ventures where the rewards can be considerable for all concerned. "We have expertise in planning, building, selling and William, who is now our Finance Director, has the contacts to put the financial backing in place for any size of project," he said. "We can't promise that every site has the potential to be developed, but we can point those that do in the right direction, whether that is residential use or light industry. "As farmers, we also have an insight into the needs of the sector and can help meet these requirements whether they involve raising cash through a project to reduce debt, or developing a site into homes to keep one back for a member of the family." *** Award winning project** The Manor House Estate was named winner of the 2006 Best Alternative Land Enterprise (Bale) Award. Organised by the Suffolk Agricultural Association, the competition aims to find the best farm diversification project in Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire. In making their decisions, the judges considered the history of the business; its relationship with the farming business; how the business contributed to the local economy; the skills used in setting up the business; and how the income and profitability of the business had grown since its inception. Jonathan and Clare Simper have been involved in every detail of the Manor House Estate since the project started four years ago.
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