Ownership of land that is the subject of planning applications at Hamilton Garage, Sidford and Village End, Sidford.

In the two planning applications related to proposed development of the garden that once belonged to 'Village End' Sidford, the applicant is given as a Mr R Hooper of Hamilton Garage Sidford. However, matters are more convoluted. The following information was obtained from the Land Registry.


The property Village End in Sidford is registered under title DN83937. The stated purchase price for a transaction dated 20 January 2003 was £275,000 with a new registered owner of HAMILTON GARAGE LIMITED (company reg'n number 01879913) of 9 Upcott Avenue, Pottington Industrial Estate, Barnstaple, Devon EX31 1HN. Presumably this is the price paid to Mrs Stevenson who owned and lived in the property for many years.

On 9 May 2003 a new filed plan was submitted based on the latest revision of the Ordnance Survey map and a part of the land was removed from the title and registered under a different number (in effect part of the garden was sold and no longer forms a part of the property 'Village End'). This new title is DN479538 and was created by virtue of a Transfer dated 8 May 2003 from Hamilton Garage to two persons: Keith Albert Hoskin and Richard Neal Hooper.

Additional details on title DN479538 give a description of the land transferred as "land on the east side of Village End, Church St, Sidford". The price paid was stated to be £50,000 (without mortgage or charge) and the new owners are listed as

Keith Albert HOSKIN of Haymans Farm, Broadclyst, Exeter, Devon, and

Richard Neal HOOPER of Middle Hill House, Church Hill, Honiton, Devon EX14 8TE.

Presumably it is this land, owned by two individuals (rather than by Hamilton Garage) that is now the subject of the planning application to build four houses. There may be several reasons concerned with tax planning (etc) why the ownership was changed.

Thus:

The development value of the site with permission for four dwellings may be as high as £500,000. The current value of the property 'Village End' with only a small residual garden area may be around £200,000 - a total of £700,000 compared to £275,000. These are estimated valuations.


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