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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Ryan Merrifield

Shepherd's hut and barn close to UK's most expensive seaside town on sale for £475k

A tiny shepherd's hut and barn have gone on sale for almost half a million pounds.

The green four-wheeled shed and stone building overlook magnificent views of the South Devon seascape, sitting close to Britain's most expensive seaside town.

The £475,000 asking price is twice the UK average for a house and there's no guarantee it can all be used as a residential property.

The listing says the barn, in South Hams, has potential for change of use, but that is subject to planning permission.

Buyers would also get 1.07 acres of land.

The plot, called Shell Barn, is situated about one mile from the village of East Prawle.

It's close to Salcombe where homes sell for an average of £1.2million.

The barn would need planning permission to be made into a home (luscombemaye.com)

The current UK average is £287,880.

The listing says the barn measures 4.60 metres wide and 8 metres long, or 791 square feet.

It adds: "Attached to the east elevation of the barn is a single storey modern farm building extension which measures (externally) as 4.60 m wide x 4.80 metres long, so 22.00 square metres (237 square feet).

"The total therefore of the two buildings combined of 95.60 square metres (1,028 square feet).

It boasts phenomenal views of the South Devon coast (luscombemaye.com)

"Constructed of stone built walls under a slate roof, the stone barn is mainly open plan on both floors but with a small store to one side on the ground floor with a WC installed.

"The barn stands in its own area of agricultural land which is all down to grass and bordered by a council maintained highway on the west boundary and surrounded by agricultural land on the other boundaries."

Former Tory PM David Cameron bought a shepherd's hut in 2017 in the aftermath of Brexit and his resignation from Downing Street.

He planned to use it to write his memoirs and paid just £25,000 for it.

It's value is twice that of the average UK home (luscombemaye.com)

The politician later purchased a second hut for his holiday home in Cornwall.

Residents of Salcombe have been left frustrated that prices have risen by 123 percent in the last 10 years - and 33 percent per annum.

Julian Brazil, the Liberal Democrat opposition leader, told the Daily Mail: "The problem is that the key workers…not just the teachers and the nurses and the care workers, but also the cleaners and the dustman and the postmen and basically everyone that keeps it going, just cannot afford to live down here."

Beth Hillier, owner of beach shop Aloft, said she thinks the towns exclusivity is what appeals to the wealthy buyers.

David Cameron and his wife Samantha during a trip to Cornwall (Getty)

She said: "It's this little unknown spot that people have discovered over the years [with] a very tasteful, relaxed pace of life.

"I do think people like the feeling that they're somewhere expensive, and it's just got that sort of very relaxed vibe where people stopped life and got off the treadmill for a week."

South Hams last year voted in favour of a policy where council tax on second homes would be charged at double the normal rate.

However, a loophole reportedly allowed many owners to switch to business rates and avoid any tax.

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