Cambridgeshire County Council is advertising for new tenants for seven council-owned farms, part of the council’s 33,000 acre rural estate.

The council’s estate – the largest public sector estate in the country – is divided into 226 holdings, with 160 different tenants. The seven farms up for application,1,800 acres in total, are in South Cambridgeshire, Fenland and Littleport. Interest is already high, with 67 viewings booked.

The estate brings in £5M in rent to the council council each year, to support local services. It contributes to the local economy, enables the council to put its environmental commitments into practice, and ensure public access to the countryside with permissive paths and bridleways.

The council is looking for innovative, entrepreneurial applicants with new ideas for developing their own businesses on the land. These could well be arable or livestock farming, but there are also opportunities for ancillary enterprises such as livery, farm shops or engineering.

Applicants will need to demonstrate that they have the necessary skills and a viable three-year business plan and budget. They will also need to show that they understand the council’s expectations for the farms estate, and in particular are keen to farm in step with nature and do their bit to help tackle climate change and increase biodiversity.

Interviews will take place in March, and tenancies will be ready to take up from October onwards. The council has published a brochure about this opportunity, which can be downloaded here.

This morning I was on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire telling Richard ‘Spanners’ Ready about this terrific opportunity. You can hear the interview here.