A LOG cabin in woodland on the Blackdown Hills outside Wellington sold at auction last week for nearly £130,000.

The cabin was built under ‘permitted development rights’, which usually cover developments such as small extensions to a house, loft conversions, or outbuildings.

It sits in 6.55 acres of permanent pasture and woodland in Lower Harding Wood, off Ford Street, within the Blackdown Hills National Landscape about two miles south of Wellington.

Auctioneers Greenslade Taylor Hunt (GTH) listed the site with a pre-sale estimate of £80,000, but it eventually went for £128,000.

The seller, Guy Vowles, of Severnhold Ltd, said the sum achieved was ‘a figure well beyond our expectations’.

Mr Vowles said: “I had been looking at some of Greenslade Taylor Hunt’s auction results, which seemed to be attracting good prices for small parcels of land, so decided, that it was the better way forward.”

He thanked GTH rural surveyor Mollie Gillard and apprentice agricultural surveyor Verity Johnson for their ‘canny’ marketing of the log cabin, which went under the hammer in a sale held in the Shrubbery Hotel, in Ilminster.

A GTH spokesperson said: “The property and land auction once again showed the continued strength of demand for investment and rural property with competitive bidding both in the room and online with several lots achieving exceptional results.”

The spokesperson said the log cabin was set in ‘an idyllic and unspoilt countryside location’ suitable for a variety of agricultural and amenity purposes, subject to the necessary planning consents.

They said Lower Harding Wood included mature broadleaf woodland, a young orchard, and a small area of gently sloping permanent pasture classified as being grade three and grade five agricultural land.

The spokesperson said: “The land is contained within treeline and small earth bank boundaries, one of which is adjacent to the public highway on the western boundary, where access can be gained.

“The sale includes a charming single storey timber cabin, complete with a pitched felt roof and thoughtfully designed external features.

“A timber decking area extends from the northern elevation, providing an attractive outdoor seating space, while a covered porch to the east offers a sheltered entrance.

“We understand the cabin was erected under permitted development rights.”

The spokesperson said the cabin had an open plan living area with timber flooring, a log burning stove with flue, an eco toilet, and double doors opening to the woodland and countryside views, with a store at the rear of the property, and was served by a spring water supply feeding a tank with a tap.

They said it was understood by GTH that the land was subject to a covenant restricting its use only for woodland and forestry.

If planning permission was gained for an alternative use in the next eight years to 2033, then 20 per cent of the uplift in its value resulting from development would be due to a previous owner.

The spokesperson said: “This does not affect any permitted developments the wood enjoys.”