ANYBODY who has ever had problems finding the right Christmas tree for their home may want to keep an eye on an online auction being held next month and concluding on fireworks day.

A Christmas tree plantation is among several Exmoor lots going under the hammer with Clive Emson Auctioneers from November 3 to 5.

The 7.83-acre (3.17 hectares) Christmas tree plantation lies to the south of the A396 at Higher Grants, Exebridge, and has a freehold guide price of £50,000 to £60,000.

It is one of the more eye catching of seven lots up for sale at Higher Grants, in the Exe Valley.

Another of the estate’s lots is Lakeside Lodges, a fishing lake on a 10-acre (4.05 hectares) site in a parkland style lawned setting which includes a lakeside lodge with a track leading to four log cabins with a total of nine bedrooms.

The site, just off the B3222 road, has a freehold guide of £250,000 to £270,000 and is let under a tenancy at will which comes to an end on October 31.

Lakeside Lodges, Higher Grants, Exebridge, Dulverton, Somerset, TA22 9BB
An Exe Valley fishing lake is among lots being auctioned. PHOTO: Clive Emson Auctioneers. (Clive Emson Auctioneers)

The main lake is let to Tiverton Angling club on a lease ending in March.

All of the Higher Grants lots on the Somerset and Devon border are being sold separately.

Also going under the hammer is land, just off a junction at Grants Hill which has planning permission for five homes following the demolition of an agricultural building using a Class Q planning application which applies to farmsteads.

The site has a freehold guide of £190,000 to £210,000.

A paddock measuring 2.54 acres (1.03 hectares) has a guide of £25,000 to £30,000.

The site includes a detached stable building as well as a further mono pitch building in need of improvement and repair and could be suitable for conversion to stabling or a replacement building, subject to planning consent.

A second paddock to the west of Grants Hill, in Exebridge, extends to 3.14 acres (1.27 hectares) and also has a guide of £25,000 to £30,000.

The auctioneers said it could be suitable as a pony paddock, a small vineyard, or a number of alternative uses, subject to obtaining the necessary planning consents.

Also listed is the Old Cider House, a two-bedroom semi-detached cottage within Higher Grants Farm, which has a freehold guide of £90,000 to £95,000 and is currently let at £5,400 per annum, but has been marked ‘sold prior’ to auction.

The Lodge, also a two-bedroom semi-detached cottage within the farmstead, has a freehold guide of £100,000 to £105,000 and is currently let at £7,200 per annum.

Auction appraiser James Lofthouse said: “There is a rich variety of lots at Dulverton to choose from, with opportunities for developers, investors, smaller builders, and others with various schemes in mind, subject to the necessary consents.

“The Christmas tree plantation may appeal to those with an eye for an unusual business opportunity, especially as we approach the festive season.”