A Kilmarnock farmer says his family has been devastated by a land deal with developers that has seen them lose their £27m worth of land for just £350,000. Farmer Jamie McFadzean said his father had even suffered a heart attack due to the fact that he realized he had simply given away the family fortune. The result was that Mr. McFadzean staged a sit-in in the East Ayrshire Council chambers.
It all came about when George the father agreed to a contract in 2001 that would eventually see the transfer of ownership of 90 acres of Northcraig Farm to developers Hallam Land Management for just £350,000. The land has been in the family since 1926. However, at today’s Kilmarnock value, land for sale fetches around £300,000 per acre.
Jamie’s argument is that her father had agreed an initial £350,000 from the developers, but with the understanding that further payments of substantial amounts would be made when construction of the house on the land began. The land itself is situated next to the Southcraigs estate. Another factor, Jamie says, is that the developers told her 68-year-old father that if work hadn’t started within seven years, the deal was off and the property would revert to the family. However, the exact opposite seems to have happened.
He told the Kilmarnock Standard newspaper: “This ruined my parents’ lives. My mum and dad used to be happy people, but not anymore. The only reason my dad took the deal was because he was sure that if it didn’t happen nothing with the land, and as a consequence he received no additional payment, at least he would return to our family.Instead, nothing happened, no additional payment was ever made and the property after seven years remained with Hallam Land Management.When my dad found out this was the case, he collapsed with a heart attack, that’s how badly it has affected our family. We all live here and my dad and my brother, David, still farm the land. It’s our life and we’re seeing it happen to us. away for a pittance”.
Now, nine years after the contract was signed, the family faces eviction from their home as HLM now intends to build on Northcraig. They intend to build 500 new homes on the farm site and are about to submit their planning application to the local authority.
Jamie is now seeking legal advice on the original contract signed by her father and the original solicitor, who is now the sheriff of a court in Ayrshire. Jamie has revealed that just before he signed with HLM, McLean Homes offered £11m for the entire site and the deal went through. But his father asked his lawyers for advice and together they thought that the HLM deal was better, all of this was based on the option of recovery after seven years. Jamie said he can justify his father’s reluctance to sign the deal with HLM the day before with the paperwork he has on his property. Although HLM declined to comment to the Kilmarnock Standard newspaper in response to Jamie’s claims, there is no indication that any of the parties involved acted illegally in this land sale case.
http://www.uklandforsale.org
