Lord's ancestral estate on sale for £35m

The land includes the Simonside Hills in Northumberland

Nearly 9,500 acres of rural ancestral estate have been put up for sale for £35m.

Rothbury Estate in Northumberland is owned by the Duke of Northumberland's youngest son, Lord Max Percy, and has been in the family for about 700 years.

A spokesman for the estate said all tenants and staff affected had been informed and were being consulted.

Rothbury councillor Steven Bridgett said he feared the estate would be bought "by a business or corporation for tax purposes or by someone with more money than sense".

Mr Bridgett said there were concerns it could be developed or planted with trees "as a result of government funding priorities".

“Because, by the looks of it, we are all going to be eating bark in the future," he said.

Estate agent Knight Frank has described the land as “the single largest ringfenced carbon offsetting opportunity to come to the open market in England”.

It said the 9,500-acre estate was also the "largest block of land to come on the market in England in the last 30 years" and encompassed 12 farms, more than 1,800 acres of woodland, fishing and shooting opportunities, 23 residential properties, a caravan park, and a pub.

The land has a grouse moor, and pheasant and partridge shooting opportunities

While elements of the land are managed by Northumberland Estates, it said the sale was private and the land had not been part of the Ducal estate for more than 30 years, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

A spokesman for the company said: “After much consideration, Lord Max has decided to sell an area of land forming part of the Rothbury Estate to the south of the town.

"All tenants and staff affected by the potential sale have been informed and engagement is being undertaken with all stakeholders to ensure that the sale process is managed appropriately.”

The land, which includes the popular Simonside Hills, belonged to the monarch from 1095 for a century before being passed to the second Henry Percy of Alnwick in 1328.

Mr Bridgett said England needed laws that allowed the community to buy the land in these circumstances.

“That would have enabled the local Rothbury community to take ownership of this estate and enhance and preserve this beautiful landscape for future generations," he said.

When asked whether it would consider buying the land, the National Trust said: "As a charity with limited resources, we must assess any opportunity to look after land on a case-by-case basis, taking into account what's best for nature, the environment and people.

"At this time, we are unable to make any further comment."