Agricultural Ties Removal – Continued Success

Farm succession

Carver Knowles success in removing “Agricultural ties” continues. Carver Knowles have successfully removed an Agricultural Occupancy Condition from a Worcestershire farmhouse, even though the property formed part of a working farm and was occupied by the farmer and his wife. The farmhouse formed part of a 160 acre mixed livestock and arable unit and Carver […]

Posted on July 10th, 2015 by

Conversions of agricultural buildings – is the permitted development clearer?

Barn conversion

It has been a year of uncertainty and frustration for farmers, planners and agents alike, as all tried to steer a course through the new Permitted Development Rights legislation that allowed the conversion of qualifying barns into dwellings. Written legislation was very brief and differed from consultation documents, making life difficult for developers and decision […]

Posted on April 21st, 2015 by

Do I need a valuation of my property?

Farmland valuation

Every property owner in the UK will require a valuation of their assets from time to time for a variety of reasons, not just when they are thinking about selling. Property valuations are a huge part of the work we undertake and form a major part of our training and qualifications, therefore it is always […]

Posted on March 17th, 2015 by

New Basic Payment Scheme is open for registration

Following further updates  the online system for BPS registrations is back up and running. The RPA are drip feeding invitations out to farmers through agents, the NFU, the TFA and the CLA to prevent over subscription and the system crashing (in a similar fashion to the tax disc launch!). All farmers wishing to claim single farm […]

Posted on February 18th, 2015 by

Now is the right time to assess cash needs and consider restructuring debt

The beginning of the year is typically the time when farmers take stock of their finances – often in readiness for the annual bank manager review. Given the generally poor outlook for farm-gate prices especially in sectors such as potatoes and dairy, the task this year may not be one to be relished. However, finding […]

Posted on February 12th, 2015 by

Tewkesbury Planning Blueprint

Harbour Wood

Tewkesbury Borough Council unveils its Planning Blueprint for 2011 -2031 Tewkesbury Borough Council has published its draft development plan which sets out where hundreds of homes could be built in the villages surrounding the town. The Tewkesbury Borough Plan puts the meat on the bones of the development blueprint called the Joint Core Strategy which […]

Posted on February 10th, 2015 by

Act now on farm rent reviews

With the 25th March now less than 2 months away it is worth thinking about whether to serve a notice to review your farm rent. Likewise some landlords served notices in March 2014 hoping for rent increases, so with these rents needing to be agreed by the 25th March action should be taken now. Agricultural […]

Posted on February 4th, 2015 by

Farm loans – A guide to securing a loan against a farm.

This blog introduces the main criteria to consider when borrowing against a farm and helps you understand want lenders are looking for and how to put stronger loan applications together. This should help ensure that proposals stand out and have a better chance of being approved. There are 2 key elements: Security The more simple part is […]

Posted on January 30th, 2015 by

Farm diversification ideas – racehorse training yard

Stables are subject to business rates

Carver Knowles have acted on behalf of a local dairy farmer to seek planning consent for the change of use of some redundant dairy buildings into a modern racing yard, complete with warm up arena and all weather gallops. This diversification project will provide a stable income (if you excuse the pun) and a better […]

Posted on January 15th, 2015 by

NFU conference 2015 – ‘Could we survive without Europe?’

NFU

You are invited to the annual Pershore and Upton upon Severn branch of the NFU conference which aims to provoke a debate on the question of Europe. Thursday 22nd January 2015 at 7:30pmThe Frank Parkinson CentrePershore CollegePershoreWR10 3JP Could we contemplate where we would be without it and the support that our competitors would continue to enjoy […]

Posted on December 23rd, 2014 by