News, information and updates

Land Agent’s, solicitors and accountants are all guilty of highlighting the importance of succession planning by regaling horror stories and anecdotes of what can happen if it all goes wrong. Less frequently do we outline the starting points for a successful succession plan and the documents that are useful and the key areas that need […]

Business rates as they are commonly referred to are actually called Non-Domestic Rates and can therefore apply to property classed as non-domestic whether it is used privately or as part of a business. Non-domestic rates are assessed on the properties annual rental value (rateable value) multiplied by the nationally set multiplier (unless the small business […]

How to get finance for a diversification project. The main issue with financing a farm diversification project is that it often falls outside what traditional lenders are comfortable with.   This is typically because it’s a new venture and the lender is worried about it not working out.  Statistically only half of business start-ups make it […]

Land Agent’s, solicitors and accountants are all guilty of highlighting the importance of succession planning by regaling horror stories and anecdotes of what can happen if it all goes wrong. Less frequently do we outline the starting points for a successful succession plan and the documents that are useful and the key areas that need […]

How to get the Local Planning Authority on Board. With planning policy and controls becoming increasingly stringent, many local business are put off by the idea of large scale development or even redevelopment of their sites. Whilst we are under no illusions that the time and costs of large scale planning can be considerable, it […]

The most common occurrence of when someone needs to access your land is in relation to the installation or the maintenance of a utility company’s equipment such as water pipelines. Within Worcestershire and Gloucestershire the main water company will be Severn Trent and for places like Hereford and Ross on Wye it will be Welsh […]

Cross compliance rules need to be followed all year round and with Inspectors able to arrive at farms unannounced farmers need to be prepared to ensure they are not risking their Basic Payment. When it comes to farm inspections one of the most important points is to never refuse access. Preventing an Inspector from carrying […]

The LEADER grant has re-opened in Worcestershire. LEADER is a scheme within the Rural Development Programme which offers grants ranging from £2,500 – £35,000 to local business and organisations based on 35% of the cost of the project being granted. Eligible claimants could be farmers, growers, foresters, local rural businesses and rural community organisations and […]

As mobile phones become smarter and more critical to our daily lives, the demand on mobile phone masts to deliver phone calls and data has significantly increased in recent years. Added to this is the recent announcement of the Government policy to tackle mobile phone “not-spots” and also the roll out of the 4G and […]

What else could I do with my farm buildings? We are often asked what else could I do with my farm buildings, particularly in recent months when all agricultural sectors seem to be struggling with low prices and high input costs. Alternative income streams can provide a stable income to level out the undulations of […]