News, information and updates

What is a Rural Chartered Surveyor? Rural Surveyors (or Land Agents) offer professional advice working alongside professional advisers such as accountants and solicitors.   They provide advice on Agriculture, Farm Diversification, Finance, Planning Consultancy, Strategic Development,  Property Agency, Compulsory Purchase, Taxation and Renewable Energy Projects. Becoming a Rural Practice Chartered Surveyor brings with it a […]

Mike Cluley from Carver Knowles in Worcestershire helps us to understand. The Greening rules are a compulsory requirement of the Basic Payment Scheme. They contribute to approximately 30% of the value of their total BPS claim value. If a farmer does not comply with the rules they will lose some or all of their “greening” […]

When is development immune from enforcement action?  You may remember the case of the farmer who wrapped his house in straw bales. In 2001 Robert Fidler built a new house on greenbelt land in Surrey and hid it behind straw bales www.telegraph.co.uk. In 2006 he removed the straw bales to reveal the house that he had […]

In this blog Andrew Troughton of Carver Knowles, Chartered Surveyors and Land Agents in Worcestershire explains all: Disclaimer 1 – This article is not about Pension Auto Enrollment, but looks at how farmers can use SSAS Pensions (Small Self-Administered pension Schemes) to take control of, and better use their pensions. Disclaimer 2 – We are Land […]

One of many promises made by the Conservatives during the run up to the election was to encourage rural development in order to develop the rural economy. Last week George Osbourne and Liz Truss indicated they were delivering their promise in an article in the Telegraph.They have now issued their 10 point plan so Julie Branfield, […]

The New Model Clauses for England come into force on 1st October 2015 which alter the liability for the maintenance, repair, replacement and insurance of fixed equipment between landlord and tenant where tenancies are governed by the Agricultural Holdings Act 1986. The Model Clauses apply to all agricultural tenancies governed by the AHA, save for […]

Following on from the launch of the Countryside Stewardship Scheme (CSS) last month we are now able to see how the application process works in terms of physical paperwork and also get to grips with some of the lesser known compulsory scheme requirements. On the face of it, the Mid-Tier application paperwork is very similar […]

Approximately 76.5 acres (30.96 ha) of arable land in 7 field parcels situated off the A46 near Ashton Under Hill, Evesham TENANCY DETAILS The land is offered to let on a ten year Farm Business Tenancy commencing from 29th September 2015. Further details in regards to the proposed tenancy agreement can be found in the […]

Growth program for the rural economy providing grants to small rural businesses. What is the growth programme? In a nutshell, it provides funding to help projects in England which create jobs and help rural economy growth.  The grants are funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).  The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) manages […]

We are often asked what else could I do with my farm buildings, particularly in recent weeks 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 farming activity and either give extra cash to invest […]