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20.03.2023
You could be forgiven for thinking that there was not much on offer for rural businesses and places in the Spring 2023 Budget. There were a few significant announcements, which include: The 100% first year allowance for companies to be able to write off the full cost of qualifying main rate plant and machinery investment […]
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23.02.2023
A Forestry Training Fund has been launched to cover training costs for short, practical forestry courses – although new applicants will have to wait a year to benefit. The Forestry Commission is making funding available for people considering a change of career or seeking to build and diversify their skills in forestry and who want […]
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16.02.2023
Multiple calls have been made over the past five years for a more strategic approach to land use in England. What we want from land is becoming increasingly complex. As a society, we want land to produce food, for housing and infrastructure, to generate energy, sequester carbon, restore biodiversity, and provide opportunities for public access […]
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14.02.2023
A useful guide for property and land owners and managers when making decisions about their property that affects its impact on the environment and society. Decisions should ideally be responsible, based on sound principles and of high-integrity.
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08.02.2023
Nature is currently under an enormous amount of pressure due the impact of climate change and the cumulative effects of human activity. A State of Nature report published in 2019 concluded that over 40% of UK species had declined since the 1970s. This is clearly worrying for all of us, and something needs to be […]
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07.02.2023
Strutt & Parker’s 15-strong energy team advises and negotiates on behalf of rural clients on a wide range of both small-scale and large-scale renewables projects. They are heavily involved with energy audits and feasibility assessments – for all types of renewable energy – as well as negotiating lease terms, expert witness work, valuations and advising […]
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24.01.2023
In the summer of 2022, when the sun shone almost continually, there was one issue debated during the Conservative Party leadership elections that particularly caught my attention – solar farms. It seemed that the two hopefuls, Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, were both against them. Yet this seemed at odds with our own experiences and […]
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20.01.2023
We are sitting on a demographic time-bomb. Improvements in life expectancy along with declining birth rates means that the UK has an ageing population. According to data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS), around one-fifth of the UK population – or around 12.3m people – was aged 65 or over in 2019 but by […]
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05.01.2023
Finding new ways to maximise the value of assets has allowed one farming family to future-proof their business It was his sister’s wedding in 2008 that gave Guy Taylor the idea which was to change his life and help secure the future of the family farm. Guests were so complimentary about the 18th Century granary barn […]
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16.12.2022
The economic downturn, the shifting sands of agricultural policy, climate change, the biodiversity crisis and soaring input prices are likely to be critical influences within the rural sector in 2023, according to land and property specialists Strutt & Parker. Rhodri Thomas, Head of Rural at Strutt & Parker, says: “It is clear we are facing […]
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14.12.2022
The news that a French energy firm is trialling the use of agrivoltaics technology to allow the production of combinable crops and solar energy to co-exist has generated significant interest across the world. Critics of solar farms argue that it is wrong to take land out of agricultural production at a time when food security […]
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12.12.2022
A real Christmas tree is a non-negotiable part of the festive season for many people. The British Christmas Tree Growers’ Association estimates that between 8-10m Christmas trees are sold in the UK each year. While artificial trees can be practical, for a lot of people they just don’t compete with the distinctive smell and look […]
