Land Sales Articles
28th March 2024
Defra has been reviewing the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) to ensure that the scheme is effective and not used too heavily across the farming industry, in a way that compromises the environment, food production and food security. Nevertheless, important features of SFI are the flexibility and freedom of choice in the options available.
Defra, however, is concerned about the amount of land being taken out of food production. With economic instability and challenging weather conditions, it is thought that this may become a greater issue in the future.
As a result, a limit is being imposed, whereby no more than 25% of a farm’s total land holding can be put in six of the nine options presented in the SFI.
The 6 limited options are:
Take improved grassland field corners or blocks out of management - IGL1 ... more27th February 2024
Reflection On Light; Vigour and Skills Celebrates the Spring Equinox in the Heart of the Cotswolds With An Exhibition At The Gothic House Charlbury
Charlbury, — Vigour and Skills (V+S) Makers Collection, in partnership with Branch Arts, is set to unveil a captivating exhibition that brings to life the boundless talent, creativity, and artistry that define the Cotswolds. This event marks Charlbury as an idyllic location for celebrating the synchronicity of art and craft, capturing the essence of the Spring Equinox.
Event Details - Exhibition dates:
Date: 20 March – 24 April 2024
Location: Gothic House, Charlbury,... more
28th July 2022
The Cotswolds offers a plethora of festivals throughout the summer, and especially during the height of the summer holidays.
For the more high brow audiences, the Cheltenham Music Festival has an eclectic mix of classical and jazz music in mid July. The Longborough Opera Festival concludes its season 28th July -2nd August with the Emerging Artists programme double bill. This is comprised of Freya Waley Cohen’s ‘Spell Book’, a dramatic song cycle inspired by the composers’s encounter with Rebecca Tamas’ collection of poems, Witch, and Caccini’s La liberazione di Ruggiero dall’isola d’Alcina.
... more
15th July 2022
For the rural community in the Cotswolds, Moreton Show is the highlight of the year.
Run by a traditional Agricultural Society, the Show promotes all the best local produce, crops and livestock together with agricultural skills and modern farming practices. It offers a wonderful opportunity for a terrific family day out, with a showground packed with activities from falconry and working dog demonstrations, to parades of the best cattle, sheep and pigs, show jumping and stunt bikes, to stonewalling and stands full of ‘big boys toys’.
Butler Sherborn looks... more
13th May 2022
Potential buyers are increasingly turning to private sales to try and purchase land without it being available to the public. So if you are thinking of selling, should you pursue a private sale or go to the open market?
In some circumstances, private sales can benefit from discretion, speed, and premiums paid. The reasons why sellers may choose to sell off-market include privacy, or wanting to test the market and see how much money they are offered, before committing to a sale. A neighbour, for example, may be willing to pay a worthwhile premium to stop a property being launched on the open market.
However, in some circumstances, it may be advisable to test the open market, create competition and to... more
12th April 2022
Did you know that the UK is one of the most environmentally degraded countries in the world? This is one of the reasons why the concept of Biodiversity Net Gain was introduced by the Environment Act 2021. Biodiversity Net Gain seeks to ensure that natural habitat which is lost to a development scheme is not just replaced, but instead is enhanced by a further 10%.
It is expected that the Act will become fully effective in Autumn 2023. Although not yet compulsory, some local councils are moving towards Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) by insisting that there is no net loss to biodiversity when granting planning consent for new schemes, in the meantime.
BNG is calculated by reference to several key steps. Firstly a “Phase 1” habitat survey is carried out on the development scheme, to establish a baseline of what type of habitat is present, and how... more
5th April 2022
An interview with Richard Greasby - What brought you initially to the Cotswolds?
I was born into a farming family in Oxfordshire, and came to the Cotswolds to study for my degree in Rural Land Management at the RAU about 30 years ago! I took my first job with Strutt & Parker in Moreton in Marsh.....................and haven't left the area since, with the Cotswolds becoming my home. I now live with my wife and three children near Winchcombe, where we are all fully embedded in many aspects of the local community.
How did you become involved in rural property... more
13th May 2020
“A week is a long time in politics” – so is a day! In the morning yesterday the Housing Secretary tells us no easing on estate agency and in the afternoon the Health Secretary amends the Covid-19 regulations that allow buyers, tenants and agents to travel to visit houses!
Accordingly we are now able to organise viewings and market appraisals and, importantly buyers and tenants know that they are now allowed to come and see houses and to resume their moving plans. ... more
