The New UK Growth Plan
Chartered Surveyors & Rural Property Advisors in Essex, Suffolk & Cambridgeshire Government plans to boost the struggling construction industry and consequently provide more homes are on the table. They have however had a mixed reception from many within the construction industry. Some felt that the proposals would bring a much needed lift with regards to infrastructure and the development of housing. Others worry that the resultant ‘sugar rush’ would just exacerbate inflation rates. Some did not like the fact that certain environmental concerns will no longer be...
Read MoreChanges to Probate Fees
Probate fees are due to rise in May 2017. Following a consultation in 2016, significant increases in the fees payable for a grant of probate are due in May this year. Currently the system requires a flat fee to be paid, which is, if carried out through a solicitor, £155 and if not, the fee is £215. This will change in May to a banded fee, relative to the value of assets and the estate. A table below shows the potential costs and significant potential increase, which could have implications on families, assets held and businesses involved within the probate. Value of Estate (before...
Read MoreBrexit impacts on farming
Well, we have only gone and done it! Whilst the polls were always close ‘those in the know’ were sure that the bookies had it right and we were going to stay in the EU. Wrong again, and now we have a mad scrabbling for position which just delays the difficult decisions a little further. Agriculture was the biggest recipient of EU funds and has the most to lose in a tussle with the NHS. The CLA and NFU have produced papers outlining priorities for a UK Agricultural Policy (UKAP). The core point is that agriculture has to remain a profitable business if the countryside is to retain its...
Read MoreWhere is the silver lining?
It has been clear since the late spring of 2015 that confidence is waning in the agricultural land market. Prices achieved in mid 2015 were in many cases lower than those in 2014 and by the end of 2015 a continuing crisis in confidence was resulting in guide prices coming down and properties failing to find a buyer. It is not all doom and gloom. Recent research has suggested that land prices across England rose marginally in 2015 but there is little doubt that the trend has been negative in the East of England. Essex saw over 4,000 acres in the market but divided between 21 locations this...
Read MoreFew opportunities for Essex farmland buyers in 2012
Whilst headlines in 2012 proclaimed the continuing rise in agricultural land prices buyers in some areas were unlikely to have found something to purchase. Availability: Just over 2,600 acres of farmland was offered for sale in Essex in 2012, in 16 blocks averaging 166 acres each. Three good sized farms failed to find a buyer meaning that only 1750 acres were sold in the open market achieving a total sale price of around £16.5m. Private sales have increased the total sales slightly but not to the same extent as previous years. Suffolk, on the other hand, saw over 7,000 acres publically...
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