fisher german Winter 2017-18 | Issue 19
www.fishergerman.co.uk
Master of the arts How Beaumont Nathan’s co-founder turned a passion for top-tier artworks into a successful independent advisory service
Next generation
Family-run business GLW Feeds on its company journey so far and its plans for the future p8
Top of the crops
Matthew Rawson’s crop advisory business has gone from strength to strength p16
Back to school
Why GIS mapping technology is now part of the school curriculum p24
Welcome
For those who yearn to connect their work and leisure interests, Beaumont Nathan is an inspiration. In our cover feature (page 6), we find out how the art advisory firm’s co-founders turned their passion for top-tier artworks into a successful business. We also discover how one of the co-founders Andrew Jackson, balances this global enterprise with the managing partner development of one of the UK’s most respected family-run estates. The theme of family businesses continues in our profile on page 8 of one of the country’s leading animal feeds and service suppliers. In just over a century, four generations have turned a modest general goods supplier into a modern specialist, annually producing feeds weighing the equivalent of 800 jumbo jets. The utilities providers that provide fuel for those jets work tirelessly round the clock and largely unseen to keep UK plc open for business. We go behind the scenes on page 12 to meet some of the Fisher German staff who support the companies that keep our vital power, fuel and water supplies online. The teamwork that is central to our way of working and which makes Fisher German such a resourceful business partner is illustrated in the case study of a redevelopment project on page 26, which provided not only a sizeable profit for the clients, but benefited a local charity to boot. Our multidisciplinary approach proves that the whole can most certainly be greater than the sum of its parts.
Park life How Stockwood Business Park is helping its tenants’ businesses to thrive
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Home from home ‘Versatile’ additional accommodation is proving lucrative for many families
22 People news Promotions and passing the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) exam
30 The Fisher German magazine is intended to be an informative guide. It should not be relied on as giving all the advice needed to make decisions. Fisher German LLP has tried to ensure accuracy and cannot accept liability for any errors, fact or opinion. If you no longer wish to receive the Fisher German magazine or any other Fisher German marketing material, please call 0800 1075522 or email marketing@fishergerman.co.uk.
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Beaumont Nathan We find out all about this advisory service for buyers and sellers in the art world
News & views Agency facts; HS2; Tender win; Innovation 50 awards; Development deals
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GLW Feeds One of the country’s leading animal feeds and service suppliers on its future plans
Behind the scenes We speak to Fisher German’s 120-strong utilities and infrastructure team
08 Crop doctor Matthew Rawson started his crop advisory firm in 2003 and hasn’t looked back
Pick of the bunch Historical building conservation and being RICS-accredited
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Top of the class Why GIS mapping technology is now part of the school curriculum
School’s out The collaboration between Fisher German and Silsoe CofE Lower School
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Partner spotlight Holly Parry has carved out a role that places technology and innovation at its core
Office directory Contact details for Fisher German’s national offices
31 Publishing services provided by Grist, 21 Noel Street, Soho, London W1F 8GP
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34 Publisher Andrew Rogerson Editor Tracey Gardner Art director Jennifer Cibinic Telephone +44 (0)20 7434 1445 Website www.gristonline.com
Please remove cover before recycling this magazine
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news&views
Love it or loathe it, the HS2 juggernaut continues to plough ever forwards Civil engineering contracts worth £6.6 billion have been awarded to various companies on HS2 Phase One. This will see trains rolling into the new Curzon Street station in Birmingham by 2026. The government estimates this investment could create up to 16,000 jobs. Phase 2a, which is the portion of the scheme from Birmingham up to Crewe, and for which progress has been accelerated, is expected to open one year after Phase One. There is also now route confirmation for the top of the HS2 ‘Y’ shape – the Western leg from Crewe up to
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Manchester and the Eastern leg from Birmingham up to Leeds with a detour into Sheffield. As we go to print, the consultation period for the HS2 Phase 2a Hybrid Bill ended (30 September 2017). A Select Committee process will now follow with a likely eight-week window from January 2019 for the submission of petitions. It is envisaged that the Bill will gain Royal Assent by the end of 2019 with works starting on the ground in early 2020. In the meantime, the likelihood is that you may be approached for access for ground investigation surveys, together
with accesses or compound areas for ground investigation survey purposes. For those whose properties may be affected, the message is that HS2 Limited wish to continue communication without recourse to Select Committee hearings. There will still be the need to make representations before the HS2 Select Committee but, wherever possible, the first option is through dialogue to find a solution. For further information, please contact Liz Farrall on 01785 275392/07918 677575 or via email at liz.farrall@fishergerman.co.uk.
Fisher German wins place on the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) framework Fisher German has been named as a supplier on the Crown Commercial Service’s National Panel for Vertical Real Estate (VRE) and on the Regional Panels for three areas: East and West Midlands; London and the South East; and North West England and North Wales. Through this framework, Fisher German can offer public sector organisations a comprehensive range of professional services covering the whole property lifecycle. This is the largest Public Sector framework that has come up for tender in recent years and has an estimated total work value of £430 million.
Innovation 50 In January 2017, Fisher German started work on an awards entry for Innovation 50, which would showcase the digital and creative work happening in the company. Fisher German produced a video answering the entry criteria and, in September, found out the company had won a place in the top 50 in the digital and creative category, and the Innovation 50 report was launched. The awards were sponsored by Mills and Reeve. The methodology, judging panel and Innovation 50 can be found at www.innovationfifty.com
For further information contact Andrew Bridge on 01530 412821 or email andrew.bridge@fishergerman.co.uk
For further information contact Guy Hemus on 01530 410890 or email guy.hemus@fishergerman.co.uk. To find out more about CCS, visit www.gov.uk/ccs
Development deals confirmed Fisher German’s development team has worked on a number of strategic land deals recently including a 34-acre residential development site with land promoter Richborough Estates and national housebuilder Bloor Homes. Three further deals include up to 90 new homes, which are set to be built in Potton in Bedfordshire following agreed terms with CALA Homes. In Derbyshire, 90 dwellings have been
agreed with housebuilder Strata Homes and 92 dwellings with Wheeldon Homes.
For further information contact Ben Marshalsay on 01530 567465 or email ben.marshalsay@fishergerman.co.uk
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W
hat is your favourite colour? If, like Wentworth Beaumont, co-founder of specialist art advisory firm Beaumont Nathan, you said blue, then you are in good company. A recent global survey found blue to be the world’s mostadored colour. It is particularly popular in the UK, outranking its closest rival (red) by some margin. Having an eye for colour and a lifelong interest in art were just two of the reasons that Wentworth, together with business partner Hugo Nathan, decided to set up their own venture in London’s Mayfair, which has already celebrated its third birthday. “Our previous experience as auctioneers and dealers told us that there was a gap
in the market for a transparent, clientaligned service,” explains Wentworth. “As a buyer or a seller, it can be very difficult to find genuinely independent advice.” So the pair decided that the company would hold no stock of its own and concentrate purely on advisory services across the whole spectrum, although as the business has evolved it has focused on 20th century and post-war artists. The company has recently advised on works by Pablo Picasso, Gerhard Richter and Roy Lichtenstein. As the names suggest, these are transactions for serious collectors. “We operate at the very top of the market,” confirms Wentworth. Smaller works by Picasso and Richter have changed hands for over £30m in the past two years, while Lichtenstein’s
1962 classic pop art Masterpiece was reportedly purchased in summer 2017 by US hedge fund billionaire Steve Cohen for £125m, making it one of the top 10 most expensive art works ever sold. “The US accounts for 50% of the global art market,” reports Wentworth. It may be no coincidence that much collectible post-war art is American-led. Sustained exposure to this genre has resulted in it becoming a personal favourite for him, outweighing his original affection for Old Masters. “The Abstract Expressionism show at the Royal Academy [which closed early in 2017 before moving to Spain] was one of the most impressive of all time,” says Wentworth. The show, which received much critical acclaim, gathered together works from leading artists
Master of the arts Fisher German client Wentworth Beaumont’s advisory service to buyers and sellers in the art world has brought him face-to-face with works by some of the most influential artists of all time.
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BEAUMONT NATHAN
Outside the art world
I’m now looking at the longer-term investment prospects for the estate, to make sure what is happening now and what is planned for the future is sustainable.” including Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Arshile Gorky and Willem de Kooning. Wentworth says that Beaumont Nathan’s client base is international, but that he is keen to grow the business in Asia, particularly in Hong Kong, from where he has recently returned after a successful business trip. “There is huge potential in Asia and I can certainly see the business expanding in that direction,” he says. One of the company’s USPs is its focus on hard data in a sector that can be frustratingly opaque. “The whole market can be a bit of a minefield and the data can be very woolly. That’s why we decided to make analysis part of our in-house offer,” says Wentworth. The company has teamed up with leading analyst Dr Clare McAndrew of Art Economics. As a result, the firm believes it can analyse the performance of each sector of the market in exceptional detail, as well as assess the performance of individual artists, detect underlying trends within each sector of the market, analyse the performance of auction houses within specific sectors and judge the performance of art versus other indices.
Beaumont Nathan’s clients tend to be introduced by word of mouth. By creating a trusting relationship, Wentworth hopes to retain his expanding client list and realise his ambitions for the company. “I would like us to be universally acknowledged as the leading art advisor,” he says. As he frequently comes face-to-face with works by some of the most influential artists of all time, is Wentworth ever tempted to buy a piece, particularly if it’s by Pollock, a personal favourite of his? He chuckles: “I’m always tempted. But these pieces need a considerable amount of money. What I’m doing (and I’d advise others to do the same) is to build up a war chest that could be used to purchase one or two statement pieces. Much better to do that than spend smaller amounts on less influential artists.” For more information, visit www.beaumontnathan.com
For further information on rural consultancy, please contact Holly Parry on 07501 720416 or holly.parry@fishergerman.co.uk
When not working on Beaumont Nathan business, Wentworth (or Wenty, as he is known to many) is increasingly focusing his attention on his family’s country estate. The 20,000-acre Allendale Estates in Northumberland, currently run by Wenty’s father, the fourth Viscount Allendale, may be some 250 miles away from London’s art galleries, but that doesn’t stop the art enthusiast and his wife Vanessa from regularly travelling to the estate. “We have a monthly estate meeting, plus a weekly conference call,” confirms Fisher German partner Holly Parry, a consultant to Allendale Estates. “I’m on-site one day per week and my role is to help define high-level strategic direction.” She recently brought in planning colleagues at Fisher German to undertake a planning review and is now preparing a report outlining potential development of the estate over the coming decade and to pro-actively bolster the brand. “Wenty is very enthusiastic about this, and in a hands-on way,” reports Holly. “He and Vanessa recently came up to attend a commercial breakfast we’d organised to facilitate networking with tenants. That personal engagement makes a big difference.” The estate is an important local employer (one of the three largest tenants employs over 100 people alone) and attracts commuters from Newcastle to the estate’s railway station at Stocksfield. “There is a huge amount of variety on the estate, with considerable land given over to in-hand farming, and the family is very involved in conservation projects,” adds Holly. “I’m now looking at the longer-term investment prospects for the estate, to make sure what is happening now and what is planned for the future is sustainable.” That means expecting the unexpected. After Storm Desmond flooded large parts of the Allendale Estates in 2016, Holly is looking to put in place a flood management plan so that future bad weather events have less of an impact.
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Feed for thought
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GUEST FEATURE – GLW FEEDS
When fourth-generation George Llewellyn White took on running the family business, GLW Feeds Limited, it had been trading for more than a century. His son, and commercial director, Louis, tells the story of the company’s journey so far and its future plans.
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he name George was popular long before it was chosen for the UK’s future monarch. It has been a constant in an East Midlands family business that has been trading for approaching a century and a half. In 1873, George Llewellyn White, a general merchant, set up depots across the region including at Willington, Barton-under-Needwood and Tutbury, to take advantage of the then-expanding railway network. The business traded in coal, general feedstuffs and fertilisers. George would undoubtedly be astounded if he knew that not only would the feed business be going strong 144 years later, but that it would be producing a tonnage equivalent to several thousand steam locomotives (see graphic). In 1982, the fourth-generation George Llewellyn White became managing director. The company that traded as Geo L White Ltd for more than a century changed its name to GLW Feeds in 2006. His son (also George Llewellyn White, now commercial director of the firm, but known as Louis to avoid confusion) takes up the story: “Dad had joined the business in the early 1970s and saw the way the industry was changing. He wanted to give up dealing with coal and focus on animal feeds. Not only that, but he wanted to become a producer, rather than selling products manufactured by others.”
Based in a disused maltings building in Burton-on-Trent, he began manufacturing pelleted feed, setting himself a target of 5,000 tonnes in his first year, which he easily achieved. Little did he know that this would be less than 2% of the firm’s future annual output. The business grew steadily over the next quarter of a century and by 2006 was producing around 80,000 tonnes of pellets and blends (as the name suggests, specially formulated mixtures of raw feeds). By then the limitations of operating from a listed building in a town centre had become all too apparent and the business seized an opportunity to move to the premises of a former producer in Shepshed, a village a few miles west of Loughborough. An extension to the mill building took place in the same year and capacity was hugely increased. “We had an agreement with the previous owner to produce feeds for them, so as well as our own tonnage, we were contract manufacturing an equal tonnage for the vendor,” explains Louis. That agreement ended a couple of years later. Since then the company has focused solely on producing its own range of products. “Traditionally we had been involved in the manufacture of ruminant [cattle and sheep] feeds, but with the extra capacity at the mill we moved into pig and poultry feeds,” says Louis.
Keeping the trucks moving GLW now has a fleet of around 40 trucks to deliver its products. “Our business is largely defined by haulage and logistics,” confirms Louis. The majority of customers are based within a 60-mile radius of Loughborough, but GLW lorries can venture further afield to deliver as far away as Norfolk, the South West and southern Scotland. Bulk deliveries are made by 18-tonne, 22 or 28-tonne vehicles with trailers known as ‘blowers’ as their pneumatic equipment literally blows the contents into feed bins. Bagged deliveries are packed on separate lorries with a forklift on the back so they can be placed exactly where they are needed on farm. In autumn 2017, GLW will be one of the first suppliers in the UK to replace a pair of tipping trailers with a new, non-tipping design. This avoids the hazards (for example, from overhead wires and pylons) associated with tipping in confined spaces. The new trailers have a bottom-mounted auger that dispenses the product more safely. They are also more flexible as they allow any trailer compartment to be discharged in any order. Together with their tractors the new vehicles represent an investment of £350,000. Even more valuable than such lorries, however, are the people that drive them, says Louis: “Our drivers are the face of the company and a very important part of what we do.”
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This bolstered the business, but the challenge that it then faced was that the mill was much busier in some months than in others. While pig and poultry sales were fairly constant throughout the year, demand for ruminant feeds was much lower in the summer when the animals were outside grazing. Louis recalls: “We were flat out in the winter months, but much quieter between May and September.” So the firm looked into developing products that would level out the production dips. As a result, the Top-Gun brand of game feeds was born and peak demand for these is July and August, usefully filling the mill’s spare capacity. A lesser lull in the autumn was countered by the introduction of Traditional Farmfresh turkey feeds (see box).
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In 2010, the firm decided to separate blends from pellet manufacture and the former was moved to a site in Long Clawson, north of Melton Mowbray, where annual production is currently around 35,000 tonnes. The removal of the bulkier blends facilities from the main
feeds for smallholders, for which there is year-round demand.
In demand The latest development came in late 2016 when the firm took on a trading office in Wetherby, Yorkshire, to deal
Dad joined the business in 1971 and saw the way the industry was changing. He wanted to give up dealing with coal and focus on animal feeds.” mill freed up additional capacity that allowed the compound feeds business to expand. In 2013 the firm added another new brand, known as ‘GLW Choice’, this is a range of bagged high-performance
with increased demand for straights and co-products. As the name implies these are either bulk deliveries of a single feed element (for example, soya beans) or by-products from the food
GUEST FEATURE – GLW FEEDS
The weigh in industry (for example, from sugar beet or alcohol production), which customers mix themselves. These feeds, plus milk powders, fats, silage additives and seeds, now account for around 80,000 tonnes traded each year by the company. GLW’s main focus, however, remains on compound feeds and although it has come a long way since 1982 it has no intention of resting on its laurels. The mill currently has an annual output of around 240,000 tonnes, split roughly equally between ruminant, pig and poultry feeds. Louis says: “We’ve now got to the point where we need to make a substantial investment in the mill. So we intend to carry out a comprehensive upgrade including putting in new mixing, grinding and batching lines that will bring annual capacity up to 300,000 tonnes.” A phased investment programme, which totals £5m, should start in autumn 2017 (dependent on planning consent), with new machinery due to become operational in late spring 2018. The investment indicates the firm’s optimistic view of the prospects for British agriculture, although Louis admits that Brexit represents a large unknown for the industry. “We just don’t know what impact it will have and have found the lack of a clear roadmap particularly frustrating,” he says. GLW’s long-term outlook is positive
From 2018 GLW Feeds’ enhanced production facility at Shepshed is expected to be able to produce 300,000 tonnes of compound animal feeds each year. That weight is roughly equivalent to:
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New HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carriers or
Shard tower buildings in central London or
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Boeing 747 jumbo jets
Flying Scotsman steam locomotives
and the business plans to remain based in the East Midlands. As a fifth-generation George Llewellyn White, Louis is next in line to take on the running of the family business, though he suspects he won’t be taking up the reins any time soon. “Dad isn’t one to retire, he enjoys it too much, and he does much of the trading and raw materials buying,” explains Louis, who originally completed a degree at
Scientifically proven “Biosecurity and nutritional quality are at the heart of what we do,” says Louis, but you don’t just have to take his word for it. He points to the firm’s investment in both equipment and staff dedicated to providing scientific accountability. Louis notes: “Controls are very stringent for turkey feed and we have the only specialist heat-treated feed plant in England. The high standards we have in the mill to minimise the risk of salmonella mean that all of our products benefit from being produced in a closely-monitored environment.” The 120-strong firm includes a technical team based at the mill. All incoming feeds are tested and monitored for a range of qualities, including protein and energy content, and the results added to a nutritional database, which allows the firm to generate scientifically reliable data to support its products. An in-house nutritional specialist is employed to put together bespoke diets that are responsive to a farmer’s specific aims. Louis concludes: “Our nutritional matrix means we can very accurately tailor feed plans for a customer’s individual requirements.”
the Royal Agricultural University. “I soon learnt that life in the real world can be quite different,” says the 34-year old, “so I took responsibility for my own professional development and completed an MBA at Loughborough, and Diploma in Nutrition at Harper Adams, both of which have proved invaluable in helping me deal with issues within the business.” Louis also recently helped create a potential sixth generation for GLW with the birth of a son; though in a break with family tradition, parents Georgina and Louis have decided on a different forename for their new arrival: Frederick George Llewellyn White. Does that mean the firm’s initials will have to change? Louis smiles: “We’ll have to see whether he has an appetite for the business. He may decide to do something completely different!”
For further information please contact Matt Trewartha on 01530 410678 or matthew.trewartha@fishergerman.co.uk
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Behind the scenes When it comes to advising on electricity pylons, water mains or high-pressure oil pipelines, Fisher German’s 120-strong utilities and infrastructure team has a wealth of experience to draw on. But who are the individuals who keep the cogs turning? Here we meet several to discover more about what they do...
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UTILITIES AND INFRASTRUCTURE
The project planner Tina Briars has an expert ear for unrealistic expectations and is a dab hand at managing them to keep a major project on track. Timeframes are a frequent source of potential difficulty. She says: “Someone may state that a task can be carried out in six months, but when I review the intricacies involved in that particular job, it becomes clear that the work will actually take a year. People often don’t realise that certain tasks have to be completed before others.” This may sound like common sense, but in large projects where hundreds of tasks and many people are involved, ensuring that things happen in the right order – known in the industry as critical path analysis – is no mean feat. Luckily for Tina, who works closely with key project stakeholders from start to finish, she doesn’t have to work everything out in her head, but has specialist software to analyse the data and work out where the crunch points might come. “I start by inputting the data for a particular project. That includes recording each party who is involved and what tasks they will be carrying out. It doesn’t sound much, but it quickly gets bigger as the project gets going,” says Tina, whose current inbox includes work for National Grid. Her workload varies according to which tenders are won. “Each
project is very different and I enjoy that variety,” she adds. So how to deal with someone expecting a year-long job to be carried out in half that time? “I sit down with the project manager and we work out what can be squeezed,” explains Tina. “We start with how things will happen in an ideal world and then build in real-world factors. The important thing is to communicate with the client as quickly as possible.” What kind of person makes an ideal project planner? “I like to be quite organised,” admits Tina, who entered the profession after initially working as a PA for a project director of a rail infrastructure company. She went on to do a degree in Business Management and subsequently became a project planner. Her role is largely desk-based and she currently has six plans on the go.
We start with how things will happen in an ideal world and then build in real-world factors. The important thing is to communicate with the client as quickly as possible.”
The surveyor Getting out and about (and possibly quite muddy) is all in a day’s work for Ellie McDowell, who hopes to qualify as a chartered surveyor at the end of 2017. Her surveying work for electricity and gas clients National Grid and Cadent Gas Ltd takes her all over the country. “I may be in Newcastle one day and Buckingham the next. How often I’m out varies from three days a week to once every two weeks,” she says. The site visits are part of Ellie’s job working with landowners affected by utility repair and maintenance work. Her role involves liaising with owners before, during and after activity takes place. Preparatory tasks include making legal enquires about specific land plots, checking details with the land registry and fine tooth-combing legal documents, including deeds. When work has been completed, Ellie will check that the site has been restored to its former condition.
Although much of her role is relatively straightforward, Ellie gives a recent example of working as part of the 15-person Fisher German team on a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP). The team had to liaise with 3,000 stakeholders in 10 weeks. Between the team, they travelled 8,000 miles in order that the client could demonstrate compliance with the relevant legislation.
The integrated systems analyst When it comes to keeping plates spinning, Sarah Ellison is a bit of an expert. She currently works with no less than 12 separate, bespoke applications, some of which are stand-alone and some of which integrate with each other. But needing to have a forensic understanding of each system doesn’t faze her. “I enjoy getting to know and having a full appreciation of what each package can do,” she says. “My clients are the users of the system. We are constantly reviewing how things work to identify if we can do tasks more efficiently.” As soon as an improvement is identified, Sarah takes it to a development team who undertake the nitty-gritty work of writing the relevant code and then create a demonstration system for initial testing. This is when Sarah steps in: “First I’ll test with the relevant team who use the system on a daily basis. When we are happy with it, we’ll move on to live testing. Sometimes adding new features means other changes need to be made, so the process will begin again. Part of my job is co-ordinating and implementing all of this.” Not all of the developers are in this country – those behind the hugely successful utility location checker LinesearchbeforeUdig, which received over 197,000 enquiries in June 2017 alone, are based in Australia, so contact needs to be carefully managed to take account of the time difference. Sarah, who has been with Fisher German for five years, moved to the company after 18 years in the banking sector as an analyst with Alliance & Leicester/Santander. “I have an investigative mind and pay a lot of attention to detail,” she says. Recent improvements she has been involved with include adding graph and print functions to separate databases, as well as creating a new application to accurately analyse time spent on individual projects. “We are looking at ways of bringing packages together to remove multiple systems doing separate things,” says Sarah. Currently under the spotlight are better integration of UDB (a bespoke utilities database) and PRS (a dedicated pipeline reporting system).
For further information on utilities and infrastructure services, please contact Rachel Cliffe on 01530 410863 or rachel.cliffe@fishergerman.co.uk.
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Park life I
n theory, managing one commercial property should be very much like managing any other. In reality, not all commercial properties are the same. This is particularly true of Stockwood Business Park, located in the idyllic Worcestershire countryside near Inkberrow. Fisher German partner Dan Ballard is responsible for managing over 30 individual office and light industrial units at the park, which is run as a community benefit society. “The bottom line of my job is to ensure that the commercial units make a suitable return for the community. That means keeping costs as low as possible, maximising income, minimising risk and
Stockwood Business Park in Worcestershire has cultivated an ideal environment to help its tenants’ small businesses thrive and grow.
thinking ahead at all times,” explains Dan. Most of the park’s income comes from rents charged on the commercial units, with a new additional stream recently created with the installation of an underground heating system (see box). To achieve an annual return of around 5% to the community benefit society members (shareholders), Dan’s top priority is to manage the commercial tenancies so that the park is fully occupied for as long as possible. Although
Renewable energy system is hot stuff There were many reasons for installing a district heating system at Stockwood, says its co-founder Sebastian Parsons, though the main ones were ecological and to provide an enhanced quality of life for those using buildings on the park. The ground source heat pump system uses a network of underground pipes and heat exchangers to create hot or cold air, which is then vented into buildings. As the work involved retro-fitting existing properties, a considerable amount of digging was involved. “The most difficult part was installing the underground pipes – the tenants were very tolerant as we had to temporarily move their parking around,” says Sebastian. The system pumps are linked to solar panels so that, in theory, the whole process is sustainable. In reality, the solar panels provide all of the electricity in the summer, but this can drop to 25% in winter. Now that the installation is operational Sebastian reports that tenants are pleased with the results as the buildings are always at the right temperature. They pay a fixed cost that is calculated as a service charge and this, together with the government’s RHI programme, provides additional income for the community. Sebastian has the following advice for other landlords considering making the switch: “Ground-source heat makes a great deal of sense to landlord and tenant, and we were very well served by Earth Source from Bromsgrove. However, retro-fitting can be complex and requires careful planning, so make sure you get as much advice as possible.”
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at first glance Stockwood appears to be an isolated rural location, it is only a 15-minute drive to Redditch and the national motorway network. Most tenants are local or regional businesses, although some come from further afield. “A large part of my time is spent negotiating the re-gearing of leases and filling gaps as tenants expand or move on,” says Dan. Once at Stockwood, tenants are likely to stay – the average length of time based at the park is a decade – but with standard leases running for only three years, keeping ahead of potential movement is vital. “I typically have around six lease negotiations going on at any one time,” confirms Dan. “It helps that we have a landlord who is engaged with tenants and is always fair and reasonable with them. That creates a lot of goodwill and encourages business tenants to remain on the park as they expand.” A good example is flood machinery specialist Edge Equipment, which arrived at the park five years ago. As the business has grown it has taken extra space at Stockwood and now occupies three units. “While we want to help tenants to thrive, we also need to consider that we don’t have too much space taken by a single
COMMERCIAL PROPERTY
Stockwood Business Community in numbers company so that the impact of a tenant leaving is minimised,” adds Dan. A recent departure was a classic car specialist dealership, which had gradually expanded at Stockwood over the past nine years, but had got to the stage where it wanted to put its operations under one roof. As no suitable building was available at Stockwood, the business moved away, yet the units it occupied were filled with new and existing tenants within a few months. Sadly, some businesses will fail, but Dan has experience in spotting signs of potential distress at an early stage so that suitable action can be agreed with the landlord that will help to keep the tenant trading for as long as possible. He says: “If the situation deteriorates
and a tenant goes into arrears, we have a robust programme in place, as it is in everyone’s interest to deal with things swiftly. After 21 days, we have the option to take the lease back, though fortunately this happens very rarely.” Stockwood’s remote location means there are few directly competing schemes, which has kept rental levels buoyant, and these are currently around £11 per sq ft. “The park has a unique offering and businesses feel well supported here,” says Dan, who conducts viewings with potential tenants when required and is also on site for the property management meetings, which take place every three weeks. He adds: “These tend to have a set schedule to make sure all angles are
The park has a unique offering and businesses feel well supported here.”
Total size: 181 acres Warehouse/industrial floorspace: 26,000 sq ft Office floorspace: 15,000 sq ft Total commercial units: 37
covered.” Those angles are many and varied and include: rent collection, service charge management, health and safety, fire, insurance and EPC compliance. There is also a regular focus on improving facilities for tenants. Now that the ground-source renewable district heating system is in operation across the park, work has started on replacing the current air-based broadband reception with a much faster fibre link, which should be installed by the end of 2017. Dan is helping to advise on the potential to create additional commercial units, and on the feasibility of creating a café/ education centre next to the park’s pond. Dan, who manages a wide variety of commercial property, including other business parks, city centre offices and retail and local shopping parades, says local markets are bearing up well. Although a shortage of small industrial units and modern offices is keeping tenant demand keen, an astute property manager will never get complacent. Dan notes: “I’m always looking at the profile across a landlord’s whole portfolio, so if I see major events coming up I can go and talk to the tenants early and help to ensure continuity that will protect the investment.” For further information on commercial property management issues, please contact Dan Ballard on 01905 728433 or dan.ballard@fishergerman.co.uk
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The crop
Chair of the Brassica Growers Association, Matthew Rawson started his crop advisory business in 2003 and hasn’t looked back.
doctor W
e all know to head down to our GP if we’re feeling poorly. But who do you call if you have a few acres of cauliflowers looking off-colour or sprouts seeming out-of-sorts? The answer could be Matthew Rawson, a Yorkshire-based crop doctor, though he admits that advising on vegetables wasn’t his original career path. Growing up on an arable farm near Driffield, around 30 miles east of York, Matthew went to agricultural college in the expectation that he would simply continue the family farming tradition.
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“We had about 500 acres, some of which we owned and some of which was at the end of a third-generation tenancy,” he says. Attempts to secure replacement farmland fell through just as Matthew graduated, leaving him little option but to reconsider his future. “That may not have been a bad thing,” he jokes, “as I’m absolutely lousy behind a tractor! However, it did mean I had to buck my ideas up.” As he’d always had an interest in science, he approached agricultural chemicals distribution companies and landed a job as a trainee that initially allowed him to remain in
RURAL CONSULTANCY
Three cheers for the brussels Sprout haters cover your eyes now. Matthew estimates that he and his business partner jointly produce a gob-stopping 72 million sprouts each Christmas. With around 40 sprouts in a 500g bag, that’s 1.8 million packs of sprouts on the supermarket shelves in December. Something to chew on when you enjoy your Christmas dinner!
Yorkshire and develop his understanding of the cereals business. It was not long before he moved to the Vale of Evesham in the Cotswolds, where he became heavily involved with vegetable growing. “I think it was about then that my love affair with sprouts started,” Matthew recalls. “There actually wasn’t that much chemistry involved with vegetables, so I started picking up on all the other factors that affect production such as infrastructure and access to labour.” Much of this learning was from scratch and a far cry from his education at agricultural college.
A change of scenery Having successfully completed his training, Matthew needed to move to a new patch, so when he found a vacancy in Scotland he moved north, to St Andrews. “The further north you go, the fewer vegetable businesses there are,” observes Matthew, “and as I was operating within a relatively small world I quickly became involved in businesses that were supplying multiple retailers.” The experience and knowledge he gained gave him the confidence to quit his agrichem job three years later and set up his own advisory business. His immersion in the wider vegetable industry led him to form relationships with sector bodies, including the Brassica Growers Association (BGA), whose research and development group he joined. He explains: “What really got me started was tackling diseases. We had problems, for example, leaf spot, that were different than in other parts of the UK. So I started taking on issues that I felt the industry wasn’t sorting.” The relatively high cost of developing chemical solutions for a limited geographical market meant that agrichem companies were reluctant to invest in these areas. Matthew describes
how after years of being visited by scientists with proposals that were not relevant to these growers, they decided to take matters into their own hands. He remembers: “We got all the major brassica growers round a table to talk through the issues, and then we went out to bring in the science we needed to sort out our particular problems.” As Matthew became increasingly involved in the BGA, joining the main board, he found his consultancy business
producer and adviser made him a popular choice. Back on the farm, as demand for sprouts intensified, he increased the amount of land given over to the crop (now totalling around 100 acres) and moved to a higher yielding variety, which delivers eight tonnes per acre. As a result, his farming calendar is now dominated by the vegetable. Outside the winter sprout season (September to April), he grows asparagus (April to July), winter barley (July) and wheat (August). For a while the farm also produced pumpkins. But sprouts are never far from his thoughts and as they have become available all year round he is now considering the prospects of growing a summer crop. However, Matthew is aware of the challenges ahead, not least the potential
There actually wasn’t that much chemistry involved with vegetables, so I started picking up on all the other factors that affect production such as infrastructure and access to labour.” was simultaneously taking off, with £45m worth of vegetables covering around 5,000 acres. “I realised I was living in the wrong place, hurtling round the country all the time,” he says.
Back to your roots It was time to move back home, so Matthew built a house on family land in Yorkshire and continued to grow his business. One of his local clients was a sprout grower who had a contract to supply Morrisons. When the supermarket giant took over rival chain Safeway two years later, its demand for sprouts grew dramatically and Matthew’s client suggested that the two join forces, with Matthew using the family farm to boost supply. He started with 25 acres of low yielding crop. Returning to his roots as a farmer didn’t just mean brushing up on his tractor-driving skills. “It really improved my understanding of agronomy – there are so many facets to sprout production,” he says. When the BGA had a vacancy for a chair shortly after, Matthew’s dual role as
disruption caused by Brexit, especially the issues surrounding labour. “No one is telling us what it will mean for us. We are trying to automate more, but there are certain jobs machines just can’t do.” His latest investment is an Americanbuilt optical sorting line. Meanwhile, the consultancy business continues to thrive, so if you have vegetables looking a bit peaky you now know who to call.
Matthew Rawson studied at agricultural college with Fisher German partner Matt Trewartha. Since then their paths have taken quite different trajectories. Matt is now responsible for managing 20,000 acres of land across the UK and recently gained fellowship of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
For further information on rural consultancy, please contact Matt Trewartha on 01530 410678 or matthew.trewartha@fishergerman.co.uk
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RICS Accreditation
Pick of the bunch
RICS Building Conservation Accreditation provides a rigorous assessment and monitoring programme ensuring individuals affecting the historic environment understand the approach required to manage our historic assets and the impact of their decisions on all stakeholders. – RICS Accreditation certainly isn’t for the fainthearted. The key challenge is a three-year period when applicants record the work they do and submit a series of case studies. Squeezing this into a busy working and personal schedule can be tricky. “It certainly demands a certain rigour and level of commitment,” admits Paul. Once the written work has been done, applicants then face a grilling from an expert panel, including a 10-minute presentation, followed by an extensive question and answer session. “It would be wrong to assume that this is just a formality,” says Paul. “It is in no way a shoo-in. The panel will be probing and inquisitive. They really want to stretch you.” And the work doesn’t end once the coveted goal of accreditation is achieved. There is an ongoing requirement to record professional development activity, as well as a written submission for re-accreditation every five years. Periodic panel interviewing has also been mooted, but so far not introduced. Is all the hard work worth it? Paul thinks so. “As well as the tangible commercial benefits, if you have a personal interest in historic buildings it can only enhance your knowledge and experience.”
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BUILDING CONSERVATION
Case study – Coventry For those with a passion for historical building conservation, becoming RICS-accredited is one of the most rewarding and valuable qualifications you can gain, says Fisher German’s Paul Brown.
Piecing together the history of a building originally constructed for an 18th-century wine merchant, later turned into a Victorian business centre and then partially obliterated by a bomb in the Second World War is typical of the challenges Paul is asked to take on. Now known as St Michael’s House, the Grade II-listed building on Coventry’s Priory Row is now owned by Coventry Cathedral, which is in the process of converting it to a resource centre for reconciliation. As the work will involve adding modern features such as a lift and a commercial kitchen for delegates, it was important to understand which parts of the building are original and which are later additions, created when the property was rebuilt in the 1950s. The first task was to date the building. “We knew it was Georgian but we didn’t know exactly when it was built,” says Paul. His extensive research, which resulted in a 40-page document, took him to the city’s Herbert Museum and other sources. “As a result, we narrowed down the construction date to between 1722 and 1725 and even pinpointed the likely architect – Francis Smith. We can’t say for sure it is him, but the architectural features strongly suggest it is,” explains Paul. The Cathedral was impressed by the narrative detail in the report. A screen on the front of the building included grapes and this indicated that the property was originally constructed for a vintner. While conceived of as a grand statement, the building had fallen upon harder times a century and a half later, when records show that individual rooms were being let out to professionals, a Victorian forerunner of the modern business centre. Worse was to come, however, when the building took a direct hit in the Coventry Blitz in 1940, a bomb piercing the roof and destroying most of the interior, leaving only the front façade intact. The reconstruction of the building in the 1950s presented both challenges and opportunities for today’s conservationists like Paul. His research had uncovered pictures of the double-leaf front door in around 1912. This had been replaced by a smaller single door during rebuilding. “We were able to show that the width of the door and other dimensions had completely changed. So we were confident we would be able to get listed building consent to restore the door to its original size and shape.” Similarly, it was possible to get approval to remove an internal wall (not normally permissible in a listed building) when it could be shown that the wall wasn’t part of the original design, but of the post-war rebuild. Further redevelopment of the building is awaiting funding and although Paul says his RICS accreditation wasn’t vital for working on the building, it gave him a critical edge: “As this was a sought-after project, we were in competition with well-known architects.”
N
ot everyone can claim to be one in a hundred. But Fisher German partner Paul Brown can. In fact, he is one of a select group of less than a hundred building conservation professionals in England who are RICS-accredited (see box). This hard-won endorsement by industry body the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors is about much more than demonstrating practical competence. “It opens up new commercial avenues and provides access to projects you wouldn’t otherwise be able to work on,” explains Paul. That’s partly because accreditation gives potential clients extra confidence that their often-priceless assets are in the best possible hands, and partly because it is a pre-requisite for those appointed to projects that include funding from public sources (for example, Townscape Heritage – see box overleaf).
Paul already had substantial experience working on period buildings as he originally graduated as a surveyor with the National Trust. “I worked there for 10 years and, ironically, I didn’t need any personal accreditation as it was deemed that the Trust had it,” he says. The knowledge he gained was invaluable, as part of the RICS-accreditation process requires demonstration of real-world (rather than simply theoretical) skills. “You need to show experience over an elongated period and if you haven’t had the benefit of working with an organisation like the National Trust that can be a bit of a chicken and egg situation. However, there is nothing to stop anyone with a serious interest in conservation
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Townscape Heritage The Townscape Heritage programme (previously the Townscape Heritage Initiative) is administered by the Heritage Lottery Fund. It provides grants of between £100,000 and £2m to local, regional and national organisations for them to work together to repair buildings in conservation areas and bring them back to life. The aim is to create attractive, vibrant places that people want to live, work, visit and invest in. Recent projects include Leicester city centre (see box), Keighley town centre and Bedford High Street. For more information go to www.hlf.org.uk and search for ‘townscape heritage’.
working on older buildings, listed buildings and in conservation areas,” notes Paul. The relatively close-knit nature of the conservation world and his previous tenure at the National Trust meant that Paul knew one of the panel members who quizzed him in an hour-long oral examination, the final hurdle before gaining accreditation. That didn’t mean he was given an easy ride, however. “They were rigorous in their questioning,” recalls Paul. “Conservation is a very philosophy-driven discipline and can be quite opinionated as a result. You need to think very hard about how you approach a repair and why you’re doing it.” Building conservation is certainly not for those who expect instant results. The start of a project often involves detailed research into the background of a property
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and its location. Good collaborative skills are also essential as information is pooled from fellow professionals such as building conservators, art historians, architects and archivists. There is a good reason for this careful approach: getting it wrong can at best be detrimental to the appreciation of a building and at worst cause irreversible damage. Paul adds: “That’s why, as part of the accreditation process, we are asked to show that we have really understood a building or structure before we make any kind of decision about what should or shouldn’t be done. For example, while an initial view may be that boarding over a damaged ceiling with plasterboard is a good solution, it may actually be better simply to repair the problem areas to keep as much as possible of the original fabric in use.”
For further information on building conservation issues, please contact Paul Brown on 01530 567461 or paul.brown@fishergerman.co.uk
BUILDING CONSERVATION
As well as the tangible commercial benefits, if you have a personal interest in historic buildings [RICS accreditation] can only enhance your knowledge and experience.”
Case study – Leicester How to bring a dilapidated Grade II*-listed Georgian building in Leicester city centre back into use while preserving its historic features was a key question for Paul after winning a tender to work with the landlord of a 4,000 sq ft building on St Martins, opposite the new Richard III visitor centre and close to the cathedral. Although the ground floor of the former newspaper office was still partially usable, the two upper floors were not, a result of long-term water damage caused by a failing roof. The landlord proposed a change of use to residential, which allowed the building to be inhabited once more while preserving historic internal fittings such as panelling. “We carried out a building survey and found that the roof needed replacing and that previous repairs had caused damage elsewhere,” Paul reports. “We were then able to put a list together that detailed the features, like sash windows and original plaster finishes, that needed to be restored, and help source contractors who could reliably carry out this specialist work.” As part of the £330,000 cost of external repairs being sought from the Townscape Heritage programme (see box) Paul’s RICS accreditation was vital. Restoration work is progressing quickly and it is expected the building will be complete and fully occupied in 2018.
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Home from home
As the number of young people living with parents continues to grow, creating ‘versatile’ additional accommodation is proving a lucrative solution for many families.
T
hey used to be called granny annexes. But now the home extensions or separate outbuildings, which traditionally housed ageing relatives, are being renamed ‘graddy’ annexes, in light of the soaring number of young people – particularly those who have just graduated from higher education – living at home. Government figures (see chart) show that the total number of 20-34-year-olds
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living at home rose significantly from one in five in 1997 to one in four in 2016. The increase is particularly marked for those in the 23-24 age bracket, many of whom graduated up to two years previously, but have not entered the property market themselves yet. A study by insurance giant Aviva in mid-2017 found that the young people interviewed expected to be 28 years of age on average before they moved out, and one in 12 (8%) said they didn’t ever expect
to leave their current residence. The same survey found that one-third of those questioned aged 16-34 said they didn’t expect to ever own a home, and a fifth (21%) predicted they’d only own a home if and when they inherited one. That means that the number of Timothy Lumsdens (Ronnie Corbett’s character in the classic 80s TV series) may be on the rise. While the government now calculates that more than 3.3 million grown-up children are living at home, the Valuation
RESIDENTIAL
On the market
Percentage of children living at home 54
56 50
52
1997 (%)
51
2016 (%)
48
44 39
37 30
27
30 24 20
19
17
15 11
20
21
22
23
24
Current examples of properties on the market, which have secondary accommodation that could be integrated as part of the main property or separated entirely, and for possible use for guests, relatives or to be let to generate an income stream, include:
25 Age
26
27
10
28
12
29
9 9
30
Source: Labour Force Survey, ONS
Family living patterns are definitely changing, so it certainly makes sense for homeowners to consider maximising their assets and creating flexible additional accommodation.”
Atherstone, Warwickshire This handsome village home has fantastic potential and a separate annexe, which could be shut off to create a totally independent living space. Additionally, the property has planning consent for a garage, although this could be adapted for other uses (subject to planning regulations).
Etwall, Derbyshire Office Agency has around 34,000 granny annexes in its records for England and Wales, and the number appears to be going up sharply. “There is no doubt that younger people living at home is more of an issue, but there are significant regional variations across the country, so we must be careful about making assumptions about any particular area,” comments Fisher German partner Stuart Flint. He says the firm’s experience in the Midlands, for example, suggests that although children are moving back home for a while, they are not remaining there for excessively long periods. Stuart notes: “Family living patterns are definitely changing, so it certainly makes sense for homeowners to consider maximising their assets and creating flexible additional accommodation that could be used for any number of purposes, from graduate living to housing dependant older relatives.” If the space is designed with maximum versatility in mind it could at other times be let as a holiday home. “Airbnb and similar portals mean people can run holiday lets in a much more flexible way than ever before,” adds Stuart, “and when the space is unlet it could be used by the homeowner for guests or as a home office.”
Buildings that are currently used primarily for storage may make ideal ancillary living accommodation but redundant space in homes, garages and farm buildings could also all offer potential for possible redevelopment as additional housing space. “Changes to planning regulations in recent years under permitted development rights, mean that homeowners can achieve a relatively cheap and acceptable outcome,” Stuart points out. “Homeowners should get advice to check the situation for their own property, but ancillary accommodation with planning conditions to prevent severance from the main dwelling can often be easy wins, and add significant capital value. “One final thing to consider, is how you and whoever will be living in the additional space will all get on living together,” says Stuart. “Graduation is a distant memory for me, but for family harmony and maximum value enhancement, any ancillary accommodation should be as selfcontained as possible.”
A wonderful period house in a conservation area, which also has the benefit of a substantial two-storey coach house outbuilding. This could be converted into further residential units, but also offers the opportunity to create an extensive home office space, a leisure wing or let accommodation.
Canon Pyon, Herefordshire A wonderful main house and historic buildings, which date back to circa 1820 and have been beautifully converted and restored. A self-contained cottage is separated by interconnecting doors, but could be incorporated into the main property in future, if desired.
Lutterworth, Leicestershire For further information on residential property issues, please contact Stuart Flint on 07501 720422 or stuart.flint@fishergerman.co.uk
An 18th-century farmhouse that also has a very impressive range of buildings offering excellent equestrian facilities, but has the flexibility to be put to a variety of other uses, including residential and home office accommodation.
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Top of the
class F isher German associate Matt Turner recently went back to school. But the firm’s GIS technician didn’t return to the classroom to be taught anything. Instead, he went to observe a lesson he had been instrumental in creating. It was the culmination of a process that started when Matt’s wife Frances, joint head of geography at local technology academy Ivanhoe College, drew his attention to a requirement in the key stage 3 geography national curriculum to use GIS to view, analyse and interpret places and data. “This was all very well, but the school didn’t
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With GIS mapping technology now part of the school curriculum, Fisher German’s Matt Turner jumped at the chance to help teach the next generation about the software. have a budget for expensive software and the staff weren’t familiar with how the packages work,” recalls Matt. “So I went in to see how I might be able to help.” A year seven module on plate tectonics was chosen by the school and a lesson plan was created that would see the children log onto a web map, turn some layers on to show tectonic plate boundaries and positions of volcanoes and earthquakes around the world and discover how they are linked. They would then be able to investigate some individual volcano or earthquake incidents and turn on a satellite imagery basemap to navigate around and view some volcanoes.
What is GIS? Graphical Information Systems are essentially digital maps. But, unlike paper maps, which can only show data in a single way, digital mapping is much more powerful as the data can be used, presented and analysed in many different ways. Fisher German has developed specialised GIS services for landowners that involve the use of integrated data capture systems to accurately map estates, farms, forestry holdings and property portfolios.
GIS MAPPING TECHNOLOGY
Teachers give full marks “Working with GIS has been absolutely fantastic for us as it has given the pupils an ‘in’ to technology that they really, really need,” says Frances Turner, joint head of geography at Ivanhoe College. “It’s a new experience for them and means they’re much more independent in their learning.” As well as reusing the plate tectonics lesson created by Matt in future years, Frances says the school is now looking to see what opportunities there are to create new lessons for older students. “Previously it was very expensive to buy into mapping packages, whereas now it is so affordable we’re looking forward to seeing where it goes from here,” adds Frances. Carolyn Pearce, head of geography at Ashby School, is similarly enthused by the new technology. “I love the flexibility of it,” she says. In the past, mapping exercises were painstakingly carried out by hand. A trip to York, for example, would first locate the schools in the city centre, then local fast-food eateries, to look for links to obesity, and all of this carried out with pens and paper. GIS will make the mapping part much easier, though Carolyn admits the staff will first have to get to grips with the software. “It’s been a learning curve for all of us and, so far, we’re really enjoying it,” she says. “Matt has been great with us – very patient!”
The school didn’t have a budget for expensive software and the staff weren’t familiar with how the packages work, so I went in to see how I might be able to help.”
Having established how the lesson would work in theory, Matt then turned to the software used at Fisher German to turn the map into a reality. “I created a public account so there would be no cost to the school [a dedicated schools access has been created since] and then started to collect the data the students would need,” says Matt. This was scattered across the internet, so he brought it together. Once assembled, the data needed to be cleaned and then appropriately styled. Earthquake events, for example, were shown as orange circles rather than the default black triangle. “Altogether it probably took a couple of evenings to put everything together,” adds Matt. With the maps already set up online, when the time for the hour-long lesson came the students were able to simply log on and start investigating. Matt was invited to join the 30-strong class
for their first formal introduction to GIS. The students were initially given structured tasks such as finding out how much damage had been created by the natural events and the financial cost of the damage caused. They then went on to search for earthquakes before being given time to examine the data in ways which interested them. Although part of the lesson specification was to keep the details simple and not delve into data analysis, Matt says he was impressed how quickly the students picked up the necessary skills. “It was probably their first experience of turning layers on and off,” he says, “yet I didn’t have to give much advice on how to use the system. They seemed to do it without thinking – possibly because it is similar to a Google Maps environment.” Having enjoyed success with the Ivanhoe lesson, Matt was invited to meet geography staff at neighbouring Ashby School to discuss how GIS could be incorporated into the much more complex A-level syllabus. To show them how the software worked in practice, he created an impromptu map of the school and asked the teachers to rove around outside for 10 minutes to photograph any litter they spotted. “They were very impressed when they saw the data appearing on the map in real time,” says Matt. As a result, he has helped set up maps that will be used
by Year 13 students on a five-day coastal field trip to Poole in Dorset. Matt has found his outside work with schools so rewarding he has signed up to a mentoring programme (see box) and may offer his services to his own former high school. “It’s enjoyable as I get to do things I wouldn’t as part of my day job,” he says.
GIS mentoring programme launched Matt has signed up to become a mentor with mapping software provider Esri’s GeoMentor programme, a joint venture with the Royal Geographic Society that aims to bring together GIS professionals and teachers. Once signed up, mentors and teachers can use the scheme’s website – unsurprisingly using a map – to locate potential partners nearby. When the scheme first launched it attracted many more mentors than schools, but as more teachers become aware of the programme the balance is expected to change. For more information go to: https://schools.esriuk.com/geomentor/
For further information on GIS mapping solutions, please contact Matthew Turner on 01530 410681 or matthew.turner@fishergerman.co.uk
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School’s out When Silsoe CofE Lower School decided to relocate to a bigger site, Fisher German’s Bedford office was on hand to manage the efficient and profitable disposal of its original land.
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PLANNING AND COMMERCIAL
W
hen Fisher German was asked to advise on a 1.74 acre development site in Bedfordshire, it led to a fruitful collaboration with a successful outcome for all involved. The expansion of Silsoe CofE Lower School to a new location in the village, on the site of the former Cranfield University campus, meant that the old school was redundant and the land could be redeveloped. Fisher German associate partner Sam Skinner says: “The site was owned jointly by the local authority (Central Bedfordshire Council) and the St Albans Diocesan Board of Finance, but because it was previously a school, it required approval from the Secretary of State to sell the land. We were therefore asked to carry out an initial valuation to determine what kind of sale price should be considered.” The valuation was carried out promptly and it became clear that a formal change of use would be required so that the school buildings could be demolished and the land redeveloped for new homes. Fisher German’s planning team was invited to pitch for the planning work and impressed the landowners with their experience and track record.
“After we were appointed, our first task was to undertake a desktop view to identify all the planning issues that might affect the sale of the site,” says Fisher German planning partner Kay Davies. “This required a quick turnaround. We were already aware of some potential issues, as there is a conservation area nearby. But one of the additional matters related to the former school use was that the playing field had been designated an Important Open Space, meaning we would have to ensure that we were very clear about how the space would be replaced.”
Planning permission With an initial overview now framing a potential planning application for a change of use to residential, Kay’s team began preparatory discussions with the local planning authority – Central Bedfordshire Council. This identified concerns about demolition on the local ecology and how vegetation could be preserved – much of the hedgerow around the site has been retained. More positively, the massive reduction in traffic was welcomed by the council who made an unusual request. Kay explains: “Normally, redevelopment is likely to mean additional capacity is added to
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to ensuring planning matters are resolved as quickly and painlessly as possible,” say Kay. “The site officer was positive about the scheme, particularly as it was low density.” However, the council planners recommended that the landowners should consult Sport England about the transfer of playing field land well before a formal planning application was submitted. “They were absolutely fine with the proposals,” says Kay, whose team had demonstrated how the new facilities would match if not better the existing ones and had given assurance that the site would not be redeveloped until the fields at the new school were in use. Three months later, all statutory reports had been completed, a site masterplan agreed and a planning application submitted suggesting a total of 14 new homes. Although the proposals were generally well received, the council received a small number of objections from local residents, who felt the space should be redeveloped with community facilities such as a surgery or pre-school. However, the planning officer made a point of explaining to the councillors on the planning committee, who decided on the application, that the council was
School closure benefits children abroad As the children at Silsoe Lower School moved into a larger, brand new school – it can accommodate 240 students, almost double the 135 places available in the old building – the school authorities were keen that the fixtures and fittings didn’t go to waste. They invited Bedfordshire-based charity Home Leone to take anything useable from the school before the diggers moved in. This included not only tables and chairs, but light fittings, sanitary ware, floor coverings and worktops – virtually anything that could be unscrewed or unbolted made its way into containers that have been shipped to Sierra Leone for reuse in communities that are in desperate need of assistance after the ebola epidemic that hit the country so severely. Nigel Hyde, founder and chief executive of Home Leone, a charity he set up in 2014, says everything from Silsoe will go to helping some of the poorest people in the world. “Things that may appear to be rubbish to us and to have no value can actually make a huge difference in places where people are struggling just to get reliable water and electricity supplies,” he adds. Those wishing to donate materials or funds can find out more about the charity at: www.homeleone.org
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We’d already established good channels of communications with the local authority as we believe this is crucial to ensuring planning matters are resolved as quickly and painlessly as possible.” road layouts. In this case, a lay-by, which had been used by parents for dropping off and collecting children, was no longer required, so the council was keen that the land was reclaimed as open space.” Heritage issues were also discussed at this stage, though as the 1960s-style school buildings were modern, their replacement by houses designed sympathetically with the residential area that surrounds the school site was unlikely to have a significant visual impact. “If anything, the old school buildings detracted from the local conservation area,” adds Kay. Just three months after carrying out the initial site review, Kay’s team submitted pre-application documents to get a better understanding of the council’s requirements. “We’d already established good channels of communications with the local authority as we believe this is crucial
unable to choose what should be built on the land. They could only rule on the suitability of applications that came before them.
Green light The planning application was approved three months after it was submitted, giving the landowners the green light to proceed with the sale of the site. “Our thoroughness in dealing with as much as possible in the early stages meant there were surprisingly few conditions attached to the planning consent,” says Kay. The minor issues covered by the conditions included tweaks to the local road layout to ensure dustbin lorries could easily access the homes, the provision of sustainable urban drainage and a requirement that at least 10% of energy should be delivered by renewable or low carbon sources.
PLANNING AND COMMERCIAL
A key condition for the local authority was that 35% of the homes should be affordable, with 73% of that space for affordable renting and 27% for shared ownership. In practice that means five homes will be built for affordable housing use and nine homes for open market sale. Kay notes: “We liaised regularly with the council’s affordable housing department so that we could relay what their requirements were likely to be to our surveying colleagues. This enabled them to calculate values to determine the financial viability of any future development, which in turn gave the landowners more certainty about likely sale proceeds.”
Pitching up With a planning application approved, the landowners spent a further three months making final adjustments to the plans before inviting Fisher German to pitch for the sale of the land. Sam Skinner takes up the story: “Although the landowners were very pleased with the work that we’d done so far, they were obliged to put out the work to competitive tender as the diocese is a charity and has to demonstrate best value.” After winning the pitch, Sam quickly got to work on building an extensive marketing campaign that covered national as well as local advertising, exposure on key websites and in specialist marketplaces. The land attracted considerable interest both locally and further afield. A tender deadline was agreed approximately two months after marketing started.
“We asked for unconditional bids and met the top three bidders individually,” says Sam. “This was part of an in-depth screening process to check that the bidders had both local and regional experience. Our experience suggested that the most likely candidates would be local companies rather than larger companies and this turned out to be the case.”
The best bid With three parties shortlisted, all were invited to submit final best bids. Two did so and the successful bidder turned out not to be a traditional housebuilder, but a civil engineering company with a healthy track record expanding into the housing sector. Meanwhile, with the old school closed and the children transferred to the new site, Sam was left to ensure that the land was looked after until demolition began. The St Albans Diocese Board of Finance had agreed to donate all the fixtures and fittings to a charity (see box) so Sam was on hand to ensure that this went smoothly. “We were particularly keen to stress that they shouldn’t touch anything to do with the services, such as the boiler, as we didn’t want anything to go bang!” he says. The final price achieved – of around £2m – exceeded expectations and was partly helped by above average house price growth across the South East. However, the combined efforts of the Fisher German team also played their part. For further information on planning issues, please contact Kay Davies on 01530 567476 or kay.davies@fishergerman.co.uk, or Sam Skinner on 01234 823661 or sam.skinner@fishergerman.co.uk
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peoplenews
Internal promotions Fisher German’s latest promotions were announced on 1 October. Nicola Hopkins from the rural team in Worcester and Iain Long from the utilities and infrastructure team in Ashby were both promoted to associate partner. Meanwhile, Matthew Beal from the utilities and infrastructure team in Hungerford and Nicolae Iliut from the GIS team in Ashby were promoted to associate. Congratulations to those promoted and thanks to each of them for their significant contribution to the continued growth, development and success of the firm.
Carl Pearson
William Gagie appointed to the RICS President’s expert panel Sam Parton
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Iain Long
Fisher German’s Carl Pearson passes STEP exam
Nicolae Iliut
Carl Pearson from the rural team has successfully passed his entrance exam for membership of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP). STEP is the global professional association for practitioners who specialise in family inheritance and tax planning. They act as trustees and advise families on how best to structure their finances to ensure compliance and preserve their assets for future generations. Carl is now part of a 20,000-strong global network of practitioners.
Following a two-day course, assignment and interview, William Gagie has successfully been appointed to the RICS President’s Panel of Independent Experts, with specialisms in rural and mineral and waste matters. This is a recent creation following the implementation of Tenancy Reform Industry Group (TRIG) reforms to deal with rent reviews and most other disputes as an alternative to arbitration. It is the first time the RICS have put a panel together for non-commercial experts.
Rachel Ashworth
Matthew Beal
Sam Parton, Iain Long and Rachel Ashworth were all successfully shortlisted under the Land (rural and urban) category and Helena Tibbitts was shortlisted under the Valuations category for Young Surveyor of the Year. And last but by no means least, Joanne Ziemelis from the utilities and infrastructure team has qualified as an associate of RICS in Geomatics, while Matthew Trewartha becomes a Fellow of RICS.
Helena Tibbitts
William Gagie
PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
Partner spotlight: Holly Parry Since progressing to partner, Holly Parry has carved out a role that places technology and innovation at its core, and has seen the rural sector go from strength to strength.
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hen Holly Parry joined Fisher German’s estate management team fresh out of Harper Adams in 2008, she never would have envisaged where she would end up nine years later. By her own admission, Holly’s progression to Partner has been “pretty quick”, and she is one of the youngest partners within equity branding. “A colleague recently pointed out thatI was the partner who will still be here in 2050, which is absolutely terrifying,” laughs Holly. “But the joy of Fisher German is that if you get your head down, you are rewarded for your hard work,” she continues. In 2015, following a long stint in estate management and mixed practice in the Market Harborough office, Holly hoped to return to her family roots in Yorkshire with the aim of owning a piece of God’s Own Country. But without an office in the region, Holly’s negotiation skills were put to the test. “I discussed with Fisher German how we could facilitate the move, and that’s when my role changed to be 50% fee-earning, specialising in valuation, management and general practice, while the other 50% I would work for the rural sector,” she explains. It’s this half of her role that has allowed Holly to drive forward the business, and
now other sectors are recognising the success of the Rural sector. “My original remit was to improve the procedures and standard documentation to make sure we are market leading, and to look at business development opportunities. The sector head realised it was a great resource to take someone away from fee-earning – to give me a sole focus has meant things have really progressed.” Despite working from home, Holly is an integral member of the rural team. “I see it as a facilitator role as I work with the regions to increase communication
“It’s quite a young crowd as graduates arrive each year, and they are all very forward-thinking and eager, so the mindset is there to embrace change. My role isn’t necessarily to come up with the ideas, but to feed the ideas from the offices back into the sector and partnership team to push things forward.” Holly’s ambitious nature is palpable, so where does she see herself heading next? “I’ve always got a five-year plan,” she laughs. “Who knows what the opportunities will be, whether it’s setting up an office or looking at opportunities in
My role isn’t necessarily to come up with the ideas, but to feed the ideas from the offices back into the sector and partnership team to push things forward.” between sector leads and the office teams. For example, we’ve got an away day in September for everyone working in the rural sector, including client accounts teams, administrators, surveyors and partners. It’s an opportunity to share best practice and celebrate good news, and these events can also be invaluable from a business development perspective,” she explains. Indeed, Fisher German’s recently launched Rural Intelligence App (www. fishergerman.co.uk/rural-consultancy/ news/rural-app) is one such idea to be born from this event, and is also indicative of the firm’s ongoing desire to modernise. “There has been a massive cultural shift during my time here when it comes to technology and innovation. Over the last two years I’ve really tried to push social media, for example, and it has gone from being viewed cautiously to a business tool that can build your personal network and also the firm’s brand,” says Holly.
terms of other businesses – feedback is that there is room for an entrepreneurial, forward-thinking firm up here.” But with so much to be getting on with in the day job, has Holly fulfilled her original intentions for the move? “My main reason for moving to Yorkshire was to find our own rural idyll and be able to have my horses at home. It took 18 months, but I’m happy to say we now have a house with a few acres.” Not one to do things by halves, Holly recently competed at the Royal International Horse Show at Hickstead having qualified her horse in their first season together. “And if all else fails I can always be a trucker,” she jokes, “as I’ve already got my HGV licence!”
For further information, please contact Holly Parry on 07501 720416 or email holly.parry@fishergerman.co.uk
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Sector insight Make more of other income streams Market benefiting despite uncertainty Appetite for change is growing David Merton, head of rural
Duncan Bedhall, head of commercial
Darren Edwards, head of sustainable energy
As the UK exits from the European Union, there is the expectation of a substantial reduction in subsidy income. While we believe a reasonable proportion of the current Basic Payment Scheme monies will be redirected towards environmental schemes, we anticipate that securing these monies will require additional effort and expense. It is likely that those with better quality arable land will be most affected, as support is likely to prioritise areas where farming is handicapped by geography, topography or climate. Many estates should prepare for a fall in the proportion of their income derived from traditional agricultural practices and focus on maximising alternative income streams. Although agriculture remains at the core of many farms and estates, making full use of all assets and resources available through a range of income streams, including residential and commercial trading businesses, is key to providing opportunity for income growth over the long term. Where land is let, management of the tenancies is of high importance to ensure that sustainable land use systems are in place and rents should be set at realistic levels to allow this to be the case. Now is the time to review tax planning and particularly the opportunity cost of maintaining Balfour Case models. In some cases, where income streams have become increasingly complicated, the annual management and administrative costs may outweigh the tax benefits sought. The land market has become increasingly localised, with farmers protecting the market. Good quality agricultural land continues to be sought after.
In my last report for this magazine, I wrote of the uncertainty of the elections and referendums that we have had in the past four years. Little did we know at that time that the general election result would cause even more uncertainty and not the strong and stable government that was hoped for. In spite of all the uncertainty, our manufacturers are benefiting from the lower pound and industrial and warehouse occupancy is at the highest level I have ever seen. As a consequence of this, we have seen significant rental growth and strong demand from property investors. The picture is not entirely rosy: the leisure sector is starting to suffer from a squeeze on disposable incomes, increasing food costs and the exodus of eastern European and Spanish labour. The introduction of a living wage has also put pressure on their margins. Fisher German continues to prosper. With our increased team, we are able to provide commercial advice to clients from other sectors and tender for work at the highest level. Good examples of this are the winning of significant instructions from Breedon Aggregates and the NFU. The relocation of our Retford office to Doncaster has also helped. With the commercial sector now situated in an important industrial and distribution area, we are already seeing instructions flow as a result.
The drivers of UK energy policy have for a long time struggled to keep a straight wheel, and the twists and turns so familiar to those operating within the energy roadmap look set to continue. This follows the government’s recent announcement to ban the sale of all diesel and petrol cars and vans from 2040, amid fears that rising levels of nitrogen oxide pose a major risk to public health. This announcement came hot on the heels of Swedish car giant Volvo stating that every new car in its range will have an electric power supply available from 2019. While any changes that benefit the environment and public health in parallel can only be positive, how does the government propose to power the nine million plus electric vehicles? This is where the strategy begins to unravel and the need for more sustainable low carbon energy generators comes back into focus, in turn offering hope to the industry in the medium term. In the short term, the focus remains on stabilising the supply and transmission of electricity around the existing grid network by way of battery storage facilities and gensets. I have mentioned this in my two previous Sector insights but at those times the interest was just emerging and we are now seeing real appetite from developers to secure prospective sites, which landowners and farmers will benefit from. We are advising clients and negotiating with developers on sites with potential to exceed over 1GW of total storage capacity, a transition which is pivotal if the UK grid is to become sufficiently resilient to sustain millions of electric cars in the medium to long term.
For further information, please contact Duncan Bedhall on 01215 617888 or email duncan.bedhall@fishergerman.co.uk
For further information, please contact Darren Edwards on 01858 411236 or email darren.edwards@fishergerman.co.uk
For further information, please contact David Merton on 01530 410806 or email david.merton@fishergerman.co.uk
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SECTOR SPOTLIGHT
Fisher German’s sector heads look forward to what lies ahead for the firm and its clients
Stronger demand and competition
Optimism in the country market
Increasing interconnectivity
Ben Marshalsay, head of development
Alasdair Dunne, head of residential
Giles Lister, head of utilities & infrastructure
The market for residential development land remains buoyant in most regions across the country. We still find ourselves in a position of stronger demand than supply and have an uphill battle to keep track of the governments targets for housing delivery. There is a more diverse range of buyers in the market and we are seeing increased offers being proposed from both housing associations and small and medium-sized housebuilders (SMEs). The ambition to grow many of these SMEs is clear, with new regions being created and proposals being submitted on larger sites – an indication of an increasing acquisition programme. The opportunity for ‘quick win’ five-year housing land supply strategic development sites appears to be declining owing to many local authorities putting their local plans into place. As a result, we are finding the demand has risen for medium to long-term plan-led promotion opportunities. Much of the recent activity has been within this category and the market is becoming more competitive due to this trend. Transaction levels on consented land remain buoyant as well. We expect that the values of greenfield development land should remain relatively stable in most locations, but with increases in those areas thought of as more desirable and where there has been a lack of permitted schemes coming to the market.
Transactional volume in the property market would appear to be a little sluggish. Rising house prices are making it harder for first-time buyers and the buy-to-let sector has been affected by a more stringent tax regime. Household incomes are being squeezed by rising inflation, and there is wider general financial uncertainty. The overheated London market, which is more sensitive to the slowdown, is now grappling with painful affordability issues and amplifying market concerns. However, the slowdown in the London market may cause a distorted perception of the overall market. Elsewhere in the country we can identify geographical pockets where in certain price bands the market is in good health. So long as we don’t see significant increases in interest rates, perceived wisdom would suggest a prolonged period of steady market activity. There are also some economic indicators that could suggest improved activity. July recorded not only our lowest unemployment rate in 40 years but also historically low mortgage arrears. And, despite higher house prices, the trade body UK Finance notes that first-time buyers are still determined to enter the market. New homeowners borrowed £5.9bn in June, up 26% on the previous month and up 9% on the same time last year. Our transactional business has generally expanded over the past five years. We have experienced a couple of plateaus when market conditions were particularly challenging but this financial year is our best yet.
Energy security, through European Projects of Common Interest (PCI), will provide the UK with a single European electricity market with associated increased interconnection capacity from Europe, which will allow electricity to flow in either direction. Within the South East, Fisher German is involved in both ElecLink, an HVDC 1000MW electricity interconnector between Great Britain and France that would go through the Channel Tunnel, and The Nemo Link® interconnector, 400kV HVDC subsea and underground cables between GB and Belgium. These PCIs will benefit from potentially faster planning and permitting procedures under the Electricity Act 1989 legislation and TEN-E Regulation. The Nemo Link® converter station is located on the Richborough Power Station in east Kent. The connection to the National Grid will be facilitated by the Planning Act 2008 and associated Development Consent Order (DCO) process. Fisher German has been responsible for the delivery of the land rights associated with the DCO, which was consented on 3 August 2017, for the construction and operation of a 20km long, 400kV high voltage overhead electric line together with related modifications to the local electricity networks between Richborough and Canterbury. We are working with clients to meet the challenges ahead associated with replacing and reinforcing the energy infrastructure through interconnectors, oil and gas suppliers, storage and potential renewable resources. Fisher German’s service delivery against programme has been critical to the client requirements.
For further information, please contact Ben Marshalsay on 01530 567465 or email ben.marshalsay@fishergerman.co.uk
For further information, please contact Alasdair Dunne on 07501 720412 or email alasdair.dunne@fishergerman.co.uk
For further information, please contact Giles Lister on 01227 477877 or email giles.lister@fishergerman.co.uk
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Office directory Contact details for Fisher German’s 16 national offices
Knutsford Phone 01565 757970 knutsford@fishergerman.co.uk 2 Royal Court Tatton Street WA16 6EN
Chester Phone 01244 409660 chester@fishergerman.co.uk 4 Vicars Lane CH1 1QU
Halesowen Phone 01215 617888 halesowen@fishergerman.co.uk 3 Saint Kenelm Court Steelpark Road Halesowen B62 8HD
Fisher German sectors Commercial Development Residential
Hereford
Rural
Phone 01989 550242 hereford@fishergerman.co.uk The Middle Granary Brockhampton Hereford HR1 4SE
Sustainable Energy Utilities & Infrastructure
Stafford Phone 01785 220044 stafford@fishergerman.co.uk 2 Rutherford Court ST18 0GP
Hungerford Phone 01488 662750 hungerford@fishergerman.co.uk Firn House 61 Church Street RG17 0JH
Worcester Phone 01905 453275 worcester@fishergerman.co.uk 1 Kings Court Charles Hastings Way Worcester WR5 1JR
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CONTACT US
Ashby-de-la-Zouch Phone 01530 412821 ashby@fishergerman.co.uk The Estates Office, Norman Court LE65 2UZ
Doncaster Phone: 01302 243930 doncaster@fishergerman.co.uk Unit 2, Carolina Court Lakeside Business Park Doncaster DN4 5RA
Newark Phone 01636 642500 newark@fishergerman.co.uk 12 Halifax Court Fernwood Business Park Cross Lane NG24 3JP
Market Harborough Phone 01858 410200 harborough@fishergerman.co.uk 40 High Street LE16 7NX
Bedford Phone 01234 823661 bedford@fishergerman.co.uk Unit 8, Stephenson Court Fraser Road Priory Business Park MK44 3WJ
Banbury Phone 01295 271555 banbury@fishergerman.co.uk 50 South Bar OX16 9AB
Bromsgrove Thame Phone 01844 212004 thame@fishergerman.co.uk 17 High Street OX9 2BZ
Phone 01527 575525 bromsgrove@fishergerman.co.uk The Estate Office 8 New Road B60 2JD
Canterbury Phone 01227 477877 canterbury@fishergerman.co.uk Court Lodge Farm Offices Godmersham Park CT4 7DT
For more information visit:
www.fishergerman.co.uk fisher german magazine
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