Fisher german magazine summer 2018 issue 20

fisher german Magazine | Summer 2018 | Issue 20

www.fishergerman.co.uk

Celebrating ten years of Fisher German Magazine

Water Works A look back at Severn Trent Water’s top ten projects from the past ten years

A decade of change What’s changed and what is yet to come for the Fisher German business p6

Thrill of the chase

Malcolm Wilson on his successful rallying career and M-Sport business p16

Saving small farms

What changes are on the cards for owners to safeguard the future of small farms? p36

Welcome It’s been ten years since launching the first issue of the Fisher German Magazine and we are delighted at how the business has evolved. It has grown significantly over the past ten years and we have had to effect some material changes to our management structure to cope with this, and to hopefully help sustain our plans for growth in the future. To find out how the business has Andrew Jackson, transformed since 2008, our feature on page 6 takes a managing partner look back at the challenges we’ve overcome, and what we can expect from the coming decade.

It’s not just Fisher German that has been embracing change though – we first featured the Tissington Estate in Issue 1 and, ten years later, we showcase the new exciting ventures that owner Sir Richard FitzHerbert has started in order to expand the business.

Our clients are at the heart of everything we do and we understand the need for having a close relationship – Fisher German and utility provider Severn Trent Water have worked together for nearly ten years on a wide variety of schemes, so on page 20 we present ten of the most interesting projects.

Farming also takes the focus in this issue as we continue to highlight the importance of working together with the recent sale of Warren Farm, which involved several parts of the Fisher German business (page 28). We also consider the changes that Brexit will bring to farming and rural land use on page 34.

There is plenty more covered in this special extended issue, which celebrates our business and the past successes and future opportunities for our clients.

New ventures Tissington Estate owner Richard FitzHerbert on embracing change

10 Ten of the best The most interesting projects in the past decade for Severn Trent Water

20

Changing perceptions We explore the areas where the interest in commercial property is going strong

Working together The sale of Warren Farm involved several teams in Fisher German

28

26 Small family farms What changes do owners need to make to safeguard their future?

Heart of the Shires How the shopping village has transformed into an attractive destination for shoppers

36

40

People news Helping Fresh Start and other news

46

Partner spotlight Hugh Maxfield has helped raise Fisher German’s profile in the rural property sector

47

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 email marketing@fishergerman.co.uk.

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News & views Fisher German launches new website; RICS award win; farming policy changes

Decade of change A look back over the past ten years at Fisher German

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06 Professional planners How to keep up to date with new legislation

Thrill of the chase Motorsport legend Malcolm Wilson on his rallying career and M-Sport business

14 Rethinking recycling How the waste management firm is preparing for the future

16 Listen up Delivering continuing professional development through audiobooks

24

22 In the pipeline We profile Spanish utility firm CLH-PS

Brexit special Duchy College Rural Business School and the impact of Brexit on farming and rural land use

30 Historic homes Rigby Hall is set to return to its original use, but in a modern way

34

A worthy cause The Henry Sale Foundation was set up in 2015 to commemorate his life

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44

Sector insights What lies ahead for the firm and its clients

Office directory Contact details for Fisher German’s national offices

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50

Publishing services provided

by Grist, 21 Noel Street, Soho, London W1F 8GP

Publisher Andrew Rogerson Editor Tracey Gardner Art director Jennifer Cibinic Designer Gio Isnenghi Telephone +44 (0)20 7434 1445 Website www.gristonline.com

Please remove cover before recycling this magazine

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news&views

New Fisher German website puts key features within easy reach After more than two years of planning, Fisher German’s new website is now live.

A dedicated in-house project team worked in partnership with website specialist Starberry to rebuild the site from the ground up to create an interactive experience that meets fast changing user expectations.

Ease of use and the ability to quickly access relevant information were top of the list of user requirements for the new look website.

Key enhancements include: • A revamped property search engine, which allows users to draw their own geographic search areas and define personal travel time requirements, allowing them, for example, to specify properties within an hour’s drive of their workplace.

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• An innovative online property auction marketplace powered by Bamboo Auctions, which allows residential sales and purchases at the click of a button.

• An exciting digital publishing platform powered by Issuu, where all Fisher German publications (including Fisher German Magazine, of course!) can be found in one place for instant online reading or downloading to read later.

• A brand new concept where users can engage with Fisher German like they never have before. The Social Wall brings together all social media posts, which include the Fisher German brand and hashtags on the same screen at the same time.

All of the most popular features of the previous website have been retained, but considerable thought has gone into

developing pages, which make the firm’s wide range of services as accessible as possible to a broad range of site visitors.

The new website incorporates a distinctive radar design that is being rolled out across the business. The design illustrates how Fisher German scans the market to find the right property solution for clients.

To see the new Fisher German website and try out its new features for yourself, please go to: www.fishergerman.co.uk

RICS award win

Fisher German has won an important award for a memorable training video, which will save utility companies thousands of pounds. Judges at the West Midlands heat of the prestigious RICS Awards 2018 gave the video top marks in the Innovation category.

Developed by Fisher German in conjunction with client Severn Trent Water (also see feature on page 20), the engaging animated short film clearly articulates how contractors involved in utility construction projects can achieve best practice.

Judges praised the effectiveness of the video, which they said could result in huge savings in cost, carbon and potentially casualties. The Fisher German toolbox talk video will go on to compete in the RICS Awards national finals in November 2018.

Fisher German highlights farming policy changes

Those involved in the rural sector have been encouraged by Fisher German to take advantage of a chance to actively engage with the UK government on consultations taking place during 2018. These will shape the first draft Agriculture Bill at the end of the year. The firm has been leading the way in ensuring that rural voices are heard in legislation that will affect the sector for the next 25 years.

George Simpson

Tom Heathcote

01785 273995

01858 411222

george.simpson@fishergerman.co.uk

tom.heathcote@fishergerman.co.uk

Development team achieves record results

A buoyant market is resulting in a constant flow of development transactions throughout 2018, Fisher German’s planning and development experts report. The team, which notched up a record number of transactions worth more than £100m in 2017, is currently involved in the promotion of land capable of delivering over 27,000 new homes as well as the marketing of more than 550,000 sq ft of retail floor space and 350 acres of employment land.

Ben Marshalsay 01530 567465 ben.marshalsay@fishergerman.co.uk

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Fisher German’s managing partner, Andrew Jackson, looks back over the past ten years at what’s changed and what is yet to come for the business.

A decade of When the global financial crisis struck ten years ago, how did it affect Fisher German?

We were very well placed in the utilities and infrastructure sector when the recession came in 2008. That wasn’t a matter of luck, rather the result of a conscious decision we took some years before to create a more resilient business by increasing our market presence across multiple sectors and developing wider service lines within those sectors. Around 2008, utilities operators faced significant investment requirements from regulators that focused on renewals and enhancements. What that did for Fisher German was to generate an ongoing spend in a market that we were active in, right through the recession, and that really helped to sustain us.

What about other parts of the business?

Like most companies, we saw some casualties. In particular, commercial and residential transactional activity fell off a cliff and in fact is still nowhere near pre-recession levels. On the other hand, our rural business, which had been in

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the doldrums for around a decade, all of sudden took off because commodity prices started improving. That led to a domino effect of increased profitability, increased rents, increased management fees and more investment activity.

As the recession ended in 2010, there was a change of political leadership in the UK and the arrival of a coalition government. What effect did that have on the firm’s business?

That government supported renewable energy for a number of years, which led to a significant increase in activity in this sector for us. We grasped the opportunity to present interesting investment opportunities based on

innovative renewables projects to our clients. What we clearly showed was that we were at the leading edge of the thought process of how to make business more viable in a rural setting. This was about changing the thought process on farms: being more entrepreneurial and generally thinking outside the agriculture box.

Did those new ways of thinking extend to considering Fisher German’s management structure?

Very much so. If you look at the way the business is set up now, compared with 2008, it’s completely different. We’ve been through a radical change that has repositioned the company to not only deal with current growth but, importantly, future growth, too.

We’ve been through a radical change that has repositioned the company to not only deal with current growth but, importantly, future growth, too.”

MAGAZINE – TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY

change What were the key changes and the catalyst for them?

Back in 2008 we were managing the business as we were in 2000 (when Fisher German was created by the merger of Fisher Hoggarth and John German) – we had two managing partners (myself and Henry Sale) who oversaw the whole business. After Henry’s untimely death in 2013, we formed a larger management team, including a deputy managing partner, Tim Shuldham; a chief operating officer, Andrew Bridge; and a finance director, Adrian Jones; and that, together with our non-executive chairman, Harry Cotterell, is the management structure we have in place today.

How did management change affect the firm’s business structure?

Internally, we divided the company into eight regional business units, with their own local management structures, which created a strong sense of local identity.

It really helped balance the business and has been integral to the growth we’ve achieved in the past five years.

What prompted that decision?

We were aware that while we had a lot of people who were technically competent to a high degree, we were not as blessed with business managers. It’s just not something many of us are originally trained to do.

We’re a sizeable business and sizeable businesses need formal, focused business management delivery. So, we reorganised the company by identifying people in different parts of the country who already had these skills and forming business units around them.

And what about external changes?

At the same time as we put the regional structure in place, we organised the business into six clearly defined, clientfacing market sectors (see Sector Insight, page 48), each led by an individual who is highly experienced in that sector.

Additionally, we put people in charge of service lines to make sure that the quality of our business and the training and the uniformity of delivery standard is consistent across the whole of Fisher German.

Has the process of change delivered the results you anticipated?

It has been very successful, but we see it as just the start of an ongoing process.

We’re now putting a huge amount of effort into identifying people with an interest in business management and putting them through formal training programmes. This will put us in a significantly more positive place going forward and will enable us to promote within rather than having to look outside. This, alongside investment in business development training and our technical training programmes, should set us up well for the future.

How do you think perceptions of Fisher German have changed over the past decade?

One of the most exciting things for us is that as we’ve grown (see Fisher German in numbers, page 9), the market has recognised that we are able to provide larger delivery teams. We’ve positioned ourselves at a higher table and that will help sustain growth in the business going forward.

For example, we’re currently working on a project – involving a team of 40 people – that we undoubtedly wouldn’t have won even five years ago.

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What happened in 2008?

Gordon Brown is Prime Minister.

Boris Johnson ousts Ken Livingstone in London’s mayoral election.

Retail brands Woolworths and MFI disappear from the high street.

The UK government part-nationalises three banks (Lloyds TSB, RBS, HBOS) for £37bn in the wake of the global financial crisis.

Does growth bring with it new challenges?

Well, we occasionally encounter those who think our growth has come simply through merging with and acquiring other businesses. While that has certainly happened, if you add up the turnover of those individual businesses you find that the sum is less than one third of the company’s total annual turnover – which has grown on average by more than 15% a year over the past decade. So, our challenge is to explain to the market that our growth is primarily driven from within.

How can that be done in practical terms?

One of the things we’ve done in the past 18 months is engage a business development manager (Jeremy Phillips), who is focusing on our existing clients and explaining what more we can do for them (see Well connected box). There are a huge number of potential cross-connections that aren’t particularly obvious from the outset.

An earthquake with its epicentre in Lincolnshire measures 5.2 on the Richter scale and is felt across most of the UK.

The Ford Focus is the UK’s best-selling car for the 10th year running.

Does Fisher German have a unique selling point?

Yes, and while the phrase may be overused these days, the positioning of our business is genuinely different. Other firms in our sectors have an inner-city-looking-out perspective. But, we think uniquely, Fisher German’s natural perspective is looking in from outside of the cities, though obviously we work in those, too. We believe our rural based vantage point leads to creative thinking and innovative solutions in environments that may no longer be the natural territory of our competitors.

How do you see the company changing over the next ten years?

First, we’ll look to fill the gaps in our geographic representation, so adding dots on the map (see page 50) around Bristol, Leeds and a couple of locations in the South East. Then the focus will shift to ensuring that we offer all our sectors and service lines from every region.

And what wider changes do you see in the coming decade?

Communications technology will improve and with it our ability to interact more frequently, efficiently and effectively with

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Portsmouth takes the FA Cup by beating Cardiff City 1-0.

Mamma Mia! is the UK’s then highest grossing film at £68.6m. Quantum of Solace, also released this year, captures £51.2m.

clients, and to enhance our service offer through connected delivery. There will be radical change in transport infrastructure – driverless cars and delivery drones are real and on the way. Interestingly, the real advances won’t be about the vehicles themselves but about the communications networks that will control them.

Outside work, you take a keen interest in rugby and are a member of Leicester Tigers. Does the club’s performance on the pitch mirror Fisher German’s business success?

Fisher German has probably seen more upward movement than the Tigers in the past decade! At the start of the millennium they were European champions and top of the tree. Sadly, that can’t be said now.

One thing I’ve observed from my experience as an RFU coach, that applies equally well in business, is that you can pull a group of very diverse people together by giving them clear goals.

As soon as they see results, they become enthused and start generating their own internal positivity. At that point management becomes less about leadership and more about strategic guidance.

MAGAZINE – TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY

Apple’s first generation model of the MacBook Air is revealed by Steve Jobs. The original iPhone was released only one year before.

Lewis Hamilton became the youngest ever Formula One World Champion.

Cost of...

2008

2018

% change

Pint of milk

40p

48p

+20

Carton of six eggs

£1.45

89p

-39

Loaf of bread

£1.37

£1.00

-27

Sugar (1 kilo)

79p

69p

-13

Pint of beer

£2.75

£3.05

+11

Glass of wine

£3.50

£4.13

+18

Petrol (1 litre)

£1.08

£1.20

+11

Average house price

£230,000

£211,756

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Average earnings

£23,486

£27,848

+19

Source: Projectbritain; monster.co.uk; ONS; Tesco; pintprice.com; statista.com; bbc.co.uk

Construction of the Olympic Stadium for the 2012 games begins. In the Beijing Olympics, Team GB brings home 47 medals, including 19 gold.

Fisher German in numbers

2008

2018

% change

Number of staff

c100

c500

+400

Number of offices

8

16

+100

Turnover

£11.5m

£30m (estimate)

+161

Well connected • Fisher German manages a light industrial building for the owner of an aero parts machine engineering company in the Black Country (see page 26).

• The owner has always dreamed of pheasant shooting and being an outdoors man.

• So, he sells up his business to Rolls-Royce or similar and pockets between £30m and £40m.

• He approaches Fisher German to help him buy and manage a farm so he can run his own shoot.

Trading places In the past decade, Fisher German has moved several of its own offices to deliver better efficiencies and a better service to clients.

• 2 009: the Newark office moves from Alverton to high-spec facilities in Fernwood.

• 2 010: the Knutsford office expands from 2 Royal Court to Tatton Street. In the same year, the Southampton office relocates to Hungerford.

• 2 012: the Thame office expands into new offices on the High Street.

• 2 016: the firm consolidates three offices in Ashby de la Zouch into a brand new 15,000 sq ft headquarters building at Ivanhoe Business Park. In the same year the Bedford office moves to new premises at Priory Business Park.

• 2017: the Retford office relocates to bespoke offices at Lakeside, near Doncaster (see pages 26-27).

Andrew Jackson 01530 410812 andrew.jackson@fishergerman.co.uk

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Embracing the old and the new While steeped in history, the Tissington Estate combines the traditional with the modern. We find out how, over the past decade, owner Sir Richard FitzHerbert has been embracing change and starting new ventures.

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RURAL – TISSINGTON ESTATE

We act as country lung and provide somewhere quiet away from the bustle of the city. One of the joys of being here is that once you’ve arrived there is absolutely no need to get in a car to go anywhere.”

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agazine flashback...

Tissington Estate, near Ashbourne in Derbyshire, was profiled in the first issue of Fisher German Magazine in 2008.

Ten years later we return to find out what changes have taken place there in the intervening decade.

Sir Richard FitzHerbert, owner of the 1,980-acre Peak District Estate at Tissington, is reflecting what impact the global financial crisis, which was the cause of so much concern and disruption around this time in 2008, had on his business. “Ironically,” he muses, “it may have helped us.” As family spending on big-ticket items was rapidly cut back, a renaissance in UK short breaks occurred, which benefited owners of holiday lets, like those at Tissington. “Back then we had two, now we have three, and another that is tenant-run, plus a small flat in the Hall itself,” adds Sir Richard.

Fortunately, when the recession receded, demand remained constant and now the properties are largely fully let between April and September, with decent take-up in the winter, giving an average occupancy rate of 70%.

Two years ago, lettings management was taken in-house and a dedicated manager employed, who is based in the Estate office. “I’m very glad we made that decision, as the role has created another presence in the village and our

manager is very quick to spot if there are any issues in the properties – she sorts things immediately,” says Sir Richard.

Guests at Tissington tend to come from the cities which encircle the Peak District: Leicester, Nottingham, Stoke, Manchester and Sheffield, as well as from the West Midlands.

One of Tissington’s unique selling points is that dogs are welcome in all properties (for a small charge). Their owners are drawn to mid-week breaks to explore the Peak District National

Park’s network of exceptionally well signposted footpaths, circular walks and cycle routes.

“We act as country lung,” reckons Sir Richard, “and provide somewhere quiet away from the bustle of the city. One of the joys of being here is that once you’ve arrived there is absolutely no need to get in a car to go anywhere. And one of the positives of managing the lets ourselves is that we are creating a relationship with the client that wasn’t there before, which is helpful for generating repeat business.”

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Changing landscape

Centuries of history at Tissington Incredibly, FitzHerbert ownership of the Tissington Estate can be traced back to 1485, a length of ownership claim to fame shared by only about 300 other families in the country. Sir Richard inherited the Estate from his uncle Sir John in 1989 and around 150,000 people come to visit each year. Over the centuries, many wings have been added to the core structure of the Hall, most notably by Joseph Pickford of Derby in the late 18th century and then, around 1900, by the eminent architect Arnold Mitchell. As well as hosting numerous weddings, Tissington has also featured in several drama productions, including BBC Films’ adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre.

To find out more, visit www.tissingtonhall.co.uk

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The flat in the hall is run differently from the others. Around two years ago the letting of this flat was placed onto online bookings portal Airbnb. “It’s very interesting, while the majority of visitors are really nice, they only come once,” reports Sir Richard. “Nevertheless, they are very appreciative of the family meeting and greeting them and walking them around the gardens.” Adopting new services such as Airbnb demonstrates that Sir Richard, who writes a regular blog and posts on Twitter, is no slouch when it comes to keeping up with the times.

In 2012, he introduced sustainable energy to the Estate with the installation of a 4kW PV (photovoltaic or solar) unit to provide electricity for the impressive hall (which dates back to 1609) and he estimates the cost had been repaid by 2017. Impressed by this performance, Sir Richard went on to install a further five PV units on other estate properties over the past few years, though obtaining planning consent for one turned into something of a tussle.

RURAL – TISSINGTON ESTATE The Peak District National Park initially refused an application for solar power at Herbert’s tearooms, a decision that still rankles with Sir Richard. “There is no mains gas in the village, so we rely on electricity – and consumption is high when the tearooms are busy,” he points out. The refusal was overturned on appeal, but in the intervening year the feed-in tariff (price paid for surplus energy returned to the grid) had dropped by half. This frustration aside, business has been on an upward curve since the Estate took back the running of the tearooms (formerly known as The Old Coach House) in 2012. Now run by Sir Richard’s wife Lady FitzHerbert, and trading seven days per week over the summer, turnover has increased by more than 25%. “We run it much more efficiently,” explains Sir Richard, “and we all – including myself – pitch in when it gets really busy.”

As might be expected, the tearooms serves local produce whenever possible, including meat from the local butcher, Peak District Ice Cream and beer from the Peak Ales brewery.

Expanding events

A key change to have taken place on the Estate in the past decade is investment in the weddings business. Although Tissington obtained a civil licence in 2003, it was not until 2010 that a permanent marquee, known as the Arboretum Pavilion, was erected. This is largely a summer-only and weekends-orientated business, led by a dedicated events coordinator, with around 30 weddings taking place each year – approximately half holding their ceremonies in the Hall and the remainder in local churches. “We’re at capacity now,” observes Sir Richard, “but the great thing about weddings is that they also generate income for the holiday lets, the tearooms, and the shops and bed and breakfasts in the village. We also have a bridal suite in the Hall that is exclusively let out for weddings.”

Although expansion of the wedding business may be limited, the Estate is exploring mid-week uses for the marquee space for corporate or leisure events. In 2017, a team from Fisher German spent a business awayday at the Hall and in spring 2018, Tissington hosted its first ever walking festival (see Nordic walking box).

Another recent innovation is an annual Christmas event. Having noted the success of the well dressing ceremony every May (a Peak District tradition), the Estate considered how it might develop a festive-themed event. When the operator of the village sweet shop offered to dress the house to a Dickensian theme in 2015, Sir

Tissington takes Nordic walking in its stride

For two days in spring 2018, Nordic walkers from across the UK (and indeed even further afield) converged on Tissington for the first-ever Peak District Rustick Festival. Organised by Nordic Walking UK, a business that has been promoting the fitness activity in the UK for the past decade, it used Tissington’s Arboretum Pavilion as a hub for many walks radiating into the surrounding countryside.

“We were fortunate that one of the 4,500 instructors we’ve trained across the country, lived in Tissington,” says event organiser and Nordic Walking UK founder Mike Rollason. “We were looking for an iconic location, centrally based, with good transport infrastructure and it fitted the bill perfectly. Our aim was to give our participants an experience and Tissington has undoubtedly done that.”

These types of events can be financially rewarding, not only for the estate, but also the wider community. Although the spending at Tissington is not yet known, Mike says that a similar festival in Dorset generated a local spend of more than £500,000 in just three days. Despite the potential benefits, Sir Richard was initially cautious about giving the festival the go-ahead. “He was rightfully mindful of his tenants and regular customers,” Mike adds. “But once we pointed out that we are a professionally run event, that the age group of participants is in the 35-65 age band and that numbers at the hall would be no greater than the average large wedding, we were made to feel very welcome.

We’d like to come back next year.”

Richard decided to give the idea a try.

“We had ten coach loads of visitors that year,” he recalls, “and in 2017 we welcomed 40 coaches over a three-week period for our Beauty and the Beast themed event.”

The theme (which changes annually) for 2018 will be ‘Neverland at Tissington’ and places have already booked up quickly in the first half of the year.

“We may have to add extra days, which I admit is a lovely problem to have,” smiles Sir Richard. “What is particularly heart-warming about this event is that it appeals to people of all ages and backgrounds. And the more people who attend, the more custom for businesses in the village.”

Looking to the next ten years, Sir Richard is pondering whether the Estate can capitalise on the increasing interest in cycling. He says: “I’ve discovered that cycling is the new golf, which I hadn’t really appreciated. We’ve already got lots of cycle racks outside Herbert’s and we are close to the Tissington Trail, the former railway line that is now very popular with cyclists. I’m wondering if we can do something more.” A trial Fisher German cycle day in 2017, which involved participants riding a 50-kilometre circular route, demonstrated the potential.

If plans in the pipeline come to fruition, by 2028 Tissington may be a feature on the UK cycling map. Sir Richard’s ancestors would surely approve.

David Merton 01530 410806 david.merton@fishergerman.co.uk

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T

o the uninitiated, UK planning policy and its supporting legislation appears to be a bit like criminal law: clear rules that govern what is and is not permissible, effectively written in stone. And, just like criminal law, the reality, as a quick glance at a list of major planning legislation and policy documents released by successive governments over the past decade proves, is anything but (see table). With significant new planning rules – including legislation, statutory instruments, ministerial statements, case law, policy and national guidance – arriving, on average, around every 18 months, professional planners such as Fisher German partner Kay Davies are being constantly kept on their toes.

In 2018, the government is making some significant revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) – unwieldy document titles and impenetrable acronyms are an

technical expertise. Kay nods: “When we write a strategy letter whether for a small barn conversion or a large development scheme, we seek to ensure we provide the client with as clear an understanding of the route to achieve consent and to make the process as clear as possible.”

If Kay is at all exasperated by the succession of changes affecting her job, she doesn’t show it. Instead, she focuses on the positives that have come from a decade of morphing planning legislation and policy. “The government is trying to make the planning system, more streamlined, easier for We constantly have to householders, more flexible be on the ball. So much of to businesses and reinforcing what we do has changed its commitment to delivering the right homes in the right in the past 10 years.” places,” she states. “There are clear signs that local Clarity is key authorities are finally engaging in the Unsurprisingly, communication skills are as process that will allow new homes to be important for professional planners as their delivered more widely. The increasing recognition that just because you can’t walk to a local shop or a school doesn’t mean that a development is inherently unsustainable is so refreshing, and really The changes in planning legislation over the past decade have been mirrored in Fisher German’s helps land owners with small scale planning personnel, which has grown from Kay plus two others based in Ashby in 2008 to a total developments and conversions (see box).” of 19 today spread across four regions – an impressive 533% increase.

Kay points out that while there Those planners operate across three areas; general practice work, covering farms, rural estates, was initial uncertainty about how commercial and small scale residential; strategic land, and utilities and sustainable energy planning.

Neighbourhood Planning, introduced Planning is now included in Fisher German’s graduate recruitment programme, with three joining by the 2011 Localism Act, would work the business in 2018. Kay suggests that the planning team may not quite achieve a 500% increase in practice, Neighbourhood Plans are over the next decade but is certainly planning for further growth. now taken very seriously and given occupational hazard for those in the planning profession –This is policy that was itself only introduced in 2012.

“The context we operate within is frequently changing,” admits Kay. “We constantly have to be on the ball. So much of what we do has changed in the past 10 years and continues to do so.”

That can sometimes lead to awkward conversations when a land owner finds that they can’t get planning permission for a development that their neighbour was able to only a short time before.

Fisher German planning team plans for growth

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PLANNING

Keeping up with new planning rules that arrive every 18 months or so can be a challenge – and one that professional planners are all too familiar with.

UK Planning Legislation and Policy: 2008-2018 Year

2008 2011 2012 2013 2014 2014 2015 2015 2016 2016 2018 2018

Key Legislation and Policy

Planning Act Localism Act National Policy Planning Framework (NPPF) Growth and Infrastructure Act National Planning Practice Guidance General Permitted Development Order (GPDO) changes Infrastructure Act GPDO changes Housing and Planning Act GPDO changes NPPF revisions GPDO changes

significant weight. Kay encourages all those she works with to engage with them at an early stage.

Planning officials have also been forced to alter their attitudes over the past decade.

“The tide is turning,” confirms Kay. “Even the most stubborn local authorities who resisted any kind of development activity are now accepting the shift in planning policy and legislation changes but this has often been driven by planning appeals.”

And what of planning between now and 2028 – is Kay expecting the politicians to ease off the throttle? “I hope so!” she says. “However, given the government’s commitment to housing delivery, it is likely that there will be more changes. There will

How planning has changed in practice One of the areas where there has been a significant shift in planning rules since 2008 is housing. In particular, the issue of affordable housing in rural areas is now more widely acknowledged, though some local authorities have been quicker to accept the changes in direction than others.

A landmark barn conversion project Fisher German advised on illustrates some of the issues and how these have been resolved over time. In 2008, detailed planning permission was approved for the conversion of derelict barns near a farm in Derbyshire into three residential units. However, the local authority believed that under the then current planning rules the development would require a payment from the landowner towards providing affordable housing elsewhere in the district. The sum calculated came to nearly £80,000. This threatened the viability of the project, though the project was subsequently put on hold as a result of the global financial downturn. As work had not started three years later, the planning permission lapsed.

When the plans were dusted down again in 2014, newly introduced permitted development rights, which in this case allowed the conversion of agricultural buildings for use as residential dwellings, meant that, unlike in 2008, a full-scale planning application was not required. This meant a considerable cost saving for the landowner.

But the local authority refused the plans as the scheme was considered unsustainable.

Yet exactly the same development had previously been granted planning permission. When challenged, the local authority suggested that an affordable housing contribution could allow the conversion to go ahead.

In November 2014, the government issued guidance noting that local authorities were unable to demand such contributions for developments of 10 dwellings or fewer. So, Fisher German appealed the local authority’s refusal, arguing that the proposals were fully compliant with the permitted development rights and that the scheme would not be unsustainable.

A government-appointed planning inspector agreed and allowed the appeal. This set an important precedent for landowners in a similar situation. The Derbyshire development has now been completed and is fully occupied.

certainly be some case law arising from the revised NPPF when it is published in its final format. The last 10 years have also seen much greater recognition of rural areas and that’s likely to continue.”

Kay Davies 01530 567476 kay.davies@fishergerman.co.uk

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15

The thrill

of the chase Magazine flashback... In Issue 15, we profiled racing driver Nick Tandy. Here we speak with British motorsport legend Malcolm Wilson OBE about his hugely successful rallying career and the exciting prospects for his motorsport business, M-Sport, which took the FIA World Rally Championship title last year.

Cars have always been in my life but when I was young I never thought in my wildest dreams that I’d be able to do it professionally, I just revelled in the sheer thrill and excitement of doing rallies.”

I

t is 1966. England’s football squad has recently triumphed in the World Cup against Germany. As a rally car hurtles around a sharp bend in the Cumbrian countryside, a 10-year-old Malcolm Wilson is clinging to the back seat in ecstatic awe and disbelief. He is experiencing the thrill of rally motor sporting for the first time.

Fast-forward to 2017 and M-Sport founder Malcolm Wilson OBE and his team had just won the World Rally Championship in Wales, the FIA World Rally Championships for Drivers, Co-drivers and Manufacturers along with a rally win at the Dayinsure Wales Rally GB. Malcolm fondly relives his childhood memories: “My parents ran a vehicle dismantling and tyre distribution business, so people used to turn up looking for spares and rally tyres. One day some customers offered me the chance to ride backseat during a rally.” What would now be considered a health and safety nightmare, was then a young boy’s dream come true.

CLIENT FEATURE – M-SPORT He grins: “I couldn’t believe it – the first junction we came to the driver put the car sideways and of course I’d never witnessed anything like that, but to be honest that was it. I just got the bug at an early age.”

By the time of his rally induction, Malcolm could already drive himself, having learnt at the tender age of eight on a Ford Popular E93A in his parents’ yard. “Cars have always been in my life,” he says, “but when I was young I never thought in my wildest dreams that I’d be able to do it professionally, I just revelled in the sheer thrill and excitement of doing rallies.”

Inspired by four-time British Rally Championship-winning Roger Clark, who was loyal to Ford vehicles most of his career, Malcolm has enjoyed similarly close ties with the US manufacturer, starting to compete in a Ford Anglia, before moving quickly to a Mark 1 Escort. By the end of the 1970s, he had racked up two national competition wins and sponsorship from Ford led him to set up his own company – Malcolm Wilson Motorsport – in 1979. But success in the British Rally Championship eluded him in the 1980s.

“At that time I felt that I could do everything: drive and run a business alongside,” says Malcolm. “Now I can see it wasn’t possible to do everything I was trying to, though I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. But I think I could have achieved a lot more as a driver if I hadn’t had the pressure of running a business behind the scenes as well.”

Privately competing at times in his own Audi Quattro, Malcolm and Ford temporarily parted company in 1985 as he joined Austin Rover to compete in Group B competitions.

But the formula was banned after a fatal crash in the 1986 Tour de Corse. Brief stints with Peugeot and GM (Vauxhall) followed before Malcolm returned to the Ford fold in a Sierra Cosworth in 1990. “The Group B era was incredible. The cars were monsters to drive, but it was such an exhilarating time,” Malcolm remembers.

Smooth transition

The 1990s were to bring new achievements for Malcolm including, finally, the coveted British International Rally Championship title in 1994, a year before his driving retirement.

The transition to full-time businessman was smooth thanks to a long-held interest in commerce.

He swiftly picked up the management of Ford’s World Rally Championship team, although his deep-rooted affection for his native Cumbria nearly cost the company the job, after he refused to relocate to the existing base in Essex. “Eventually, they accepted it could be done from Cumbria (see Dovenby Hall box, page 18). A lot of people didn’t give it 12 months, but we’re still here,” Malcolm chuckles jubilantly, adding that the pros of a better quality of life far outweighed the cons of longer journey times to other parts of the UK. It was in early 2017 that Fisher German partner David Merton and associate Gillian Pattinson took on the role of property consultancy, where Gillian worked with M-Sport from a satellite office in the North of the UK, close to the business.

With the Ford contract in the bag, the company name was changed to M-Sport in 1997 and the business grew rapidly from less than 20 staff to more than 100 within three months. A personal high for Malcolm was the unexpected accolade of an OBE, presented in 2009. Sadly, those heady days couldn’t last forever, and Ford’s withdrawal from WRC in 2012 was a hammer blow for the close-knit company.

“That was possibly the most difficult period in my business life,” Malcolm recalls, still visibly pained at having had to make serious cuts to his loyal workforce.

Malcolm’s career 1979 & 1980 1977

1964

Competes in RAC Rally for first time

Learns to drive (age 8)

UK Ford Escort Rally Championship winner (achieved with Malcolm Wilson Motorsport)

1980-1985 / 1990-1995

1979

Chief test driver for Ford

Sets up Malcolm Wilson Motorsport

1966

First rally experience

But the trauma was short-lived as an approach from Bentley resulted in a new racing association, now led by Malcolm’s son Matthew, a former racing driver. A Blancpain Endurance Championship win for Bentley in 2017 was followed in spring 2018 by the launch of a new Continental GT3 car.

Another part of the business, M-Sport Poland, has been flourishing on mainland Europe after a chance visit to Krakow back in 2009. “Around then the FIA approached us to do a junior world rally series and we didn’t have space in Cumbria, so we took over a former motorsport facility,” says Malcolm.

This was replaced by a 70,000 sq ft purposebuilt facility near Krakow airport in mid-2017.

The realisation that space was limited at Dovenby Hall led to plans for the creation of a new £19m evaluation centre (MEC), to be built on the estate (see MEC box).

“I’m a big believer that if you stand still in business, you’re dead. The MEC will give us a USP and protect the business for the foreseeable future,” reckons Malcolm. It should also generate further new employment, with staff numbers expected to rise from their current level of around 270. Although the facility won’t be opened until towards the end of 2019, it is progressing well. Malcolm reports: “The tarmac is down on the test track, apart from the 40mm wearing course, but you can already drive round it.”

With Formula E on the horizon, both Malcolm and M-Sport expect new challenges over the coming decade.

Malcolm is also hopeful that, in time, another generation of Wilsons will arrive.

Though whether their initials will be M remains to be seen.

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1994

RACMSA British Rally Championship winner

1997

Changes company name to M-Sport

2000

M-Sport moves into Dovenby Hall, Cumbria

Dovenby Hall M-Sport moved into its modern rally base at the renovated 115-acre Dovenby Hall estate, near Cockermouth, in 2000. The earliest parts of the building date from 1154 and, like many country estates, was subsequently remodelled over the centuries during private ownership. In 1930, Dovenby was purchased by a local health authority for a mental health facility for 400 patients. This closed in 1997 and the sale to M-Sport completed in 1998.

The hall was transformed into an office area, offering modern accommodation in a manner sympathetic to the history and style of the building. Inside, the interior has been stripped to reveal the original Twelfth century stonework and the walls are adorned with the names of legendary rally drivers who have won in Ford cars. As well as being a company base, the estate also offers serviced office accommodation for external businesses. The former walled garden is now a 60,000 sq ft workshop, linked to the hall by a glazed walkway.

“It took a long time to find Dovenby and we looked at 37 other properties,” remembers Malcolm. “I thought we’d exhausted all options, but then at the last moment Dovenby came up, and as soon as I drove onto the site I knew it was the place we had to be. It would have been simpler to go to a brownfield site and build a state-of-the-art industrial building, but I really wanted to create something that was a little bit special to protect my interests.”

For more information, visit www.m-sport.co.uk

CLIENT FEATURE – M-SPORT

2019

MEC (new evaluation centre) due to open on Dovenby estate

2017

M-Sport takes all three titles in FIA World Rally Championship

MEC takes shape M-Sport’s evaluation centre is currently under construction on the Dovenby estate and the key components are a 112,000 sq ft building and a 1.5 mile-long test track.

The MEC will include a self-contained workshop and meeting facilities, 24-hour assembly centre, manufacturing areas, conference facilities, a 65-bed hotel development site and an 830-panel PV (solar power) array to generate on-site electricity.

2012

M-Sport begins association with Bentley

2017

M-Sport Poland opens new facility in Krakow

2009

Awarded OBE

Car profile – Bentley Continental GT3 Car profile – Ford Fiesta RS WRC Engine: Ford EcoBoost 1600cc direct injection engine developed by M-Sport and Ford. Four cylinders, 16 valves.Power: 380 bhp.

Transmission: Permanent four-wheel drive. Six-speed sequential gearbox developed by M-Sport and Ricardo with hydraulic shift. Multi disc clutch developed by M-Sport and AP Racing.

Wheels: Gravel/snow, 7 in x 15 in (magnesium) wheels with Michelin 650mm tyres.

Asphalt: 8 in x 18 in (magnesium) wheels with Michelin 650mm tyres.

Dimensions: 4.13 m x 1.875 m.

Weight: minimum 1,190 kg

Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, repositioned to the rear of the engine bay.

Power: Up to 600 bhp unrestricted.

Transmission: Rear wheel drive, Xtrac six-speed sequential transaxle gearbox, racing clutch, steering wheel-mounted paddle operated pneumatic gear shift.

Wheels: OZ Racing 18 in x 13 in rims with 310 / 710 R18 tyres.

Dimensions: 4.95 m x 2.03 m.

Weight: less than 1,300 kg

David Merton 01530 410806 david.merton@fishergerman.co.uk

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Magazine flashback... In Issue 4 (2009) we first reported on the work Fisher German was undertaking on behalf of utility provider Severn Trent Water. For nearly ten years both companies have worked together, with Fisher German providing land and planning support to a wide range of infrastructure projects. Here we present ten of the most interesting projects.

Water works 2. Birmingham Resilience Project

Feasibility for a new pipeline to supply drinking water to Birmingham as a back-up and alternative to the Elan Valley Aqueduct (see no.3) started in 2013. Construction of the 16-mile pipeline from the River Severn at Lickhill to Frankley water treatment works is well underway, with completion scheduled for 2020.

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1. Ironbridge, Shropshire

Ironbridge, the first-ever bridge constructed wholly of cast iron in 1779, is a world-famous structure and Grade I-listed building. When, in 2017, English Heritage announced its biggest-ever conservation project, totalling ÂŁ3.6m, to restore the 100 ft span over the Severn at Ironbridge, it was decided that two six-inch diameter cast iron water mains, supplying drinking water to the towns of Broseley and Much Wenlock, should be replaced at the same time. Fisher German secured ancient monument consent for new 16cm-diameter polyethylene pipes in early 2018 and replacement is expected by the end of the year.

4. Private drains, sewers and 3. Elan Valley Aqueduct

The 73-mile long aqueduct has been providing fresh water from the Elan Valley reservoir in Wales to Birmingham’s Frankley reservoir for over a century. Unsurprisingly, some parts were in need of renewal. Severn Trent Water is in the process of completely replacing three sections, involving boring a 3m-diameter tunnel. Two are already complete and the final one is expected to be finished by the end of 2018.

pumping stations

Since 2014, a streamlined approach to the acquisition of easements (agreements to use private land) for former private pumping stations and other pipework across the Severn Trent Water region has revolutionised the speed of delivery to within 12 weeks (down by an impressive 50%, from an average of at least 24 weeks). A robust, risk-based approach to planning has resulted in limited need for planning consent.

UTILITIES & INFRASTRUCTURE

6. Pipeline replacement 5. Severn Valley Railway, Worcestershire

In 2014, 42-inch-diameter pipes which cross the popular heritage Severn Valley Railway near Bewdley as part of the Elan Valley Aqueduct (see no.3) needed replacing.

Fisher German facilitated an innovative and collaborative approach that led to pipes and machinery being transported to the remote and inaccessible location using the railway, with the track removed at the work site for six weeks, timed to minimise disruption to public events.

Ongoing work across the Severn Trent Water region involves arranging access and dealing with compensation to property owners and occupiers for approximately 100 miles of water mains and sewers each year. A carefully structured strategy ensures that responses to the Severn Trent Water programme needs can be made rapidly and flexibly.

9. Coleshill, Warwickshire 8.

Hanchurch Reservoir, Stoke-on-Trent

An ÂŁ11m project, started in 2014 and due to complete in mid-2019, involves construction of a new three-cell reservoir to provide extra capacity to thousands of properties in the area. The covered reservoir was built with 1,650 pre-cast segments.

The proposed HS2 rail link will pass through the existing sewage treatment works at Coleshill. Work started in 2015 to make provision for the relocation of the facility to elsewhere on the Severn Trent Water site, while ensuring that service to thousands of people remains uninterrupted.

7. Maer Village, Staffordshire

A complex scheme to connect a historic village to the public sewerage system by creating two new sewage pumping stations and connecting pipelines started in 2010.

Despite limited land availability and other issues, including a conservation area, listed buildings and narrow roads, two private sites were identified and rights agreed.

The stations were opened in 2011.

10. Manor Lane, Halesowen

A flood alleviation scheme, was developed and implemented between 2013 and 2016 at Leasowes Park, a Grade I registered park and garden. As the surface sewer network was at capacity, 150-cm-diameter underground storage pipes were laid.

A mature ash tree was preserved.

George Simpson 01785 273995 george.simpson@fishergerman.co.uk

fisher german magazine

21

Rethinking recycling In 2012, Issue 8 of the Fisher German Magazine looked into the operations of client Viridor’s waste management company. Six years on, we revisit the firm to find out how its business has changed and how it is preparing itself for the coming decade.

A

s keen Latin scholars will already know, Viridor means ‘to become green’. And that philosophy permeates the firm, which started life more than 60 years ago as a small family business in the West Country and is now one of the UK’s leading waste management, recycling and energy reclamation providers, owned by FTSE 250 parent Pennon Group plc.

Looking back over the past decade, Viridor regulatory affairs director Dan Cooke notes that there has been a step-change

prevention advice and auditing, providing recycling-led collection services, operating advanced recycling and reprocessing facilities, and delivering and operating a new portfolio of energy recovery facilities.

Around 50% of the firm’s profits come from recovering value from recyclable materials and, in 2017, Viridor transformed over two million tonnes of domestic, industrial and commercial recyclables into high-quality raw materials.

The company’s workforce has grown to around 3,500 people (see box), as the

We’re particularly proud of our investment in a bespoke management degree programme, which has seen more than 40 employees graduate, along with our established graduate management programmes and apprenticeships.” in how the business operates. “We have transformed ourselves from a business model based on the ‘linear economy’ – offering services based largely on waste collection and landfill disposal – to one based around serving a more circular economy,” he says. In practice, that means working with customers to offer waste

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operation of advanced recycling and recovery facilities has led to an increasing need for skilled operatives. “We’re particularly proud of our investment in a bespoke management degree programme, which has seen more than 40 employees graduate, along with our established graduate management programmes and

apprenticeships,” says Dan. He adds that employee engagement has become a core part of Viridor’s culture, in recognition of the performance and productivity benefits of an engaged and empowered workforce.

Transforming with tech

But it is not just the people who have changed since 2008. Advances in technology have seen major improvements in recycling sorting and in the design and engineering of energy recycling facilities, which turn waste into heat (which can be used locally) and electricity (which can be fed into the national grid). This means that landfill is increasingly becoming the last resort for waste collections. Optical sorters (using laser technology) and air knives, which sort post-consumer materials into high-quality streams for reprocessing, are now common place in recycling centres, replacing low skilled and unpleasant jobs.

Dan enthuses: “There is now some amazing software available for vehicle routing and maintenance, along with the digitisation of a whole range of support services. This includes the ability to provide client portals which allow real-time information sharing with customers, helping them to track their own environmental and performance objectives.”

Those objectives have become increasingly important over the past decade as the targets for recycling of both household and commercial wastes have continually increased, due to a tightening of regulations, both at EU and UK government levels. Dan reports that, along with growing demand from businesses and large organisations, there are increasing expectations for the waste management sector to recycle more, deliver greater resource efficiency and to ensure waste treatment facilities and services are delivered to ever tighter environmental standards.

“There is a real challenge for local authorities to work with contractors like Viridor and continue to deliver

CLIENT FEATURE – VIRIDOR convenient recycling and waste services for households, at a time of severe cuts in funding due to the programme of austerity in the UK since 2008,” says Dan. Sadly, the reality is that there has been a fall in the quality of materials submitted for recycling, as collections and supporting communications encouraging people to put the right stuff in the right bin have suffered.

Budget savings by cash-strapped local authorities mean that there have also been cutbacks in opening times and access to local recycling facilities, as well as closure of some smaller recycling centres.

More positively, over the same time period many household waste recycling centres have seen better design and investment, that has particularly focused on increasing recycling levels (making it easy for the public to identify which waste should go where) and on safety and customer care. And demand for recycling-led services from small businesses and large corporate customers is at an all-time high.

Looking to the future, and the next ten years in particular, Dan says Viridor expects that greater cross-sector collaboration will deliver better resource efficiency and management, with the company’s focus set on continued growth and investment in services and infrastructure. Does that mean that the network of more than 320 facilities nationwide will mushroom?

“Not necessarily,” responds Dan. “Like any other business we need to work our assets effectively, which doesn’t always mean more sites, but better operations are crucial. Some facilities will evolve, some may be repurposed or occasionally sold on (as with any large estate). It is about having the right facilities strategically located for the needs of our customers.”

While the uncertainty around Brexit is making it difficult for many UK companies to plan ahead, Viridor is heartened by wider trend data, which suggests that a growing population is likely to ensure that demand for waste management and recycling services remains strong. And it is

Viridor in numbers

7.5m+

tonnes of waste and recyclates handled every year

£1.5bn

invested in new UK recycling and energy recovery facilities

150

32,000

local authority and major corporate clients

400,000

12

energy recovery facilities (4 are under construction)

320+

customers across the UK

number of waste/recycling facilities across the UK

100,000

tonnes of green and organic waste composted each year

20

tonnes capacity to recycle glass each year

178MW

large-scale recycling plants nationwide

generated by energy recovery facilities

encouraged by recent national legislation, including the government’s Clean Growth Strategy, published last autumn, as well as equivalent policy and legislation in the UK’s devolved administrations.

The company is carefully monitoring the recent explosion of public awareness around plastics, which has been dubbed the ‘Attenborough effect’ following the

3,500

total workforce

380,000

homes could be powered by energy recovery facilities

revelations by the BBC TV programme Blue Planet 2 on the impact of post-consumer plastics on the wider environment, as it believes this could lead to new business development. Dan concludes: “We feel that we are well-positioned to respond to changing market demands.”

For more information, visit https://viridor.co.uk

David Merton 01530 410806 david.merton@fishergerman.co.uk

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An innovative trial is using audiobooks to cost effectively deliver continuing professional development material throughout a business.

I

f you’ve ever wondered why something is the way it is, you are thinking in the same way as great leaders, according to author Simon Sinek, in his 2011 bestselling book Start with Why. After listening to the title as an audiobook, Fisher German partner Matt Trewartha wondered whether a downloadable audiobook service could revolutionise professional development within his own work environment.

As a result, Fisher German is this year running a six-month trial that sees 12 professionals from across the business use audiobooks as part of their continuing professional development (CPD). And it may well be pioneering; only one of the professional organisations

contacted by Fisher German Magazine has audiobooks available for members (see box). Matt notes: “I’m not aware of any other firm in the UK that uses audiobooks like this, so I’m excited that we are breaking new ground.”

The idea came after Matt started using audiobooks for personal listening. He recalls: “Last year, I spotted an audiobook online of an autobiography that I wanted to read. I love proper books, but I already had a hefty reading pile, so I thought I’d give it a try and started listening in the car.

I had no experience of audiobooks but I found it fantastically easy to do and was impressed by the whole experience.”

Matt had signed up for a personal account with digital audiobook provider

I spend an awful lot of time in the car for work and found I wanted to use the time more effectively… personal development audiobooks fitted the bill perfectly.”

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Audible, part of the Amazon empire.

Although other suppliers are available (see box), Matt says he finds the vast library catalogue and straightforward use very attractive. To listen to audiobooks, users sign up for a monthly fee of £7.99, which includes a credit that is redeemable against any audiobook of their choice. Once they have downloaded the Audible app onto their device/s (typically mobile phone, tablet, PC), their purchases are held permanently in their own library, which remains accessible even if they stop subscribing to the service.

As he had enjoyed his initial experience of audiobooks, Matt went on to explore the range of business audiobooks available. He explains: “I thought about the areas of personal development that would help me in a business context, things that I considered I could do better at. Then I downloaded the audiobooks to listen to on the move. I spend an awful lot of time in the car for work and found I wanted to use the time more effectively.

His lightbulb moment – of using audiobooks as a cost-effective method of

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Audiobooks: facts and figures Audible, founded in 1995, was purchased by Amazon in 2008. Coincidentally, this was the first year that digital downloads of audiobooks surpassed CDs. Audible now produces 10,000 books annually and has a catalogue of more than 200,000 books. The latest rival to Audible – Audiobook.com – launched in the UK in autumn 2017. Both charge £7.99 per month for one credit (book). Another alternative is Allyoucanbooks.com, which includes unlimited access for $19.99 (£11.79) per month.

Average audiobook speed: 150 words per minute Average audiobook length: approx. 10 hours Length of time to listen to Audible complete catalogue if listening 24/7: 228 years Sources: Quora.com, audiopub.org

Professional organisations and audiobooks Professional organisations have embraced e-books for professional development, but audiobooks less so. Our brief survey found the following: RICS (chartered surveying) – E-books but no audiobooks in members’ library; no plans to introduce at present.

ICAEW (chartered accountancy) – E-books but no audiobooks in members’ library. No demand at present.

RIBA (architecture) – No audiobooks in library, but podcasts have been trialled on SoundCloud.

No plans to introduce at present.

IOH (hospitality) – Audiobooks and e-books in members’ library.

Matt’s Audiobook tips for business The Chimp Paradox Prof Steve Peters Harvard Business Review

Start with why SIMON Sinek LEADERS EAT LAST SIMON Sinek Turn the Ship Around!

David Marquet

Get Your Sh*t Together - S. Knight The FINE ART of SMALL TALK Debra Fine

Not Everyone Gets a Trophy Bruce Tulgan What every body is saying - Joe Navarro

delivering CPD material throughout Fisher German – came while driving to a client meeting. “We spend a lot of money on training courses, yet here is something that costs £8 per month,” says Matt. “For that I can choose any book I want and it can be 12 hours long. I can listen to it as many times as I like. I can skip a chapter and I can go back if I don’t understand something.

The beauty of this is that it can be entirely bespoke as people choose the books they think will be most effective for them.”

All ears

His proposal for a limited trial, with enthusiastic volunteers from across the firm, was warmly welcomed and quickly approved. As Audible is only available for individuals (though a corporate option may be introduced in the UK later this year), the trial participants have all opened personal accounts, with the expense reimbursed by the firm. In return, the volunteers, who come from all levels and are based in different offices, are providing regular feedback on their experiences.

The trial had a structured start, using a set book for the first month (Sinek’s Start with Why). Then the group was divided, with half given another set text (The Chimp Paradox) and the remainder allowed personal choice, with the groups switching the following month. The feedback so far has been overwhelmingly positive and the trial is already paying dividends, as Matt recently used body language techniques gleaned from audiobooks to coach graduate colleagues.

He says: “This has real potential for the firm and the individuals involved particularly if we can roll it out across the whole company. Analysis of downloads should allow us to see where we have wider training issues, so we can address these, perhaps at a group level.”

Matt Trewartha 01530 410678 matt.trewartha@fishergerman.co.uk

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Changing perceptions While significant change is happening, perceptions seem outdated when it comes to the view that many units are sat vacant across parts of the UK. We explore some areas where interest in commercial property is going strong.

T

he problem with perceptions is that the facts on which they’re based can change. And in many parts of the UK considerable change has meant that perceptions about commercial property occupation are simply out of date. Nowhere is this truer than the Black Country. “The perception is that there are hundreds of vacant units here and tenants can take their pick,” observes Fisher German partner Duncan Bedhall. “The reality of the situation is very different. I’ve never known a time when the industrial estates have been fuller. Although it’s true that prosperity dipped in the 1980s, this part of the West Midlands has recovered strongly since then.”

We take a look at some areas in the Black Country where commercial interest is stronger than may be supposed.

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Location: Netherton

Location: Waterfront, Merry Hill

High quality office space, close to intu’s Merry Hill shopping centre was completed in the 1990s. As with many parts of the UK it was affected by the global economic downturn a decade ago. Since then new occupiers have returned to the offices which are held in multiple ownerships.

Conversion of some former office space to residential has increased the amount of people in the area, giving the area more life.

Duncan comments: “intu has taken the positive step of appointing a dedicated asset manager, and some refurbishment has taken place. As a result, the offices are starting to fill up rapidly now. Fisher German has agreed lettings to tenants including Cromwell Tools, Age Concern and Commercial Express on behalf of separate owners intu and Clancy Docwra.”

Older industrial estates might be expected to attract lower occupier interest, but as long as units are fully refurbished they are unlikely to be on the market for long, which the Washington Centre reinforced.

Duncan notes: “Several units have become available at Folkes Holdings Washington Centre in the past five years, and each one was quickly re-let to good quality covenants including Hiab and Victoria Plum.”

Location: Wednesbury

Mucklow’s Wednesbury One is a good quality industrial scheme completed around ten years ago. Duncan says: “When two buildings totalling 70,000 sq ft became vacant, the space was comprehensively refurbished to ‘as new’ standard. As a result, we were able to agree new lettings quickly, and at higher rents, to tenants including Bevan Group and Exova UK. This scheme demonstrates how availability for this type of property is much lower than people think.”

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY

Nantwich

Perceptions: A location that isn’t really suited for commercial occupiers.

Reality: Commercial development has already started to bring new businesses into

the area, which is likely to be transformed by the creation of the HS2 transport hub at nearby Crewe over the coming decade.

Cheshire has historically been seen as a county that is perhaps less wellconnected in transport terms than its neighbours. As a result, commercial activity has been limited as businesses have been attracted to more established centres.

That pattern is already starting to change and is likely to be given a significant boost by the decision to fast-track part of the second phase of the HS2 high speed rail link (HS2 Phase 2a) to Crewe by 2027.

This is welcome news for commercial developments such as Cheshire Green Industrial Park, located on the A51 north of Nantwich and just six miles away from Crewe.

The 150-acre former WWII airfield has plots of up to 20 acres available for industrial and warehouse occupiers to purchase, providing total floor space of up to 1.5 million sq ft.

“There are two reasons why things have moved on in the area,” explains Fisher German associate director Simon Geary. “Firstly, there has been an increase in housing, especially in South Cheshire, and that in turn has significantly pushed up the supply of potential employees. Secondly, in anticipation of the HS2 Transport Hub, we have seen increased demand for commercial development land. This, coupled with infrastructure improvements like the planned widening of a two-mile section of the A500 from junction 16 of the M6 motorway to dual carriageway, is likely to further boost demand in the area.”

Doncaster

Perceptions: An old-fashioned Northern town, exemplified by the TV sitcom Open All Hours, with corner shops surrounded by Victorian terraced housing (the exterior shots for the TV programme, and its successor Still Open All Hours, are filmed in the suburb of Balby).

Reality: A modern, vibrant town with interesting architecture.

When Fisher German relocated its offices in 2017 from Retford to Lakeside, two miles southeast of Doncaster town centre, the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. “When we started to talk to potential clients about our move and told them where we were going, they were really enthusiastic,” reports Fisher German partner and head of commercial in Doncaster Kevin Benson. “If we’d have made the same suggestion ten years ago people would have thought we were crazy. Now, it’s almost expected that a modern vibrant practice would be situated in such a location.”

Kevin believes that while attitudes to the Lakeside move were wholeheartedly supportive, they would have been less so if the firm had opted to take space in the town centre. “The layout there is quite fragmented, though the council has ambitious plans to regenerate the centre,” he notes.

The town has largely picked itself up and shaken off the tarnished image acquired by political scandals in the early 2000s. “Real improvements are being delivered here and development is happening everywhere. You really notice the vibrancy,” says Kevin. In the past ten years, the town’s fledgling airport has gone from strength to strength, developments like iPort (a six million sq ft grade A warehousing scheme connected to a 30-acre intermodal rail freight terminal) are transforming the local commercial property market and transport infrastructure continues to improve.

The second and final phase of a new dual carriageway, the Great Yorkshire Way, linking the M18 motorway with the airport, is due to open in 2018. The town also has a thriving railway engineering industry, with one of two HS2 colleges located here. This emphasis on sophisticated transport support businesses contrasts with the heavy industry related to steel making in other parts of Yorkshire. Kevin sums up: “Perceptions are definitely changing. People are starting to see how easy it is to get here by road [the town has several motorway junctions] and rail links are also fast. A commercially led local authority that is getting things done is providing a real boost.”

The perception is that there are hundreds of vacant units here and tenants can take their pick… The reality of the situation is very different.

I’ve never known a time when the industrial estates have been fuller .”

Duncan Bedhall 07831 824663 duncan.bedhall@fishergerman.co.uk

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Buying and selling property can be a complex process – so when Warren Farm recently sold, it involved several parts of the Fisher German business, highlighting the importance of a close relationship.

In close contact W

hen is property agency not “It is rare for us to have such a long tenant to allow Fisher German’s planning simply property agency? lead-in,” admits Matthew, “but it allowed team to obtain a lawful existing use and Quite often, according to us to sort out a number of matters, development certificate (CLEUD). This was Fisher German partner which could have impacted on the sale. successfully achieved before marketing.

Matthew Allen. “There is a perception that Resolving those early allowed us to get Matthew adds: “We also brought because buying or selling a house can the best result for the owners.” One of on board a specialist agricultural [sometimes] be a straightforward process, the potential complications included conveyancing lawyer [Wright Hassall]. the same should be true of agricultural three residentially tenanted properties That was an important due-diligence property,” notes Matthew. on the property. process we completed from quite a long “However, the way out to make sure that reality is that all the title documentation I appreciated the ability to call on matters can be was in order and to complex and colleagues within other sectors to ensure ensure matter progressed require input smoothly as possible the owners received the optimum advice as from a number of once we got to market.” at every stage.” specialists.”

But with the sale He points to finally on the horizon The owners were very keen that if a Warren Farm in Oxfordshire, which there was a new hurdle to clear by way buyer was happy for the tenants to stay recently successfully sold after the of the installation of a new water main, involvement of no less than five separate they would prefer it. “We expected that a which would temporarily divide the farm buyer would probably want the flexibility Fisher German teams in two as it progressed through virtually on the tenure so there was a definite (see Timeline). The firm had historically every field. Fortunately, Fisher German advantage in being able to have those advised the owners of the 325-acre was handling land issues on behalf of the discussions six months before we went to arable farm, dealing with planning and water company (see box). “We considered market,” says Matthew. valuation issues. So, when in 2014, they whether we should delay the sale process, We also had to deal with the buildings decided to sell the property to coincide but as I was in close contact with our that were now used for light industrial with the retirement of their share farmer utilities team, I decided it was possible to purposes. A significant amount of in 2017, Matthew was asked to oversee go ahead as planned. There is no question documentation was required from the the transaction. that knowing exactly what would happen

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FISHER GERMAN WORKING TOGETHER

Mainline water works The new water main that temporarily bisected the fields at Warren Farm was needed to provide supply security to Banbury. Fisher German associate director Ruth Ofield, a member of the firm’s utilities and infrastructure team, worked on the project with client Thames Water. She explains: “Although there was already a main serving Banbury, it had no back up. So, the project dualled a 17 km section from Angelino’s pumping station, just north of Kidlington, to Milton pumping station, just outside Banbury.”

The new main is 600 mm in diameter and buried at depths of between 0.9-5 m. During construction the trench required a temporary working width of around 25 m, which allowed for the separate storage of subsoil and topsoil, and the movement of people and machinery. Ruth adds: “Most of the work is now complete, and the water that flows into Banbury [including Fisher German’s office] is coming from the new main.”

when was beneficial for both sides,” says Matthew. The owners used a separate land agent to deal with compensation aspects of the water works.

Smooth sailing

Pleasingly, the sale itself went extremely well and, although it had been divided into four lots (the former agricultural buildings attracting particular interest), the farm was sold as a whole – which was the owners’ preference – for well over the guide price of £4.225m.

Matthew reflects: “This was a very positive result and the culmination of a great deal of hard work from several individuals across the firm. As the main point of contact, I appreciated the ability to call on colleagues within other sectors to ensure the owners received the optimum advice at every stage.”

While Warren Farm was something of a straightforward deal, others can be trickier to bring to a successful conclusion. The presence of a Grade II*-listed building, agricultural occupancy conditions that are difficult to alter, or a mix of commercial and residential units on the same property that are confusing the market, can all provide potential hurdles.

Matthew says: “There are always Title issues, rights of way, boundary, mortgage, water pipes, environmental matters, tenancy, development claw-back or other issues which need sorting out, as well as the potential tax implications, and the earlier this can be done, the better. The notion that leaving these things until a property is on the market can somehow be advantageous for the seller is utterly false.”

Warren Farm Timeline Year

Work carried out

Fisher German team

c2003

LDC – agriculturally tied house to residential use

Planning

2007

Inheritance tax valuation

Valuation

c2010

Strategic land housing allocation

Planning

2014-2017

Strategic sales advice

Property Agency

2016

Strategic development advice

Development – Planning

2016

LDC – agricultural buildings to commercial use

Commercial – Planning

2016-2017

Water pipeline work liaison

Utilities & Infrastructure

2017

Farm disposal

Property Agency

2018

Capital gains tax valuation

Valuation

The process between agreeing a sale and signing contracts can be particularly protracted, notes Matthew, a factor that is generally underestimated by the market, as is the ability to negotiate effectively. He explains: “Many people don’t have the time to manage an intense and complex property situation on top of their busy work and family commitments and, unless they do it for a living every day, may not realise that negotiating directly is unlikely to achieve the best price.”

Matthew adds: “We understand that selling a farm is a difficult decision, especially if it has been in the family for many years. The owners of Warren Farm, for example, had

lived there for over 60 years. So, managing a client’s expectations is as important to us as managing their property. Because we’re very close to buyers and know what they’re looking for, we can carefully assess the individual merit of complex farm properties and calculate how desirable they will actually be on the open market.”

Matthew Allen 01295 226287 matthew.allen@fishergerman.co.uk

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You may not have heard of Spanish-owned utility firm CLH-PS, but next time you jet out of the UK on a plane, the chances are that its fuel will have been stored and transported via pipeline by the company.

In the pipeline O

wned by Spain’s leading fuel product transportation and infrastructure company (see box), CLH-PS was formerly part of the Government Pipelines and Storage System before it was privatised in 2015.

Now responsible for around half of the UK fuel pipeline network (see infographic) and with major contracts with the Ministry of Defence (MoD), the company has wasted no time in transforming itself from a public sector supplier to a modern commercial operation. “What we’re trying to do is open the market by giving more options to existing customers by running things more efficiently, but also creating

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opportunities for new customers,” explains chief executive Nacho Casajus.

The process of transformation for the UK’s only independent fuel logistics company began with a detailed review of how the company operated and the state of its infrastructure. The result: a two-phase modernisation programme that started in 2016. The first task was to bring in many of the job functions (both operational and maintenance), which had previously been outsourced to private sector operator, Costain. The rationale behind this was the development of a business model based on utilising the company’s core skills through a direct management structure.

Operations director Steve Land, who benefits from experience working with the company before and after the change in ownership, says: “This was very different from a normal in-sourcing activity, because we were bringing in a far greater number of people than we employed in our existing set-up.” The total workforce more than trebled, which Steve admits was not a job for the faint-hearted.

But a dedicated project management team ensured that the process took place as seamlessly as possible.

CLIENT FEATURE SLUG COPY – CLH-PS HERE

CLH explained

The change wasn’t just about people.

“To give an idea about how the change worked in practice, we went from paying a few invoices a month, to paying hundreds,” says Steve. “The biggest challenges were around back-office functions as, at the same time as taking on so many new staff, we were also setting up our own procurement systems, building up finance, HR and IT resources along the way.”

Key project drivers included ensuring there were no incidents during the transition and, crucially, that there was

CLH – a Spanish acronym which, literally translated, means ‘hydrocarbon logistics company’ – started as state-owned oil business CAMPSA in 1927. In the mid-1980s, operations and infrastructure were separated (in a similar way to BT’s privatisation in the UK around the same time). The company name CLH was adopted for the infrastructure side of the business in 1992 and CLH-Aviacion (which manages airport facilities) in 1997. It now operates around 4,000 km of pipeline across Spain, with approximately 39 facilities providing up to 9 million cubic metres of storage.

When CLH was formed its focus was primarily on throughput, but over the last decade there has been a large reduction in consumption (compared with the first years of the current millennium), so the company has turned to offering additional services including blending and additives. “Despite an overall fall in demand, we’ve been able to increase our profits year on year by working more efficiently,” explains Nacho.

Overseas expansion (i.e. outside Spain), part of a long-term strategy to grow the business, started with a joint venture in Oman in 2012. Orpic Logistics Company has built a pipeline, due to be fully commissioned in 2018, linking refineries in Sohar to storage facilities and the airport in the capital Muscat.

The acquisition of UK’s GPSS network as CLH-PS took place in 2015, with Fisher German advising throughout the purchase process, led by partner Andrew Bridge and now managed by Sam Parton.

Fisher German has been working on the network for more than 20 years, having been retained to advise CLH-PS on property and planning related matters, including land surveying, land acquisition and compensation.

CLH’s arrival in the UK was closely followed by CLH Ireland, an operation to significantly increase aviation fuel capacity at Dublin airport. The latest venture, starting in 2018, is the design and operation of supply facilities at five major airports in Panama, which Nacho hopes will lead on to new opportunities. “Central and southern America – countries like Mexico, Chile and Peru, plus the United States of course – are key areas of interest for us,” he says. “But Europe is also potentially a big market for us – it is stable and mature, which is why we can be successful. You need to be in the top tier of efficiency to succeed in a mature market and we like to think we are in that league.” www.clh.es

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no disruption for customers. With both goals achieved, the modernisation entered its second phase, based around investment and compliance with current environmental and health and safety regulations. A five-year capital investment plan, which got underway in 2017, will see a total of around £100m injected into the business.

The money is being spent on both assets and people. Big-ticket items include upgrading fuel storage tanks (each capable of holding up to 800 cubes of operational storage) as well as electrical infrastructure and control systems.

We’re trying to open up the market by giving more options to existing customers, but also creating opportunities for new customers.”

“We are implementing a greater degree of automation and adding more IT systems to help run the business far more efficiently,” says Steve. At the same time, a comprehensive training programme will ensure that the company’s hugely enlarged workforce is working to the same high standards.

How tech advances are changing CLH-PS’s business Changes in technology have transformed how CLH-PS runs its operations. “The biggest advance has unquestionably been in communications,” says Steve. “Before, we needed to design all our automation in a way that didn’t allow real-time responses to what was happening. Now we can transfer everything we want to instantaneously rather than just having to prioritise which data we wanted. It is a real step-change for us.”

The IT revolution has brought about positive operational benefits. The handling of potentially dangerous substances like fuel has lent itself well to new types of automation. “We have been able to design control systems, with redundancy features built in, that are inherently much safer, so we can do things we couldn’t previously even have dreamed of doing,” adds Steve.

Just how dramatic the shift has been for the company may be lost on its younger employees, who have grown up in an always-connected smartphone and tablet environment. “Although our workforce is currently weighted towards the more mature end of the age spectrum, that will change,” acknowledges Nacho. He recognises that tech-led operational advances will need to be accompanied by management of human factors: “Because we’re dealing with things that can be hazardous we need to be cautious and ensure that any desire to make changes quickly is balanced with a risk-averse methodology.”

Being aware of the location of the CLH pipeline network is critical for those undertaking excavation and fencing works. To find out for free, please visit www.linesearchbeforeudig.co.uk

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What’s in store?

Despite uncertainties about the potential economic headwinds which may blow across the UK in the coming years, including the fall-out from political decisions such as Brexit, Nacho is resolutely upbeat about CLH-PS’s future prospects. “We think we’ve made good progress in gaining market recognition of our core competence of fuel logistics – operating pipelines, terminals and storing product. So, our attention is now focusing on changing the dynamics of the UK market,” Nacho explains.

“That means substantially increasing our footprint. We think that will happen in two ways. Firstly, we will increase the ability of potential clients to use the network, which will have greater capacity and reliability thanks to our efficiency and investment drives.” At present most of the fuel handled

by CLH-PS in the UK (over 80% in 2017) is aviation grade, so the firm is considering the potential of transporting and storing more ground fuels (the industry term for products including petrol, diesel and gas fuel). Contracts with most existing customers will reach the end of their terms by 2018, so CLH-PS will be able to offer new facilities and services as new contracts are negotiated.

CLIENT FEATURE – CLH-PS

CLH-PS in numbers

2,000 km

active fuel pipelines across the UK

50%

of the UK’s pipelines are owned by CLH-PS www.clhps.uk

1 million

cubic metres of storage capacity in UK

35%

of commercial aviation fuel supplied by CLH-PS (100% of RAF fuel requirement)

The business is also keen to expand direct access to users, particularly at airports. One of the biggest differences between the Spanish and UK operations, is that in Spain CLH is the sole or majority provider of aviation fuel storage and distribution facilities at most airports.

CLH-PS hopes that its work in Dublin (when it confounded industry experts who were highly sceptical, the company would be able to deliver major capacity enhancements without disrupting airport traffic) will be an effective showcase for negotiations with UK airports.

Other options for business development include storage at coastal terminals (not previously undertaken, as the firm has been focused on pipeline throughput) and

13

major UK storage facilities

280

current UK workforce

£100m

being invested in five-year modernisation programme

14

UK airports supplied

by CLH-PS

one-off opportunities such as acquisitions.

“We’re not closed to any options as long as it fits our strategy of increasing footprint,” notes Nacho.

He is sanguine about external challenges for the business. As aviation fuel is a major income stream, changes in that industry, such as more fuel-efficient aircraft, could impact on the amount of fuel transported in the UK. But the continual rise in air passenger numbers resulting in either larger aircraft or an increased number of

5.7 million

cubic metres of fuel handled in the UK in 2017

50%

of CLH-PS business with MoD

flights means that demand for aviation fuel may actually increase. And Nacho is quick to point out that pipelines are the most environmentally friendly way of transporting fuel around the country, so CLH-PS is unlikely to face significant competition from other transport methods. Nacho adds: “Although we may not see the levels of consumption witnessed in 2007 again, we’re confident that future demand will allow us to achieve a good return on the investments we’re making right now.”

Sam Parton 01530 410867 sam.parton@fishergerman.co.uk

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Planning for the future With the clock ticking surely towards Brexit in March 2019, the impact on farming and rural land use remains far from clear. Richard Soffe, director of the Duchy College Rural Business School, considers the changes Brexit will bring and who will be most affected.

I

n early 2018, with Brexit little more than a year away, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) published a consultation paper, responses to which may help define the contents of a new Agriculture Bill expected by the end of the year. In the meantime, much of the industry is collectively scratching its head about how it should go about planning for the future.

Richard Soffe, director of the Duchy College Rural Business School in Cornwall, who is in regular contact with a wide crosssection of the farming community, from civil servants to small food producers, has been considering who will be most affected

by Brexit-induced changes, and to what extent. He has also been exploring how the transition process might work, how UK agriculture policy might evolve and how

new guidelines and frameworks could be structured. Here we highlight the key issues:

Goodbye BPS, hello PMPB

One thing that should by now be crystal clear to all involved in farming is that the overall level of subsidies will reduce.

The government has clearly stated that the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) will be withdrawn – with 2022 the likely backstop – and the only question is over what time period that will happen. Richard comments: “It would be surprising if those who are receiving £200,000 or more in BPS payments are still receiving that level of support in five years’ time.”

In a post-Brexit world, government subsidy will be directly linked to a system that the government neatly summarises as ‘public money for public benefits’

Farms whose prime focus is on pigs, poultry or horticulture are likely to be much less affected than those which are more heavily reliant on the Basic Payment System.”

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(PMPB). While the logic is inescapable and its popularity with the taxpayer likely to be undeniable, the definition of ‘public benefits’ is currently unclear. A universally acceptable formulation is unlikely, inevitably leaving some who will be disgruntled.

They may include those who currently invest large amounts into the countryside and suggest that alone deserves public recompense. Politicians, all too attuned to public sentiment, are likely to give such arguments short shrift.

Winners and losers

To paraphrase George Orwell: all farms are equal, but some are more equal than others. Brexit will not hit all farms in the same way. “Farms whose prime focus is on pigs, poultry or horticulture are likely to be much less affected than those which are more heavily reliant on the Basic Payment System,” explains Richard. So, the farms which will need to look most closely at their business will be those involved in arable, beef, sheep and dairy outputs (see box).

Size, more than ever, will also be a determining factor. If a new payment system is related to animal welfare, then, assuming the highest possible animal welfare standards are in place, larger farms will be best placed to receive maximum financial reward. Richard says: “Larger farms/estates are more likely to receive public support than smaller ones, in my view, up to the potential ceiling of £200,000.”

BREXIT SPECIAL

Efficiency matters

But size in itself won’t guarantee survival after Brexit. Efficiency, suggests Richard, will be the overriding factor. Dividing farms into quartiles by efficiency (see Farm efficiency diagram) illustrates the point. With the lowest quartile comprising many lifestyle farms, who are unlikely to be concerned with BPS payments and the highest quartile already operating at optimum efficiency and likely to be most resilient, it is the middle quartiles that are likely to feel the Brexit pinch most. “The third quartile are those that potentially are really going to struggle,” notes Richard.

“They are probably most reliant on BPS to maintain profitability, but least able by virtue of size, location, or topography to introduce measures that will attract new environmental payments.”

Key learnings

For most farms and estates, at least part of the gap created by reduced subsidies will be bridged by increased productivity.

“Knowledge exchange is going to be crucial,” explains Richard. Ironically, just when it is needed, the availability of most educational material is at its lowest ebb for decades.

As Richard points out, the number of UK agricultural research establishments has shrunk from 17 to just three in the past 30 years, and the once broad extension system, providing free advice to farmers, has all but disappeared.

He suggests: “What we need is more coordination between various bodies, leading world-class research through a knowledge exchange system that is available online as well as through the college and university networks. Rather like a food supply chain, the links between research establishments, education and the farming industry need to be much more joined up, such as AHDB1, ATP2, NLBC3, etc.” Existing farmers may

Average farm business income per farm Farm Type

£ per farm (2016/17)

Cereals

43,100

Dairy

50,000

Grazing livestock (lowland)

16,100

Grazing livestock (less favoured areas)

27,000

Specialist pigs

57,800

Specialist poultry

54,000

Mixed

28,800

Horticulture

43,800

Source: National Statistics

baulk, but a future farming industry that is increasingly professional may demand minimum qualifications and continuing professional development requirements of its workforce, as is already the case in many other business sectors.

Farm efficiency and post-Brexit subsidy removal High efficiency profitability easily maintained without BPS

Efficiency not relevant lifestyle farms or others not dependent on BPS

Medium efficiency productivity enhancements needed to make up for loss of BPS

Low efficiency profitability already marginal even with BPS, so will need large productivity hike to remain in business

Change management

The system could change relatively rapidly after March 2019 and, as with any regime change, there are likely to be teething troubles as new systems are introduced.

Those adopting a flexible attitude may find the process easiest. Richard says: “The industry can be really good at changing, particularly when financial incentives are on offer. On the other hand, it can be very slow at adopting new technologies.”

The government has made it clear that it accepts that the Brexit process – voted for by many farmers – will cause some businesses to fail. Just how many it is prepared to let go remains to be seen.

For more information, visit www.ruralbusinessschool.org.uk AHDB: Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board

1 2

ATP: Advanced Training Partnerships

3

NLBC: National Land Based College

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Survival of the

small farms

With recent warnings that small farms could disappear in the next 30 years, we look at what changes are on the cards for their owners in order to safeguard their future.

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RURAL SLUG – SMALL COPY FARMS HERE

F

or the past half century, there has been an inexorable trend towards larger commercial farming practices, so while small farms – typically holdings of 100 acres or less – do still exist, their owners will need to carefully, and perhaps radically, consider exactly how their businesses will run in future if they are to survive, let alone thrive. A 2017 report by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) fired a timely warning shot by suggesting that small farms could disappear in the UK within the next 30 years (see box, page 39).

“The CPRE is right to highlight the issue, but I wouldn’t write off small farms just yet,” says Fisher German associate Richard Gadd. “It is important to remember that not all small farms in this country are struggling. In fact, many are doing well.” Richard explains: “Entrepreneurial owners are likely to take a bit more risk and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If you’ve got a strong business with good cash flow and you continue to reinvest in that business, then risk can be a positive factor and can lead to greater profitability.”

Owners with a keen eye on the future are likely to consider two key areas. First, recognising the inevitable shift towards bulk practices in the industry, they will look atthe opportunities presented by share farming or co-operative working. Second, having noted the importance of diversification for the farming sector as a whole, they will actively seek new business lines that are appropriate to the size and location of their operation. An appreciation of modern technology, together with an ability to follow technological advancements and apply them to a farming context, is also crucial.

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Top tips for small farm success 1) Remove yourself from your business

and work out where it will be in five years, what needs to change and how it can be improved. That often requires a third party to come in and give you clarity and an independent view.

2) Install diversification features and keep

them under review. If something doesn’t work, consider replacing it with an alternative, and do so quickly.

3) Don’t be scared to embrace new

technology – innovation really is your friend going forward.

4) Think carefully about your income

streams and be realistic about future earnings. Above all, be prepared for lower farming subsidies over the next ten years.

The small farms that may struggle most are those which have been family-run for several generations.

“What we’re seeing more and more is that one generation presents new ideas involving, for example, renewable energy or robotic farming, and the previous generation finds it hard to understand the long-term benefits or even the need for these changes,” reports Richard.

For those who have been brought up to value the continuity of working in the same way as their parents and grandparents, adopting and embracing change can be a real challenge. Richard adds: “There appears to be a huge generational gap.

The danger is that if the older generation is more risk averse then the younger generation could be pushed away from the farm if the rest of the family isn’t prepared to get to grips with new ideas.”

Even with the benefit of progressive owners, however, there are two key factors that will limit the potential of any small

Entrepreneurial owners are likely to take a bit more risk... if you’ve got a strong business with good cash flow and you continue to reinvest in that business, then risk can be a positive factor and can lead to greater profitability.”

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farm: geography and topography. These determine what a farm can do, how it can do it and how profitable a new business venture may be. This in turn dictates cash flow, which determines how much risk a business can bear and how likely a bank is to allow borrowings against it.

Geography has more of an impact on the core agricultural business, suggests Richard: “If you’re a hill farmer in North Yorkshire you’re not going to be growing potatoes, you’re going to be producing lamb, possibly mutton and other forms of livestock.”

Topography, in contrast, is likely to play a larger role in diversification projects. Richard continues: “If you have a small sheep farm in the hills of the Peak District you’re less likely to be able to put in a fishing lake or golf course where the land is too undulating.

So, you might consider a sustainable energy installation or camping site, instead.

Conversely, down in the Fenlands you’re not going to be doing an adventure park with zip wires, where you want hills and forests.”

Starting out

So, who, aside from current owners, will be brave enough to buy or run a small farm in 2018? The most obvious candidates are those with existing agricultural connections who are attempting to get

RURAL – SMALL FARMS a foot on the ladder before moving on to a larger farm. “Council-owned smallholdings are a potential starting point for them. But the fact that local authorities are finding it difficult to cope with the liabilities and low level of returns from these small farms, means that these opportunities are likely to diminish,” notes Richard.

The number of professional farmers taking on small farms is likely to be far outweighed in the future by two other types of buyers: lifestyle purchasers and investors. The former are moving onto the land primarily for enjoyment and amenity purposes and are not reliant solely on agricultural income from the

property. The latter are focused on the commercial value of a diversified small farm (for example, a glamping site) and view it purely as a business that can generate a substantial return when positioned and managed correctly.

This stream of new entrants in the market will undoubtedly help to stem the quantum loss in small farms. While Richard believes that there will be an overall reduction, he adds: “Decline isn’t inevitable if there is entrepreneurial willpower to embrace new technologies and adapt to change. But what could happen is that there will be those who tread water for the next five to ten years without investing or

challenging themselves. By the time they realise that they should have done so, it will be too late.”

Yet now is an advantageous time to invest, thanks to historically low interest rates and a strong backing from agricultural lenders. As long as a robust business plan is in place, bank funding for small farm projects can be relatively straightforward to secure. More difficult to deal with, perhaps, are the planning issues that may arise from diversification initiatives. Richard believes there is no need for small farm owners to be despondent: “Planning regulations don’t mean you can’t do things, they are there to control development and deliver in the right way. Parties should aim to work with their local authority.”

The future for small farms may therefore be brighter than some believe, although the definition of what constitutes a small farm is itself morphing from year to year, with the emphasis on crops and livestock production moving towards other land uses. Richard predicts: “Many smallholdings are likely to change in shape and appearance, but they won’t necessarily disappear.”

CPRE report is warning shot Case study: Treworgans Farm When David and Esme Eyles purchased a largely derelict 45-acre holding in Cornwall in 2002, they were determined that it should become a working farm. Alongside farming sheep, planning permission was immediately sought to convert the former piggery and milking parlour into highquality, wheelchair accessible, self-catering holiday cottages, opening in 2003 and 2004 respectively.

In 2010, a further diversification project was undertaken in the form of a 50kW wind turbine, which was eventually successful in gaining planning permission and was commissioned in September 2011. The lambing shed roofs were well suited to mount 40kW of solar panels on 2013. A redundant quarry and another barn offer potential for further diversification projects.

Alongside these projects, the farm has grown to total 82 acres and the sheep flock now stands at 180 breeding sheep, contributing towards a diverse, sustainable, working family farm. www.treworgans.co.uk

If current trends continue, farms under 50 ha (123 acres) could all but disappear by the middle of this century, warned CPRE in their Uncertain Harvest report, published last year.

“One of the key factors mentioned in the report is an increase in market volatility exacerbated by greater global trading,” notes Richard. “And while I agree that this will have an impact on larger farms, a lot of small farms have changed their trading model so that direct sales to the public account for more of their income.” Reducing their exposure to global markets (including any future EU trade deals) in this way could actually make small farm business more secure in the long term.

The CPRE report calls for more government intervention and here Richard is in agreement.

“The government could and should be doing more,” he says, “though we recognise that even in the case of small farms they should be giving back value to the general public, even if that means opening up a path for ramblers or laying out a wild flower meadow.”

Richard Gadd 07966 481487 richard.gadd@fishergerman.co.uk

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Heart of the Shires After a radical overhaul, improved tenant mix and now under new ownership, the Heart of the Shires shopping village has transformed into an attractive destination for shoppers.

I

magine going shopping somewhere without the hustle and bustle of the town centre. A place that’s easy to get to, with free car parking and not a traffic warden in sight. A place that houses a selection of distinctive shops, offering original and desirable products. A place where children can play freely in an outdoor activity area and families can indulge in traditional tearooms. Shoppers at the Heart of the

Shires shopping village, located on the A5 outside Northampton, don’t have to imagine – they are already there.

It’s perhaps unsurprising, then, that the 20,000 sq ft out-of-town shopping attraction, originally converted from a farm in the late 1990s (see Roman roots box), was recently sold by Fisher German in an off-market deal for well over £2m.

When the firm was originally called in to advise the family trust, which then

The tenant mix was constantly changing and that wasn’t creating a destination feel, so we looked to support the businesses that were trading well.”

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owned the shopping village in 2014, the challenge with the site was to bring about a wholescale transformation. A strategic plan was agreed by Fisher German’s Anna Collins before associate director Sam Skinner was appointed to manage the site in 2015.

“Our original task was to carry out a strategic review that would identify how the shopping village could be improved and how more shoppers could be attracted, which in turn would boost the income of the site,” says Sam, who handled the recent sale.

The aspiration for Heart of the Shires was always for it to be ‘Kensington in the countryside’. Fisher German’s strategic review quickly identified three areas where improvements were needed: tenant mix, physical environment and marketing profile.

Working closely as a team with the family trust, Fisher German began to make the necessary changes. Although the site had more than 20 retail units, not all of them were thriving and most were not on commercial leases, as there had historically been no professional management of the site. “The tenant mix was constantly changing and that wasn’t creating a destination feel,” remembers Sam, “so we looked to support the businesses, like flagship tenant Abraxas,

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY which was trading well. Also, at our suggestion, the trustees appointed a full-time site manager, who provided a clear focal point.”

The move to standard five-year leases, accompanied by standard service charge contributions, both normal practice in the retail world, was not met with universal approval by the tenants. “At that stage a handful left, but we were confident that was for the greater good of the site and the remaining tenants,” says Sam. Rents were also brought in line with the levels of £15-£25 per sq ft that were being achieved at comparable sites locally.

First impressions count

With an improved tenant mix, the condition of the village’s exterior came under the spotlight. A comprehensive maintenance review resulted in a unified external paint scheme and improved electrics. “One of the major items was resurfacing the car park, which was in poor condition,” recalls Sam. “We pointed out that as it was the first thing shoppers experienced on arrival, it needed to create a good impression.”

After just two years, the combined effect of the improvements, coupled with

Relaunching Kensington in the countryside As the tenant mix at Heart of the Shires improved and works to enhance the external areas got underway, attention focused on how the shopping village sold itself to potential customers. “We brought in a specialist [the Ideal Marketing Company],” recalls Fisher German’s Sam Skinner, “and with them we relaunched the website, redesigned the logo, and installed free Wi-Fi in the courtyard area. This captured data that enabled us to get a better idea of who was using the village and focus our marketing accordingly.” Paper-based advertising was replaced with a digital presence on social media, a move which originally met with some resistance. “We had to spend some time educating tenants, although we also had to remind them that our remit was to market the site as a whole,” says Sam. To check progress, footfall counters were temporarily added on site to confirm that visitor numbers were indeed rising. For more information, visit www.heartoftheshires.co.uk

Roman roots for the Shires site Heart of the Shires was for centuries part of a thriving agricultural area. The site was previously known as Home Farm and owned by the Thornton family, who lived in the hall at Brockhall, an elegant Grade II*-listed Jacobean building set in 14 acres of parkland that was built around 1617. The farm was purchased by the Brodie family in the early 1900s and remained their ownership until converted to commercial use in the 1990s.

The area around Heart of the Shires dates back to Roman times, when the nearby village of Norton, also mentioned in the Domesday Book, was first inhabited. Those early settlers would no doubt be amazed by the transformation of the Heart of the Shires to a modern-day trading post.

investment totalling more than £150,000, had boosted the value of the village to such an extent that the owners decided to sell.

“We recommended an off-market approach as we didn’t want a potential sale to create uncertainty,” explains Sam. Fisher German’s client, Sam Mackaness, says: “Fisher German is an extremely good company, and Sam did an excellent job. I have been in business a long time and we spoke the same language.

“He is a very practical and level-headed person and provided us with a lot of strategic advice over the years. He also helped us achieve a very quick sale, which we were very happy with.”

While the Heart of the Shires will now undoubtedly excel under new ownership, other sites may not perform so well.

“When people set out creating a business, they often do so without a medium or long-term plan, but eventually some kind of strategic direction will be necessary,” says Sam. “What Heart of the Shires demonstrates is that by taking the site onto a commercial footing, we were able to add significant value, so that when it was sold the rent roll was well over £200,000 per annum.”

Sam concludes: “We understand that when people are close to their business, having someone come in and have an honest conversation with them can be difficult. But if they can steel themselves to take that first step, it will invariably be for the greater good of their business.”

Sam Skinner 01234 827114 sam.skinner@fishergerman.co.uk

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Historic homes History has a habit of going full circle and repeating itself. Rigby Hall, a Victorian manor house in Worcestershire, is a perfect example of a building that has moved with the times and is now set to return to its original use – albeit in a modern way.

R

igby Hall was first built 180 years ago – in 1838 – as the first mansion for John Corbett, the son of a wealthy bargee, who went on to amass his own fortune and commission the nearby well-known Chateau Impney (see box).

Now surrounded by modern-day Bromsgrove, Rigby Hall was originally a large rural estate. After John Corbett moved into Chateau Impney in 1875, Rigby Hall was occupied by a succession of owners. As with many country estates, some of the extensive land holdings were sold off, and today’s Rigby Hall School now stands in part of the former grounds.

The Hall itself eventually became too expensive to run as a family home and was converted to other uses, most recently as comfortable offices for local businesses.

The last office occupier to move in, in 1999, was actuarial firm Garvin’s, which was taken over by larger actuarial services provider Barnett Waddingham in 2008.

That business continued to use the 6,500 sq ft Hall as its Bromsgrove office, until it moved out in 2011.

Since then Rigby Hall has been vacant and its future was uncertain, until it was recently sold by Fisher German for redevelopment as residential accommodation.

The Hall and surrounding land of 1.4 acres have planning consent for a total of nine new homes. Three detached two-storey homes, the largest of which is 1,800 sq ft, are planned for the grounds, while the Hall itself could contain six one- and two-bedroom apartments.

As the properties will be close to Bromsgrove railway station, whose original platforms didn’t open until two years after Rigby Hall was built, they are likely to be popular with a wide range of potential buyers. These new occupiers will give Rigby Hall a new lease of life as a home for young families and professionals, which could well see it through the next 180 years.

For many owners, the desire to live in a home that has some historical importance or references reflects a very laudable wish to act as custodians for future generations.”

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The Midlands’ Salt King John Corbett (1817-1901) was born into an industrialist family and made a name for himself (as well as a large fortune) when he purchased a disused salt works in Stoke Prior and transformed it into a thriving business, with an annual output of 160,000 tonnes in its heyday.

Known locally as The Salt King, Corbett was a philanthropist in the vein of contemporaries John Cadbury and Joseph Rowntree. He provided homes, schools and housing for his workforce and contributed to the renovation of local churches and cathedrals.

He is now best-remembered for the family home he created with his French wife Hannah Eliza O’Meara at Impney Hall, outside Droitwich, Worcestershire. The pair were influenced by Versailles and although their ambitious plans were scaled back on cost grounds, the nonetheless impressive structure, which became known as Chateau Impney, was completed in 1875.

Corbett occupation of the Chateau ended in 1906 and after a period of disuse following the First World War it was converted into a hotel in 1928. Ninety years on, it remains as one of the region’s top luxury hotels.

For more information, visit www.chateau-impney.com

PROPERTY AGENCY

Barlaston Hall, Barlaston, Staffordshire

Manor Quarry, Belper, Derbyshire Situated in a former quarry but with stunning views over the Derwent and Ecclesbourne valleys, this modern family home has a surprising historical feature tucked away in its six acres of mature grounds. A cave, which is accessed via a weaving passageway, set deep within the sandstone wall of the quarry. Derby, just five miles away, was one of the major production sites for Rolls-Royce during the Second Word War and it is believed the cave was used as a secret storage location for design drawings for the Spitfire aeroplane. The space is currently unused but could be converted into a wine cellar with a difference. The house itself offers extensive accommodation with further potential office and annexe space. A good range of outbuildings and grazing land broaden the appeal of the property further, and a single bedroom lodge also benefits from excellent views.

Built in 1756-1758, Barlaston Hall features many of architect Sir Robert Taylor’s trademarks such as octagonal glazing within the sash windows.

Ownership of the 380-acre estate transferred to the famous Wedgwood pottery company in 1937, which built a model village for its workforce nearby. However, the company did not occupy the Hall for long and due to a combination of neglect and mining-related subsidence the Grade 1-listed building was twice threatened with demolition. External repairs, including construction of a concrete raft underneath the hall, were completed in the 1990s, after which the hall was purchased by private owners, who restored the interiors to Taylor’s original specifications and returned it to its original use as a family home.

Bradley Hall, Bradley, Derbyshire

Woodhead Hall, Cheadle, Staffordshire Known as RAF Cheadle in the Second World War, Woodhead Hall was originally constructed in 1720 before it was rebuilt to the designs of local architect William Sugden in 1873. The Grade II-listed building became a prep school in 1925 and then saw wartime use a Y-station, where codebreakers intercepted radio messages between enemy bombers and ground stations. That role continued in peace time, when the hall was used as a monitoring station for Soviet communications. Formal ownership transferred to the Ministry of Defence in the early 1960s and the property, including 19 acres of grounds, remained in military occupation until it reverted to its original use as a private home in 1997.

Standing opposite the village’s Fourteenth century church, Grade II-listed Bradley Hall was built in the 1770s by the Meynell family. The current buildings were originally designed as the stables for a hall that was never built and were subsequently modified to become living accommodation, hence the long profile of the property today. Famous visitors include the eminent writer Dr Samuel Johnson, who came to the hall at least twice while staying with his friend Dr Taylor at Ashbourne, not long after it had been completed as a house. The interiors, notably ornate Eighteenthcentury mouldings, broad door frames and an array of stunning Georgian windows, have recently been comprehensively restored, including the reinstatement of solid oak floors. Dr Johnson would have undoubtedly enjoyed a more modern addition: a biomass heating system, which now also provides an income for the property. The four self-contained apartments within the northern end of the house provide holiday cottage accommodation and potential for longer-term tenancies with great income generating potential. Grazing land, a lake and fishing lodge complete what is a very impressive property.

Stuart Flint 07501 720422 stuart.flint@fishergerman.co.uk

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Following Henry Sale’s death in 2013, the Henry Sale Foundation was set up in 2015 to commemorate his life.

A worthy cause H

enry Sale was a husband, a celebrate his life, and use their memories the company. His forward-thinking father of three, and a friend of him in supporting charitable causes commitment to clients and strategic to many. He was also joint that he would have thought important. planning defined Henry. In 1986, Henry managing partner of Fisher The trustees hope that, through their work, married Jane, and four years later their first German for 13 years alongside current some of what made Henry is being put child, Laura, was born. Harriet followed in managing partner Andrew Jackson. His back into the world.

1993 and in 1996, Archie was born. love for the countryside was a defining The concept of the Foundation was Henry’s pastimes in his later years were characteristic throughout his life, making field sports of all types. He was a keen shot, initiated by Andrew Jackson and Fisher land agency an obvious choice for him German partner Richard Sanders. Although an avid huntsman, and many a summer from an early age.

Fisher German had already introduced a holiday was spent with the family up in After growing up in Northumberland, Henry Sale bursary and an annual cricket Scotland in pursuit of the elusive salmon.

Henry came south to Reading University tournament, the Henry Sale Cup, Richard His family continues to share his passions to read land management. He loved and Andrew believed it would be a good and interests. his time there, idea to set up the meeting friends outside “The trustees hope that, through their work, some of Foundation he would keep of the work place what made Henry is being put back in to the world.” to reflect the other for life through playing rugby, areas of Henry’s life.

The Foundation is very grateful for the cricket and squash. After university he went Celebrating life Following Henry’s death in 2013, the time and funding received from the Fisher straight into land agency in 1984 in the Henry Sale Foundation was founded and German partners, who kindly pledge a Midlands area. His hard work ethic, astute the trustees worked hard to set up the proportion of their profits each year. This is commercial mind, and passion for people how the Foundation raises its funds, along Foundation in 2015 to commemorate and the countryside made him excel here. with other fundraising events.

Henry’s life. Henry’s family, friends and In 2000, he became joint managing work colleagues make up the board partner of Fisher German and devoted his of trustees and their intention was to working life to building and diversifying

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HENRY SALE FOUNDATION

The Henry Sale Foundation supports:

CASE STUDIES Chance to Shine Chance to Shine is a national charity that aims to spread the power of cricket throughout schools and communities. They take cricket to new places and use it to ignite new passions, teach vital skills, unite diverse groups, and educate young people. Since 2005, the Chance to Shine schools programme has helped reverse the decline in cricket in state schools.

The Henry Sale Foundation supported Chance to Shine for the first time in September 2016, fully funding the Cossington Street project in Leicester, which is part of the Chance to Shine Street programme. The sessions took place at Cossington Street Sports Centre every Monday from 4.30pm to 6.30pm. Cossington Street is in an area of deprivation, which ranks among the 30% most deprived neighbourhoods in the country. The Chance to Shine Street session was overseen by Leicestershire Cricket Board. It had an excellent turnout with an average attendance of 14 young people per session and 45 different participants involved overall.

The programme helped to bring cricket to kids new to the sport in deprived areas, encouraging the sport that Henry loved and played regularly throughout his life. It encouraged the children to integrate, adopt an active lifestyle, and learn the values of being part of a team.

The Foundation is very proud of the support they were able to give, and are now working with Chance to Shine again on a new project.

• S ocial inclusion Helping individuals integrate into society and bringing communities together are at the core of how the Foundation likes to support the principles.

• Education Promoting education is key to making a lasting difference. Helping individuals and communities understand the countryside, and giving them the knowledge to live healthy, active lifestyles are highly viewed by the trustees. This is closely linked to…

•H elping people and charities to help themselves Any causes focused on helping people to help themselves, or charities starting out with the intention to become self-funding in the future are positively considered by the Foundation. The trustees feel that supporting causes or charities like these are the most effective ways to allocate funds.

How the Foundation supports this: •C ountryside Causes that promote the countryside, countryside values, and the rural industry were close to Henry’s heart, and the trustees highly value any applications that help spread the joy of the countryside.

• Sport and healthy recreation Henry lived an active lifestyle, playing cricket, rugby and squash during his life.

Causes or projects that bring sport to new players or encourage active lifestyles are ones that the trustees love to get behind.

Henry pictured bottom row, far right

Herefordshire Growing Point The Henry Sale Foundation has supported Herefordshire Growing Point by the purchase of a Hot Box Composter and for funding essential garden maintenance – new paving stones, repairs to raised beds, re-felting the potting and tool shed roof.

Herefordshire Growing Point is a charity providing social and therapeutic horticulture. Using gardening to improve the quality of life for people of all ages and abilities as well as helping people to continue to enjoy the benefits of gardening. The benefits are wide-ranging and include physical and mental fitness, confidence and self-esteem and the sheer pleasure of working with plants, fresh air and handling the soil.

The demonstration garden at Holme Lacy provides an adapted venue where tutors help participants explore sowing, growing and harvesting. An outreach programme extends to residential homes and community projects around the county. Each month, more than 250 disabled and elderly people benefit from activities in the garden.

Herefordshire Growing Point provides meaningful experience and enjoyment for people of all ages with a wide spectrum of challenges – the elderly or frail, learning difficulties or mental health problems, children with disrupted learning capabilities, recovery from accident or illness, sensory or physical disability. They encourage and assist those who are unable to manage traditional methods of growing plants but still enjoy the extensive benefits of horticulture.

Individual needs are met through utilising several alternative gardening techniques with adapted tools, raised beds and accessories.

Who the Foundation has helped so far The trustees have been busy working with a number of charities helping with various projects for vulnerable people such as therapy farms and gardens, and cricket camps.

These charities include the Sustainable Land Trust, Thomley, The Matt Hampson Foundation, Longlands Care Farm, Chance to Shine, Herefordshire Growing Point, St Crispin Care Farm and Country Trust.

To date, more than £65,000 has been pledged to these and other very worthwhile causes.

For further information on the Henry Sale Foundation, please visit the newly launched website: www.henrysalefoundation.co.uk Charity number: 1167903.

Richard Sanders 01858 411234 richard.sanders@fishergerman.co.uk

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peoplenews

Fisher German helps new agri businesses find fresh start Fisher German is working with Fresh Start Land Enterprise Centre to support an agricultural business academy. The 11-session learning experience based at Riseholme College, Lincoln, is aimed at helping anyone looking to start up their own agri business or seeking to expand their existing business skills base.

Fisher German partner James Goodson, a member of the academy’s steering group, has been instrumental in designing the programme, which sees an industry expert lead each session to share their knowledge and success, while highlighting the challenges of runnwing, a successful agri business. Maria Wade, Fisher German’s human resources director, volunteered to lead a positively received session on communication skills.

For more information go to: www.freshstartlandenterprise.org.uk

James Goodson

Maria Wade

New land based apprentice: You’re hired!

As part of its commitment to developing its people, Fisher German has taken on a land based apprentice.

This is in addition to an existing commercial apprentice, plus the c50 graduates employed by the firm at any one time. The land based apprenticeship has been designed in close liaison with Harper Adams University.

Like many apprenticeships, the Fisher German scheme runs for five years, during which the apprentice spends most of their time in the workplace, earning a salary and receiving structured training. The firm is considering further apprenticeships in the future, which can also be used by existing employees to develop their career.

Matthias heads to the slopes to aid wounded veterans Matthias Charlton

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Matthias Charlton, a Fisher German surveyor based in the Ashby office, was chosen earlier this year to take part in a seven day ‘skihabilitation’ trip to the Alps to help wounded veterans regain confidence, fitness and wellbeing.

Matthias was one of a number of ‘buddies’ who accompanied 25 medically discharged military personnel on the trip organised by UK charity Supporting Wounded

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Veterans. Matthias continues to volunteer for the charity as a mentor, providing friendship, advice and support for wounded veterans, and his fundraising has so far brought in more than £2,000.

The Henry Sale Foundation (page 44) supported Matthias in his fundraising, as it matched the Foundation’s principles perfectly.

These can be read at www.henrysalefoundation.co.uk

PARTNER SPOTLIGHT

Partner spotlight: Hugh Maxfield When Hugh Maxfield joined Fisher German a decade ago, he wanted to grow his career and be part of the firm’s success story. As partner of the Knutsford office, he has certainly taken the opportunity to raise the profile of the business in the rural property sector.

H

aving grown up in rural Shropshire, Hugh Maxfield developed an interest in rural property, which was further encouraged by many farming friends and holidays spent on his grandparents’ sheep farm on the edge of Exmoor.

However, his route into the profession was quite unusual. He studied Classics at Durham University and after graduating he worked for a small building firm specialising in the repair and renovation of old buildings.

During this time, he enrolled with the College of Estate Management to study surveying by distance learning.

Hugh remembers: “After a brief spell with Carter Jonas in Shrewsbury, I worked for three years with a small, livestock market based firm in North Shropshire, where I completed my diploma in surveying and qualified as a chartered surveyor in quick succession.

“After qualifying, I moved to Somerset and spent five very enjoyable years with Cooper and Tanner, a regional firm, again with a livestock market base.”

When Hugh joined Fisher German in 2008, the firm was beginning to raise its profile in the rural property world and his first impressions were positive: “At the time the opportunities at Fisher German were only limited by my own ability to take advantage of them, and this continues to be my experience.”

Hugh was tasked with trying to develop all parts of the business in Knutsford other than estate management, which was

The 2016 Three Peaks Challenge group

already well established. With a clean slate, he was able to get to know people across the firm, learn from their experiences and get ideas for business development.

At first it was slow moving, but in 2012 things started to progress: “I was asked to take responsibility for the Knutsford office.

The office has grown and become part of the North-West region, together with the Chester and Stafford offices, but I continue to lead the teams based in Knutsford.”

Hugh doesn’t shy away from a challenge and it’s one of the things he likes most about his job: “I love meeting and working with interesting people, and being presented with a complicated new challenge to get my head around.

“I think my biggest challenge so far has been commencing the management of the Tatton Estate in 2016. The previous

professionals it would not be possible to achieve the desired results in my role.”

Hugh also highlights the importance of his own team’s ability to work on a range of projects: “As a relatively small office – there are 18 of us in Knutsford – we carry out a wide variety of work, so graduates have the chance to pick up useful experience in all sorts of areas. We are also a young team – I’m one of the oldest – so there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy each other’s company outside the office environment.

“A team of 11 from Knutsford and Chester completed Born Survivor in May. “The North-West region are the reigning Fisher German Inter-Office Touch Rugby Champions, considerably assisted by our graduate team!” he laughs.

With all this to take on, does Hugh have room for anything else outside of work?

I love meeting and working with interesting people, and being presented with a complicated new challenge to get my head around.” agents had been in place for more than 60 years so there was quite a bit to assimilate, unpick and piece back together. It was very exciting working with one of the most interesting estates in the county.”

When Hugh took on the management of Tatton, a new dual carriageway was being constructed and plans had been announced that 2.5 miles of the route of HS2 would pass through Tatton, meaning Hugh is heavily involved in providing advice to clients on HS2.

Hugh notes how crucial it is to have great people skills when advising clients: “Apart from a good technical understanding of the professional work I advise on, people skills are absolutely critical. Without the ability to get along with clients, colleagues and other

“A couple of years ago, I spent an amazing ten days in Kenya, based part of the time with a charity in the north-west of the country learning about their programmes and helping with a building project.

“I enjoy more or less anything as long as it’s outdoors. North Wales, the Peak District, the Lakes and Yorkshire Dales are all within an hour and a half’s drive. If I was no longer based here, I would definitely miss being in reach of all of these things.

Although, I would not miss the M6!”

Hugh Maxfield 01565 757971 hugh.maxfield@fishergerman.co.uk

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Sector insight Building resilience will be key

2018: more of the same?

David Merton, head of rural

Duncan Bedhall, head of commercial

At the time of writing, the consultation period for DEFRA’s ‘Health and harmony’ paper has just closed. Tens of thousands of individuals and organisations with an interest in food, farming and rural issues have responded in the hope of influencing future farming policy. Feedback is being analysed, and a new policy for British agriculture outside the European Union will finally emerge.

While there is a growing understanding in the sector that they will need to change and adapt, the government must not underestimate how long this will take to achieve.

With the reduction of direct support after 2019 confirmed, now is the time evaluate how well equipped rural businesses are to withstand reduction to support payments and price volatility.

Focus should be on building resilience within systems to adapt and consideration given to securing diverse income streams.

Going forward, soil health will be of increasing importance both in terms of protecting the natural capital of a property, and its role in improving farming margins. This is an area of focus for us to protect and improve our clients’ assets.

Soil is the fundamental component that underpins the majority of the UK agricultural economy. In 2017, England and Wales lost approximately 2.2m tonnes of topsoil, with an estimated loss of revenue of £1.2bn, as a result of soil degradation. Changes to farming practices are urgently needed to slow this decline, and to turn it into a net gain. Improving soil health will not only protect the natural capital value of soil but will lead to improved outputs and financial margins.

2018 so far has been positive for commercial property. Significant capital is still being invested in the sector and occupier demand for business space remains consistently good.

Industrial and warehousing space in prime locations is still in short supply and new speculative development is concentrated on big-box units for large distribution requirements.

This appears to be the pattern across the UK and in most investors portfolios, void rates are incredibly low.

Retail continues to struggle in some areas and the travails of the likes of Debenhams and House of Fraser, where the internet has taken their market, are well documented. However, specialist retail agents also report difficulty in acquiring units for their clients in prime locations in wealthy areas.

Occupiers appear less willing to compromise on the quality of the buildings they occupy. This is due to a number of factors, with image, compliance and staff retention being top of the list. It highlights the need for landlords to continually invest in upgrading their portfolios and fully refurbishing their vacant space prior to putting it on the market.

We are working with our clients to agree specifications of work to get the best lease, rent and tenants. Those units that are presented poorly have long void periods and attract poorer quality tenants.

The commercial team of Fisher German has continued to grow and new members have been added to each regional team. This is highly encouraging and more exciting developments are planned for 2018 and beyond.

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Reaching a resolution Darren Edwards, head of sustainable energy In a perfect world everyone lives harmoniously, free of dispute. Unfortunately though, this is rarely the case. With nearly 26,000 Renewables Obligation scheme and 815,000 Feed-in Tariff scheme projects now in operation around the UK, it is not surprising that there has been a sharp increase in the number of expert witness instructions for dispute resolution cases involving renewable energy installations.

Reaching a resolution to such cases invariably requires an assessment of value of a site or installation. Combining our status as a RICS Registered Valuer with our specialist knowledge of the renewable energy sector has enabled our team to play a pivotal role in the successful conclusion of a number of highly litigious cases. With the majority of such installations set to be operating for at least 20 years, I see the demand for our services in this particular arena increasing significantly.

Another area where demand continues to prove strong is investors seeking to purchase operational renewable energy projects. A number of our existing clients have received offers to buy either the freehold or leasehold interest in schemes (solar PV projects being most popular) and often for sums of money that are hard to ignore.

We are actively helping clients in the UK look at opportunities in the energy storage market, which continues to evolve. However, the recent change in legislation allowing District Network Operators to charge for grid connection applications has necessitated a change of approach, with speculative applications no longer attractive.

David Merton

Duncan Bedhall

Darren Edwards

01530 410806

07831 824663

07918 677571

david.merton@fishergerman.co.uk

duncan.bedhall@fishergerman.co.uk

darren.edwards@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

Long-term views being taken

Uncompromising conditions

A focus on delivering service

Ben Marshalsay, head of development

Alasdair Dunne, head of residential

Giles Lister, head of utilities & infrastructure

The market has remained buoyant throughout the past six months across most regions. This is especially so on greenfield residential development opportunities. Where house prices have risen, the greenfield land values have been keeping track, also increasing. The demand for this type of residential development land has been increasing across all regions, especially in the Midlands. This is mainly due to a slight slowdown on good quality consented sites coming to the market coupled with a flurry of new regional offices opening for house builders.

Developers, however, are starting to take a more varied approach in the nature and mix of their development sites. There is increased demand for both brownfield development sites and higher density housing mixes, due to a perceived change in demand from purchasers.

A longer term view is being taken by developers and the volume of transactions of a freehold nature with overage has increased.

The revised National Planning Policy Framework was delivered in March to mixed reviews. What is to be welcomed is the message on housing delivery. The changes were generally as expected with the new Housing Delivery Test strengthening the need to show not only sufficient deliverable sites to meet identified housing need but also to demonstrate that those homes are actually being delivered. On the commercial/employment development front, we have seen an increased interest from many of the large commercial operators and especially in the strategic sub sector.

It’s well documented that the residential market has been challenging. According to the RICS, new buyers’ enquiries have been in negative territory for the past 13 months and HMRC has recorded that transactional volume, that was stable for a number of months, fell 11.8% between February and March.

Buyers are uncompromising, and uncompromising buyers only buy best in class, and are not interested in pursuing houses that don’t represent best value.

The lettings market is also changing. In response to new policies that have negatively affected landlords, the RICS has suggested that we will see more landlords selling up and fewer entering the buy to let market. If these conditions persist, rents might rise faster than house prices. For landlords hoping to dispose of their rental properties, a stamp duty regime that supports first time buyers should provide ready, willing and able buyers.

This all sounds rather gloomy, for everyone other than first time buyers, so you may be surprised to note that Fisher German has just recorded its best year in terms of transactional volume and the total value of property that has been sold. With intimate market knowledge, considered pricing strategies, careful performance monitoring and decisive realignment where required, good sales can be achieved.

Project a few years forward and we can see a scenario where inflation has tracked at a few percentage points above house price rises, which will steadily redress the current imbalance in earnings to price ratios, effectively resetting the market to a degree. Interesting but steady times ahead.

As the sector reflects on the changes associated with failure of a large company responsible for delivering many public infrastructure and services contracts, service providers are reviewing the requirements associated with delivery of their service.

Currently, 55% of procurement procedures use the most economically advantageous tender basis or the most aggressively priced bid. The market is characterised by some suppliers focusing on cost. Fisher German’s focus is on value, sustainable pricing and long term service delivery. This is aligned to client aspirations to tender intelligently, which may have an impact on price. We are helping clients monitor, support and collaborate in equal measure to achieve optimal outcomes – the key being delivery of long term value, which is something that Fisher German has shown it can provide with existing clients.

The creation of the Crown Commercial Service (CCS), on which Fisher German has won a place, has led to a new model of direct contracting with agreements for a set value and a focus on demand management, and supplier innovation, as opposed to a framework where a maximum price but no values are agreed.

Fisher German has employed a bid manager to assist in the evolving tender environment. We are building close relationships with our clients, which is key to delivering the required holistic long term outcome creating savings to the client, achieving maximum value and improving the quality of service delivery.

Ben Marshalsay

Alasdair Dunne

Giles Lister

01530 567465

07501 720412

01227 477870

ben.marshalsay@fishergerman.co.uk

alasdair.dunne@fishergerman.co.uk

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 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 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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www.fishergerman.co.uk