Landscope 4 April 2014

04/04/2014

Headlines

02/04/2014

CAP post 2013: EFA weighting raised from 0.3 to 0.7 for nitrogen fixing crops The European Commission wants to raise the weighting factor from 0.3 to 0.7 for areas cultivated with nitrogen-fixing crops so that 1 hectare now counts as 0.7ha of EFA. The change is to encourage the European Parliament to support the reforms and not block them; it has been criticised by environmental groups as squeezing the last bit of environment benefit out of EFAs, which I have to agree with. Farming lobby 1 – 0 Environmental lobby.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report highlights risks and solutions A major IPCC report says the effects of climate change are already occurring on all continents and across the oceans and that the world, in many cases, is ill-prepared for risks from a changing climate. It concludes that there are opportunities to respond to such risks, though they will be difficult to manage with high levels of warming. The report provides a conceptual map of the features of the predicted climate challenge and also options for solutions.

Farming Rent statistics from Defra Defra’s statistics for England show that the average Agricultural Holdings Act (AHA) rent rose by 3% in 2012 and fell by 2% for Farm Business Tenancies (FBTs). The table below compares Defra’s data with our Agricultural Rent database. Although the AHA rents are broadly comparable, Defra’s FBT rents seem very low compared with our experience of the market. We found FBT rents reviewed in 2012 rose by 35% compared with previous rent levels.

AHA

Defra

Smiths Gore

FBT

(£/ac, average)

Arable Dairy Livestock Mixed

Defra

Smiths Gore

£85 £80 £40 -

£134 £105 £76 £90

(£/ac, average)

£74 £78 £43 -

£77 £80 £48 £75

Arable Dairy Livestock Mixed

GM: EU could agree reform of the GM approval process by the end of the year Member States are expected to agree a way to reform rules on approving GM crops by June. The changes would end the current situation where bans in countries like France have been rejected by French courts as legally flawed – giving no one any clarity at all. The EU said that the proposals would allow some countries to approve GMs and others to ban them based on health, environment or socio-economic concerns. However, there is still considerable opposition to the proposals from the European Parliament so it is not clear yet whether this will actually be agreed.

A report by the Council for Science & Technology, commissioned by the (pro-GM) UK Government, suggests that the UK should carry out more research on GM. It also calls for greater powers for national regulators to decide on GM crops.

Property Issues National Minimum Wage (UK) The Government has accepted all of the Low Pay Commission’s recommendations: NMR Rates from 1 October 2014 Adult hourly rate 16-17 year old rate Apprentice rate

New rate £6.50 £3.79 £2.73

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Old rate £6.31 £3.72 £2.68

% change 3% 2% 2%

04/04/2014

Community Control or Countryside Chaos? CPRE report on impact of National Planning Policy Framework on the countryside The conclusions are that the reforms are: • Unnecessarily damaging the countryside as 200,000 new houses have been allocated in the Green Belt, leaving sites already earmarked for housing undeveloped and so failing to prioritise the regeneration of urban areas • Undermining local democracy by forcing local councils to accept major developments against their will in all parts of the country • Slowing the rate at which local plans are being adopted • Raising the success rate of appeals, with over 2/3rds approved for major housing in the last year, as councils are increasingly reluctant to challenge them due to the risk of incurring costs Separate research by Cambridge University found that ‘some local planning authorities engage in poor practice in order to meet planning targets’.

Heritage Partnership Agreements and other changes to listed buildings in England A raft of changes relating to agreements and orders granting listed building consent (section 60), certificates of lawfulness (s61), local listed building consent orders procedure (schedule 16) and amendments to the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 (paragraphs 11 and 14 to 19 of Schedule 17, and section 63) come into effect from 6 April, under the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013. Smiths Gore view: we think Heritage Partnership Agreements can save time and money and are a positive proposal. Contact James Laver or Lucy Back who have experience of agreeing HPAs.

English Heritage consulting on priorities for its next National Heritage Protection Plan This Plan brings together the work of heritage organisations in England since 2011. The public consultation on the priorities for the next Plan closes on 2 May 2014.

Government review proposes community planning champions to fight unsightly developments An independent review of architecture in urban areas by architect Sir Terry Farrell says every local authority should nominate a ‘civic champion’ to ‘improve design quality’.

Temporary empty property business rates relief scheme Up to 18 months business rates relief is available for new non-domestic properties completed between 1/10/2013 and 30/09/2016. It is available at the discretion of individual local authorities.

Boundaries not necessarily determined by ‘T’ marks on plans A ‘T’ mark is only one factor to be taken into account when deciding the ownership and location of a boundary, according to the Court of Appeal in Lanfear v Chandler. It said that position on the ground as it would have appeared to the reasonable layperson was also relevant.

Pilots to explore how to achieve superfast coverage beyond 95% of the UK A £10 million tender is open for pilot projects to test innovative ways to help take broadband to Britain’s most remote communities. It wants to test (i) what technology can be used in remote areas, (ii) novel operating models such as joining smaller networks together into a common larger network and (iii) public / private funding models that could bring in new investment.

Residential Markets Treasury prepares mansion tax The Treasury has started working on designing a mansion tax, which could be introduced as soon as next year, claiming that polls show 80% public support for a ‘modest additional’ tax.

Help to Buy ‘cost’ to the country claim dismissed by Pickles Eric Pickles has rubbished a National Audit Office report that claimed Help to Buy would carry “substantial” economic costs and claimed that taxpayers stood to make a net gain of up to £500m from the scheme. Some of the country's biggest homebuilders have pulled out of the Build to Rent scheme due to rising demand for homes bought under the Help to Buy scheme.

Separately, Sir John Riblat described Help to Buy as “incredibly distorting”. He said government-owned brownfield land should be made available to housebuilders to boost the supply of houses, with the government

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remaining the long-term landlord. hoarding land.

He also said housebuilders were gambling on land values rising, and

BoE ‘vigilant to emerging vulnerabilities’ over mortgages The Bank of England has said that the number of borrowers being offered mortgages more than four times their income was at a record high, at 10% of borrowers. Lord Adair Turner, the ex-chairman of the Financial Services Authority, has warned that Britain's property obsession has left the country at risk of another major financial shock. Property commentators have warned that the change in the Budget that means pensioners will no longer be forced to buy an annuity will trigger more buying of houses to let, increasing house prices further.

And finally‌ Free thinking Frederik Haren, a Swedish philanthropist, is offering people the chance to stay on one of his islands for free so they can think properly. Applicants need to explain why spending a week cut off from civilisation would help the project they're working on or hoping to develop. Apply via the Ideas Island website.

Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this briefing, its information may not be comprehensive and recipients should not act upon it without seeking full professional advice.

If you have queries regarding any of the articles, please contact jason.beedell@smithsgore.co.uk (01733 866562) or andrew.teanby@smithsgore.co.uk (01522 507310)

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