Shropshire Farming Talk: Government gear change for growth and infrastructure
A few weeks into the new government and there have been a raft of announcements that will affect farmers and landowners across the country.
Competition for land use is likely to increase as new vigour is given to housing, energy schemes and other infrastructure projects.
Anyone affected should seek specialist advice as early as possible to make sure they are protected and well placed to make the most of all these opportunities.
Recently, footnotes to national planning policy preventing onshore wind farms in England were removed. Large scale solar and battery storage developers are also expecting changes.
A new National Wealth Fund has also been announced, including an allocated £7.3 billion for infrastructure spending.
The Government's election manifesto has suggested further changes are yet to come – watch this space as changes are likely to happen quickly.
The Government’s quest for economic growth is likely to be matched by developers and scheme promoters looking to utilise any policy shift in their favour. Wilson Fearnall anticipates more farmers and landowners will be approached for projects seeking a whole range of rights for access, surveys and land use. These will all look to move swiftly.
New energy schemes require new grid connections and the application process to connect into the electricity distribution system is also being overhauled in the next 12 months.
Our key message is to engage early, and ensure you have an advisor who has experience across the board and understands the interaction with other enterprises, project and opportunities across your wider holding.
Most renewable projects have a working lifespan of 25-35 years and landowners should be mindful of this when granting any rights. What will happen at the end of the project? What might come along during the operational phase and how might all these things works together rather the impede one another.
If you are looking to promote your own energy scheme, do you have the correct team in place and have you fully considered all of the critical issue ? Make sure your project team have the knowledge they need – do it once, do it right!
Ellen Plowright, of independent chartered surveyors Wilson Fearnell
