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CONTENTS
4 | aspects of land | spring / summer 2017
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Aspects of Land is published on behalf of Savills (UK) Ltd by
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Articles may not be reproduced without written permission of Savills
(UK) Ltd. While every care is taken in compiling the content, neither
the publisher nor Savills (UK) Ltd assumes responsibility for effects
arising from this publication. Investment advice: The information and
opinions contained in this magazine do not constitute professional
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your individual circumstances should be obtained.
24 HOME ON THE LAND
What is the solution for
Scotland’s rural housing?
26 TALKING POINT
Could Britain’s farmers survive
without government subsidies?
29 HOUSE AND HOME
Meeting the demands of today’s
residential rental market
32 FOCUS ON: WOBURN
How the estate blends
modernity and tradition
34 NUMBER CRUNCHING
The latest research from Savills
displayed in numerical form
35 SAVILLS SERVICES
Contact details for Savills rural
professional specialists
04 NEWS & VIEWS
Stories from the rural sector
and saving Cockermouth Castle
07 FOLLOWING ORDERS
Are you up to date with the
latest building regulations?
08 BIG DEAL
Agriculture and the trade deals
that are struck post Brexit
12 WHERE THERE’S A WILL
Why planning is all-important to
hand on an estate successfully
32
A new biomass-fuelled
district heating system
at West Dean College
near Chichester has won Energy
Now’s Expo Award for Best
Biomass Scheme.
The scheme, which upgrades
the 35-year-old existing
biomass scheme at West Dean,
was developed by the Edward
James Foundation (of which the
college is a part together with
the award-winning gardens)
with teams from across Savills
and contractor Sustainable
Energy Limited (SEL).
“The new scheme has increased
the efficiency and extended the
heating system of the previous
one,” says Philip Kirk of Savills
Rural, Energy and Projects
who manages the estate. “It is
fully self-sufficient, using wood
chip from the estate to heat a
network of 39 buildings.”
This is 22 more properties
than the previous system
supported and includes
the college, 25 houses, the
church, the visitor centre,
Victorian glasshouses, student
accommodation and tea rooms.
“West Dean Estate has been
committed to heating self-
sufficiency for the past 35 years
and we are proud to have made
this long-term investment in the
latest biomass technology,” says
Alex Barron, chief executive of
the Edward James Foundation.
Work started on the project
in 2014 and was completed in
the summer of 2016.
n Philip Kirk, Petworth, 01798
345 982,
AWARD WINNING BIOMASS 08
14 CHANGING PLACES
The new trends in how to raise
income from country houses
18 WORLD VIEW
How do farmland markets
around the world compare?
20 BACK TO LIFE
Revealed: the art of a
successful renovation
22 HOME ADVANTAGE
The state of land prices in
Britain, now and in the future
IN THIS ISSUE…
West Dean College in Chichester has been heated by biomass for 35 years
20