Aspects of Land | Spring/Summer 2018

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Aspects of Land Spring / Summer 2018
BUSINESS
WHY RHUBARB IS
JUST THE TONIC
Last December, The Telegraph
reported that rhubarb farmers
were seeing a boost in demand
for rhubarb, fuelled by the drinks
industry. One company that
produces a rhubarb-flavoured
gin notched up a 355% increase
in sales in 2017, while others
reported a trend for rhubarb-
flavoured mixers.
WHERE ARE THE
FIELDS GOING?
According to the
Campaign to Protect
Rural England,
developers are
building 15% fewer
homes than they were
a decade ago, yet they
are using twice as
much greenfield land
to build them.
8
Although shooting grew in popularity in 2016, it’s still a challenge to turn a profit
Appealing Scottish
sporting rates
For many Scottish landowners who
received the first batch of Deer Forest
and Shooting Rights Valuation Notices
from their regional assessor, the “Phase
1” appeal window closed at the end of
March. If they hadn’t lodged an appeal
to contest the valuation before this
date, the opportunity is now lost until
the next national revaluation in April
2022. However for many there is still an
opportunity to appeal.
In many cases Small Business Bonus
Scheme relief is available but it is subject
to annual review, and it may not be there
in the future. “Those who are eligible
should put in a claim,” advises Peter
Wilkinson of Savills Rural Rating Services.
“But that in no way excludes them from
also appealing their assessment.”
Peter has been advising clients to review
and, where appropriate, appeal their
assessments, as apart from anything else,
uncontested valuations risk providing the
assessors with more evidence for future
valuations. “The assessors did not have the
time nor the resources to do a thorough
exercise before they had to issue the first
tranche of valuation notices,” he explains.
“So in many cases, they haven’t taken
disability allowances, area exclusions and
regional or geographical differences into
account. Nor have ‘factors relating to deer
management’ been addressed, which were
supposed to be part of the legislation.”
All of these areas could have a very
material effect upon a sporting rights
valuation. “As the appeals process
develops, it is hoped that many rateable
values will be reduced and in some cases
re-assessed to a nil value,” says Peter.
n For information on how Savills could
assist you, contact Peter Wilkinson, Perth,
07866 976 135,
or Hugo Struthers, Perth, 07967 555 608,
Following the end of the 2017-18
shooting season, Savills is encouraging
all those who have run shoots to
take part in the Shoot Benchmarking
Survey.
This unique survey, which is run
in conjunction with the Game and
Wildlife Conservation Trust, is now
in its eighth season and analyses
information from the cost of each
bird released to average salaries of
those working on shoots, to what
environmental projects shoots are
involved in.
Last year more than 150 shoots
took part in the survey, which revealed
that although demand for shooting
was on the up, turning a profit was still
a challenge.
“The survey is a really useful
management tool,” says David Steel
of Savills Sporting Group. “Estates
that take part receive a bespoke report
with tailored information that enables
them to compare their shoot with
similar ones. It can help identify their
areas of strength and which parts of
their operation need tightening up.”
MORE SHOOTING
LEADS TO MORE
GAME MEAT
With the rise in the
popularity of shooting
has come a rise in the
number of birds shot.
This has led to an
imbalance in the market,
as consumption of game
meat hasn’t kept up with
the growing supply.
It has become a hot
topic of conversation on
many shoots over the
last few months and
there is a strong desire
from within the shooting
community to address
the issue. “Nobody wants
to see good meat go
to waste,” says David.
“But we don’t accurately
know the scale of the
problem. Before we can
address the issue, we
need to know more
about what is happening
to birds after they’ve
been shot.”
To this end, Savills
joined forces with the
Countryside Alliance to
run an e-survey on the
subject. More than 500
shoots completed the
survey and the results
will be published later
this year.
“The analysis of
the information we’ve
gathered will help to
frame future debate and
discussion,” says David.
“As well as give examples
of best practice that
others can follow.”
n For more information
on either survey, contact
David Steel, Clitheroe,
01200 411 051,
Survey reviews the
costs and profits of
comparable shoots
SPORTING