Just before Christmas (2025), Government published a consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), alongside draft policy wording. At face value, this can feel like another policy update in a busy cycle of planning reform. In practice, the draft is more meaningful for rural businesses than it might first appear. It […]
January is when most business owners consider direction for the year ahead. Goals and priorities are reviewed and agreed, projects and work begins to be mapped out. For the farming sector, this is valuable time before seasonal peak workloads arrive in the form of lambing, calving and spring arable duties. For many rural businesses, 2026 […]
At a glance The Farming Profitability Review is a six-month, England-only review led by Baroness Minette Batters and commissioned by Defra. Its job is to ask a blunt question: “How can farms in England make a proper profit from farming, while still delivering on climate and nature?” A few key framing points: It focuses on […]
Jon Westerman recently highlighted some big changes in the planning world: more staff, ring-fenced funds, and the ability to charge for applications, all aimed at speeding up approvals. For landowners, this creates a friendly planning environment and opportunities like Class Q conversions, even in green belt areas (though not national landscapes). Sounds exciting, right? But […]
If the CLA Rural Business Conference was a sandwich, it was the sort you unwrap with curiosity. Plenty of good ingredients, a few surprising layers, and the occasional bite that made you pause and check the menu again. The theme was “driving rural growth”, a title enthusiastically championed by the Secretary of State, the […]
Speakers: Antony Pearce (Dudley Peverill Associates), Dawn Woollam (DPA Consultant), Ed Daniell (Rural Space), Iain Hawthorne (Aravis UK), Simon Kinvig (Pegasus Group) At the Farm Business Innovation Show, this panel brought together diversification experts from across planning, finance, design, and rural enterprise explored how landowners can unlock new income streams through thoughtful, phased development. Using […]
In recent months, the number of inquiries from equestrian sites and businesses regarding diversification and redevelopment has significantly increased, and with good reason. While equestrian enterprises can be highly successful, they occupy a “grey” or convoluted space within UK planning policy, more often than not falling outside the permitted development rights afforded to agricultural sites […]
Barn conversions are some of the most rewarding forms of rural development, but also some of the most complex. In 2025, with material and labour costs continuing to rise, and construction costs expected to continue to increase by 14% from Q2 2025 to Q2 2030 according to the BCIS, avoiding cost creep has never been […]
Pitchcott Farm – Courtyard Redevelopment Redeveloping a redundant Victorian courtyard into a multifaceted rural hub centred around nature connectivity, education, and wellbeing. Project Particulars Client: Private Landowner Location: Buckinghamshire Pitchcott Farm is a 160-acre grassland holding in Buckinghamshire with a disused Victorian stable yard and two adjacent concrete-framed agricultural buildings. Whislt historically, the business has […]
At Dudley Peverill Associates, we often meet landowners and farmers who know their agricultural buildings are underutilised, but don’t know how to unlock their value. Changing the use of redundant farm buildings can feel like an impossible task when faced with financial or planning challenges and unknowns. Are Your Buildings Working Hard Enough? If you […]
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