City bankers 'are sending UK farmland prices soaring'

Fri Aug 3 16:18:44 BST 2007

Not really news but in todays Independent is the story below, the sq mile
followed by a report on Tony Wrenchs roundhouse in The Metro. The other
week I visited an appalling farmers market in London ( they seem to have
built yuppie developments on other markets in London ) that mainly sold
stuff like overpriced bread, olives ( which farm were they from? ) and
Delia-influenced sausages; in fact it looked like those regenicidal ( is
that in the dictionary yet?) euro markets that have been springing up
everywhere and the source of complaints in local papers. The obvious thing (
to me at any rate ) is the class war aspect of combating climate change (
not that the class war people seem interested in ecology nor the camp for
climate action people ( nor a lot of greens  it now being a growth industry
( sic ) ) seem  interested in class consciousness  - this coming after at
the same time perhaps state sponsored attacks and smears ( often classist )
along the lines of good protestor/bad protestor and prisoner support
campaigns e.g ABC.  I ( and others ) expect and have been attacked on
similar lines. Anyway, despite being skilled ( and I dont count networking
) Im off to Welfare To Work read and seethe.

City bankers 'are sending UK farmland prices soaring' 

By Michael McCarthy, Environment Editor 

Published: 03 August 2007 

City bankers, traders and lawyers are sending the price of farmland soaring
by spending their enormous salaries and bonuses on farms and country
estates, research has revealed. 

They are the "lifestyle farmers" who may not know much about agriculture but
know they want a big place in the country for the weekend. They now
represent nearly a third of all buyers of farmland - and they are forcing up
the cost of rural land at the fastest rate for 30 years, according to the
survey from estate agents Knight Frank.

The average price of farmland rose by 27.3 per cent in the year to June
2007, the fastest rate of growth since 1977, the survey reveals, with prices
rising in the three months to June by nearly 10 per cent.

Average farmland values hit £3,805 per acre in the second quarter of this
year, up from £2,988 a year earlier, with demand from what Knight Frank
calls lifestyle purchasers - that is, non-farming buyers - rising by 25 per
cent in volume terms but by over 50 per cent in value terms over one year.
It is clear that the market-distorting effects of the "bonus culture" are
now spilling over into the countryside. In recent years, salary levels in
the financial services and legal sectors have reached unprecedented levels.

Although no precisely accurate figures are available, informed City
observers think that at least 10,000 people in Britain are now earning more
than £1m per year, and those salaries are in many cases augmented by
substantial end-of-year bonuses for investment bankers, traders and
accountants.

It is thought that there may be at least 1,000 people in the City whose
annual bonuses exceed £1m, with thousands more pocketing six-figure sums -
all in addition to their salary. Much of that great tide of ready cash has
been invested in the top end of the domestic property market, sending house
prices in London in particular to record levels.

The trend is now having a similar effect in the countryside, with farms
being snapped up by people who frequently do not intend to farm the land
themselves and often contracting the farming out to a manager. Remarkably,
they now represent 29 per cent of all farmland purchasers, behind real
farmers on 37 per cent, according to Knight Frank.

"Wealth generation in London, and especially in the City, has contributed to
significant additional demand and also has underpinned price competition,
especially for farmland tied to residential estates to the west of London,"
commented Clive Hopkins, Knight Frank's Head of Farms and Estates.

"With residential price growth at the top of the London market hitting 40
per cent and above in some prime locations over the past 12 months,
substantial equity is available for bidding up the price of country
estates."

Mr Hopkins added: "We forecast that lifestyle buyers and the influence of
City bonuses and income will rise still further over the next 12 to 24
months. Farmland values will continue to rise, and we believe 11 per cent
growth by June 2008 will be achievable."

Foreign purchasers are also helping to drive up land prices, the survey
says. "We estimate that approximately 15 per cent of UK farmland purchases
are made by international buyers," said Mr Hopkins.

Leading the overseas purchaser market are the Irish - with 7.3 per cent of
all purchases, followed by the Danes (2.9 per cent) and Russians (1.6 per
cent).

The 'lifestyle farmers'

The Celebrities:

* Madonna and Guy Ritchie - The couple bought Ashcombe House, the former
Wiltshire home of the fashion photographer Cecil Beaton, in 2001 complete
with 1,134 acres of land.

* Alex James - The Blur bassist turned his back on the London music scene to
start life anew with his wife and three sons on a farm in the Cotswolds
where he manufactures cheese.

The Businessmen:

* Hector Sants - The former equity analyst and incoming chief executive of
the Financial Services Authority, runs a farm near Oxford where he likes to
paint and shoot.

* James Oliver - The Edinburgh-based marketing director recently bought a
1,837-acre farm on the Scottish borders and hired a shepherd to look after
its 1,000 ewes and 950 lambs.

The Oligarchs:

* Roman Abramovich - The Russian billionaire and Chelsea owner spent £18m on
a 1,500-acre West Sussex estate in 2000. He spent a further £1m stocking it
with game for shoots.

*	Vladimir Lisin - The former welder turned one of Russia's richest
men, spent £6.8m to become the new laird of the 16th-century Perthshire

.and in the Metro
.

Green house 'bad for the environment'

Sunday, July 29, 2007 

Green house

A couple committed to living an eco-friendly life have discovered it isn't
easy being green. 

Tony Wrench and his partner Jane Faith have been told their home, which they
claim to be one of Britain's greenest, must be demolished because it does
too little for the environment. 

The home, built ten years ago by Mr Wrench using local materials, is
insulated with straw and turf on the roof and uses solar panels to generate
electricity. 

The couple grow their own fruit and vegetables and do not own a fridge or
washing machine. 

Despite this, the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority ruled the
house, in Brithdir Mawr near Newport, West Wales, is not green enough to
meet planning regulations and is 'not sustainable'. 

Mr Wrench, 61, said: 'We are doing everything we possibly can to reduce our
carbon footprint ... It is complete nonsense. 

'We will appeal against it  if not for us, but for all the other people who
want to live in way which is less harmful to the planet.' 

An authority report said the home could harm protected species. 

A spokesman added: 'We do have high hurdles but it is important that any
development enhances the environment rather than detracts from it.'

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