Welcome to the second issue of the Cheshire and Staffordshire newsletter. It has been a very busy summer at the Chester, Knutsford and Stafford offices with exceptional levels of land sales, farm valuations and property sales. Our land agents have also had a busy few months helping our clients maximise their returns on their estates.

Many of the team attended the Cheshire, Nantwich and Flint & Denbigh shows and it was great to see so many clients enjoying the rare summer sun. The last rural event in our calendar is The Cheshire Ploughing Match on 30th September at Hatley Farm in Frodsham - we look forward to seeing you there.

In other news, Tiffany Salmon has taken on a new role at Fisher German's Worcester office and all the Chester team wish Tiffany every success. We are pleased to welcome Rachel Kirk, who has joined the Chester team to handle all of Tiffany's clients.

We have great pleasure in announcing the following promotions within our regional team. Matthew Burton in our rural team and Simon Geary in our commercial team, both based in Knutsford, are to be promoted to Local Partners. William Lewis in the commercial team based in Chester is to be promoted to Local Partner. Congratulations to all!

Popular Farms that have been successfully sold recently!

Hoole Old Hall A former dairy farm with development potential with 108 acres in 5 lots proved to be very popular and has sold subject to contract.

Caldecott Farm A former dairy farm extending to approximately 186.50 acres for sale as a whole or in 5 lots has sold subject to contract.

Residential houses that received offers within 2 weeks!

Manor Lodge A beautifully presented country residence in Hampton nr Malpas with far reaching views of Bickerton hillls, sold subject to contract.

Queens Park Chester highly sought after area within walking distance of Chester City centre, sold subject to contract

Sales team at the Chester Office

Michael Harris heads the Property Agency team in our Chester office which entails running the busy brokerage department, dealing in a broad range of brokerage from country cottages to rural estates and everything in-between. The Chester office deals with sales throughout an extensive geographical area, covering much of Cheshire and North Wales, generally focusing on middle market properties, whilst maintaining a market share at either end of the property spectrum. He also has significant experience in advising developers from concept to disposal.
Following university in Nottingham, Michael worked in London for a number of years, before working in Estate Agency during the last 19 years, joining Fisher German in 2012.

Tel: 01244 409669/ 07870 961711 or email michael.harris@fishergerman.co.uk

Anna Morris has worked in property in Chester for over 20 years in which time she has built up a wealth of experience and knowledge of the local market.  Anna is a Member of the National Association of Estate Agents and her primary role is Sales Negotiator within the agency team.

Tel: 01244 409660 or email anna.morris@fishergerman.co.uk

Kathryn Kelly has worked for Fisher German (Denton Clark) for the past 15 years, initially as a secretary, but since 2014 has also taken on the role of Assistant within the Chester Agency providing administrative support to the Sales Team, as well as continuing with her secretarial role.  

From April 2018, landlords and occupiers who wish to assign or sub-let will no longer be able to let a residential or commercial property with an Energy Performance rating of less than E, writes Becky Woodrow land agent at Fisher German's Chester office. 

The consequences of the new legislation will affect the marketability of properties if they are not upgraded to the Energy Performance Grade E (this does not include listed properties). It is also estimated that 20% of non-domestic properties could be in the F & G rating brackets.  In addition valuations of properties of this Grade will be impacted if their marketability is reduced.  Rent reviews for properties in this situation could also be affected and implications will occur regarding dilapidations schedules etc.

The risk to property owners is significant and a clear understanding of what the legislation requires will be needed. In some instances, there will need to be an assessment of the likely cost and viability of carrying out refurbishments, and possibly bringing forward properties for marketing prior to 2018. In addition to this from 1 October 2015 Landlords will be required to ensure  that Carbon Monoxide detectors are fitted in any room with a solid fuel appliance and Smoke detectors are fitted on every floor.

These changes will affect both the sales and lettings market, therefore it is vital to assess the situation now and plan for the future. Please contact Becky Woodrow at the Chester office for any further advice.

We’re about to celebrate our first year of having our very own planning specialist to serve the Chester, Knutsford and Stafford offices. Fisher German provides property and land management advice to a wide base of clients, and many of them  need to secure a favourable planning outcome for their land or buildings. Mark  has had a busy twelve months, and is already developing a successful track-record in securing planning consents. Now that’s a reason to be cheerful!    

The provision of sound advice requires a thorough understanding of the seemingly constant changes to planning policies and processes. Mark, with his wealth of experience, is well placed to advice colleagues and clients alike on the National Planning Policy Framework (2012) and the National Planning Practice Guidance (2013), as well as the amendments to the General Permitted Development Order (2014). These have substantially altered the planning context, not least across the rural areas where Fisher German predominantly specialises. Mark’s knowledge of the ever-changing Local Plan position across all the region’s local authorities has also been much appreciated.    

As agriculture and the countryside continue to evolve, you too may have aspirations to secure planning permission, through the conversion of redundant agricultural buildings or under-used land around villages or on the urban fringe. If you have land or built assets that you think could be put to more useful or valuable use, Mark would be delighted to have a discussion with you. For an initial free consultation please contact Mark on 07468 860082  or email or email mark.herbert@fishergerman.co.uk

Last month the Oil and Gas Authority announced 27 more locations in England where licences to frack for shale oil and gas will be offered with twelve firms, including Cuadrilla and Ineos, having been given the exclusive right to explore for oil and gas.  Ministers announced they would award these companies rights to explore for oil and gas in 27 new blocks of land, spanning 1,000 square miles of northern England and the East Midlands, as they seek to kick-start a UK shale gas industry.  Some oil and gas exploration licences already exist in Scotland and Wales but both devolved administrations have now imposed moratoriums on fracking

However as recently as July Lancashire County Council refused a planning application by Cuadrilla which may be seen as a victory for the anti-fracking movement in the short term or is it merely a hiccup on the long road to a greener energy policy?

The battle lines have been clearly drawn for some time between the two sides of the argument and there was little that was new to come out in the planning process.  It may only prove to be a short delay for Cuadrilla as the application did have a recommendation for approval from the county’s planning officers which may make it hard for them to defend an appeal should one be lodged.  The new Conservative Government have made it clear that they are behind the shale gas industry as a key step to a greener climate and a means of energy security for the UK.

Of greater impact however might be the effect that this refusal will have on other companies who are thinking of submitting planning applications.  These may now be delayed until the outcome is clear and the prospect of this becoming a precedent for the whole industry.  The grounds for refusal quoted of landscape impact and noise do not appear to be insurmountable so it’s potential as a precedent looks slim.  This decision though must however present a threat to the industry that the level of regulation in the UK, combined with the global energy price, will make extraction in the UK unattractive and importation a commercial reality. 

Julian Mellis of Fisher German comments “given the new Government’s strong support for shale gas extraction I don’t think this is the last we will hear of fracking, but it will bolster those opposed to it for a while and make life harder for the industry.  However in the end the need for UK energy security and a coherent energy policy will mean we will see it across the UK.

For further information contact julian.mellis@fishergerman.co.uk

In May 2014 Cheshire East Council released plans of the preferred route for the Congleton Link Road, a new 3.5 mile bypass designed to relieve congestion in and around the town of Congleton.

Fisher German represent a number of landowners who are directly affected by the new Link Road, many of whom are losing land to the scheme, as well as a number of parties who have residential property in the nearby vicinity. In due course we will be negotiating the sale of land to the acquiring authority and dealing with compensation claims.

The footprint of the road up until this point has been on a provisional basis. in the absence of a planning application. It is expected that a planning application will be submitted by the acquiring authority, Cheshire East Council, this autumn generating a forward momentum for the scheme. Subject to approval, the planning application will seek to finalise the land required for the new road going forward and will indicate what land is needed on both a temporary and permanent basis.

Unlike so many other road schemes, funding for the Congleton Link Road is partly sourced from financial contributions from a number of housing developments in the local area. The demand for adequate housing and the Link Road has meant a number of sites between the new road and the town have come forward for development.

Fisher German are assisting landowners with the promotion of these sites for development, offering planning and development advice in light of the new road.

The forthcoming weeks and months will be critical both for the progress of the road scheme and for the prospects of development land around north Congleton as the Cheshire East Local Plan is shortly to be reconsidered by the Planning Inspector.

If you are affected or would like more information,

please contact Hugh Maxfield 01565 757971 or email hugh.maxfield@fishergerman.co.uk

Having grown up on a family farm in Northamptonshire I have been involved in rural life; fishing, shooting and of course working on the farm from a young age. Which is why now, I have a strong passion for spending time and working in the countryside.

I completed my A levels and a range of work experiences, I decided Harper Adams was the place to go. I chose to study Rural Enterprise and Land Management (REALM), a course designed to explore all aspects of rural surveying. Harper Adams also recently celebrated its 25^th year anniversary of REALM which has been producing rural surveyors since 1989.  This is a career which requires a wide ranging knowledge dealing with a variety of issues from valuations, to planning permission, to estate management and much more! Fisher German has a number of dedicated teams which specialise in their field to ensure the best advice is given on each and every issue.

Currently, I am doing my placement year with Fisher German in Knutsford. This is a great year to experience what the job really entails and gain an understanding of how a thriving business such as Fisher German operates. Here we take part in Fisher German’s graduate training which provides us with the knowledge we need to progress towards becoming chartered surveyors. Fisher German is a partnership which takes pride investing in their employees to ensure they are the best in the field in which they work. This combines to provide a business which across 15 offices has motivated teams leading the market in rural estate agency, property consultancy and rural surveying.  

Following the General Election, the Government reaffirmed its commitment to investment in infrastructure, with a planned &28 billion spend on roads by 2020-21, together with further spending on electrification of part of the existing rail network and of course HS2.

This surge in infrastructure construction may result in more being affected by such schemes, be this a new road or the proposed HS2 Phase 2 scheme.

We are acting for Clients across our region affected by the proposed HS2 Scheme, as well as road schemes both current and planned; including the A556 Knutsford to Bowdon Improvement Scheme and Congleton Link Road to name but a few.

In general circumstance, where land is taken then you can claim for the market value of the land acquired, together with the costs of being disturbed from your property.  We act for landowners, farmers, residential and commercial owners, owner/occupiers and tenants alike.  It might even be the case that you don’t have any land taken, but during the works your business is adversely affected.

Liz Farrall who is based at our Stafford office, specialises in compensation matters and operates nationally across Fisher German.  She is able to exploit the knowledge and experience from others within the business across all fifteen offices.

If you are affected by an infrastructure scheme then please contact Liz to discuss your options and the way forward.

Liz Farrall:  telephone:  01785 275392/07918 677575, email:  liz.farrall@fishergerman.co.uk