The sale of Scarside offers a rare opportunity to purchase a smallholding with the opportunity to develop the property as the Purchaser would wish. The majority of the holding lies within the Lake District National Park. Currently the farmhouse has planning permission to be extended into the adjacent barn to provide an extensive, spacious modern pr...

Agricultural land prices in the North West area, particularly Cumbria, have demonstrated notable movement over recent years, reflecting the broader economic trends and regional differences. This article provides an overview of the current state of agricultural land prices in the region, highlighting recent developments and market trends. Current Ma...

With over 100 new actions due to be launched under the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) expanded offer for 2024, it is beneficial to review potential capital works under the Countryside Stewardship Capital Grants that will compliment and support your chosen SFI actions. The Countryside Stewardship Capital Grant is a standalone scheme, being rena...

Consultation 8th July - 9th September 2024 The changing of the guard at Whitehall has begun in earnest. The Planning & Housing department as of yesterday (8th July) are pushing planning authorities to move quickly to find land for housing. The first news out of the gate in terms of local development here in Cumbria is that the Westmorland ...

 A Woodland Management Plan (WMP) is the first key step in not only securing the necessary felling and thinning consents to manage woodland/forestry for the duration of the WMP (10 years), but also paves the way to accessing other funding through Countryside Stewardship (CS) Higher Tier application for woodland options, associated supplements,...

We're pleased to announce that James Martin of PFK Rural has recently been successful in passing his final APC exam and is now a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors!  We hope that you join us in congratulating James on this fantastic achievement and significant milestone in his career.

The announcement of the expanded and improved Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) brings further opportunities for farmers and landowners. The expanded Sustainable Farming Incentive Scheme is due to open for applications in July and will include options previously available in the Countryside Stewardship Mid-Tier, as well as actions announced at th...

We are extremely pleased to bring to the market a traditional Lakeland farm extending to approximately 128 acres, together with a three bedroom farmhouse, four bedroom farm cottage and a range of modern and traditional buildings and common rights. This property offers a rare opportunity to purchase a well equipped Lakeland farm located in the north...

After what seems to have been the longest, wettest Spring in recent years, hopefully the weather has turned a corner and things are starting to slowly dry up and we can look forward to some warmer, drier days as we head towards summer. Alongside the cold, wet Spring here at PFK Rural, for the first year since 2005, Spring has not been filled with a...

PFK Rural are delighted to announce that Myles Fletcher will be joining the team as a Graduate Surveyor as from the 22nd April 2024. Originally from South Yorkshire, Myles graduated in Rural Enterprise and Land Management from Harper Adams University in 2022. During his studies Myles became a student member of the CAAV and has worked in both the li...

Recent court findings have confirmed that landlords have severe problems in enforcing Section 21 Notices to end a residential tenancy. These are called no fault Notices and enable a landlord to recover their property without providing a reason for doing so. It is considered by Housing Association data that nearly a quarter of private rented homes d...

PFK Rural are starting 2024 with more good news, a new member of staff and Director of the company is soon to join. James Pyrah starts his new role on 1st April, having spent just over a year working for the Duchy of Lancaster, and now with 9 years experience in the industry, PFK Rural are delighted to have secured his signature. James originally t...

New agroforestry actions have been announced for Countryside Stewardship (CS) and the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI). These supplement the existing agroforestry offers already available through both the English Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) and current CS options. They provide farmers and landowners with greater flexibility when incorporating...

Our annual grass let auction will be held at 1pm on Thursday 4th April 2024 at Penrith Auction Mart. The catalogue can be viewed below: Download PDF File Here

The Basic Payment Scheme and Entitlements are now a thing of the past and, as of the 1st January 2024, the new payment regime came into force and going forward, all subsidy monies will be paid under the Delinked Payment Scheme. As has been written about before, all BPS claimants will have been awarded a Delinked payment and this has been calculated...

In a recent address at the Norfolk Farming Conference, Mark Spencer, the farming minister, provided insight into the future direction of agricultural subsidy allocation. While echoing the emphasis of the importance of balancing food production with environmental protection, which was the message from the Oxford Farming Conference at the beginning o...

 The 25th March marks Lady Day – Feast of the Annunciation and more relevantly the first quarter day of the year. Traditionally, on quarter days tenants paid their rents to landlords and this is perhaps a timely reminder that with most agricultural tenancy agreements, notices of end of tenancy or indeed rent reviews are time critical. If you a...

 After Secretary of State Steve Barclay's, recent announcement at the Oxford Farming Conference, referred to by DEFRA as 'the biggest upgrades' to the UK farming scheme since leaving the European Union, we revisit some of the key headlines and highlight what farmers and landowners should be aware of in the upcoming 2024 scheme year. Key Headli...

The Energy Act 2023 received Royal Assent at the end of October with the aim being to lay the foundations for an energy system fit for the future. This is the most significant piece of energy legislation since 2013 and will doubtless be followed a raft of secondary legislation to set the detail behind it. This enormous undertaking by Government wil...

We reported recently on the new Energy Act 2023, and a matter of days later, the Levelling UP and Regeneration Bill received Royal Assent on the 2nd November and is now an Act. It has been 17 months in the making and is now law. Having said that, as always with new legislation, it will require a raft of consultations followed by secondary legislati...