News
Hugh Townsend has for 25 years been the country's "go-to" commentator on farm quotas and rural surveying issues affecting farmers. Having become the country's leading and most innovative quota agent he was broadcast to 3.8 million listeners on Radio 4's PM programme interviewed by Eddie Mayer on the 1st April 2015 – the Dawning of Europe without Milk Quotas, click here. More recently BBC1 interviewed Hugh Townsend on the future of farming following the Referendum, click here.
Hugh Townsend has over the years developed the most creative arrangements to promote an efficient market in farm quotas, in the early eighties developing leasing milk quota without land before the Milk Marketing Board introduced leasing for a part of the milk year.
He represented clients in leading legal cases defending transfers of milk quota and developed the new system of second TQ1 forms protecting the transfer of quotas with land.
In 1991, with Farmers Weekly he produced the first sale price index countrywide and started to publish farm quota sales and leasing graphs which are still published by Farmers Weekly and other publications and can be seen on our Milk Quota & Entitlements pages.
On BBC television he has defended dairy farmers who have been taken advantage of by unscrupulous inpiduals in the farm quota market and was again on television to comment on the "footballers buy milk quota" rumpus.
He regularly writes for Farmers Guardian and the South West's Western Morning News and our experienced team is sought after for their comments on farm quotas.
18.11.2024 – TCS Case Law Summary -The Kilnwood Vale development case – Recovered appeal: Kilnwood Vale, Sub Phase 3DEFG, Kilnwood Vale, Horsham (application reference number: DC/23/0856). 25th October 2024
There have now been a number of cases in which statutory requirements for Nutrient Neutrality under the Habitat Regulations have held up development. Examples include Wyatt, R v Fareham Borough Council (2022), C G Fry & Sons v Secretary of State for Levelling Up Housing and Communities (2024), and Ward & Anor v Secretary of…
Read More 18.11.202 – TCS Case Law Summary – C G Fry & Son Ltd v Secretary of State for Levelling Up Housing and Communities. Court of Appeal, Civil Division, NCN: [2024] EWCA Civ 730.
In 2015 C G Fry & Son Ltd were granted outline planning permission by Somerset Council for a mixed-use development consisting of 650 houses and occurring in 8 phases. The first two of these phases went ahead successfully. For phase 3 the council refused to discharge the pre-commencement planning conditions on the basis that the…
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23.10.2024 – Western Morning News – Follow the best advice to aid BNG projects
There has been little information on costs and frequency for LPA monitoring of BNG habitat sites which is an important part of a budget when considering a BNG project. The guiding principle is that an LPA should charge the landowner/manager no more than the actual costs for doing this. This cannot be a profit-making exercise. …
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18.10.2024 – Farmers Weekly – Nutrient mitigation market merits careful consideration
Farmers Weekly’s editor Suzie Horne covers the nutrient mitigation market and the need for carful consideration, with comments from ourselves, highlighted in yellow. Read more…
Read More 9.10.2024 – Western Morning News – Habitat creation can bank returns for environmental measures
BNG – UPDATE – SELF BUILD EXEMPTIONS AND SECONDARY HABITAT CREATION As we await the budget and what rates will be set for the tail end of BPS payments, the emergence of Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) as a tradeable intangible asset after a number of years is picking up pace as demand from developers increase….
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30.9.2024 – LinkedIn Post – BNG Made Simple for Landowners
The BNG process broken down into four key stages for landowners wishing to provide off site BNG units. Read more….
Read More 16.7.2024 – LinkedIn Post – Quotes from Green Chronicle on “Making the Business Case for Biodiversity”
“Making the Business Case for Biodiversity” by the Green Chronicle discusses where we are with BNG. Read more…
Read More 17.6.2024 – LinkedIn Post – Comments on Devaluation of Land Under BNG
Comments on the potential impact of BNG on land values. Read more…
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4.6.2024 – ITV West Country News – Biodiversity Net Gain
Great to have an ITV film crew on one of our BNG Habitat Bank Sites, filming a news report, broadcast on the 4th June 2024. Watch the broadcast…
Read More 8.5.2024 – Western Morning News – Delving into the deeper details of pond creation
We often see ecologists/landowners suggesting the creation of new ponds in respect to BNG projects. The costs however can be considerable in certain circumstances and the number of BNG units created surprisingly not as great as one would imagine. However if the appeal of creating water landscape features is the prime objective BNG can be…
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