We act for some of the largest estates in southern England and Wales on all of the following matters:

Administration

We appreciate the need to provide a comprehensive system of record-keeping involving the storage, retrieval and provision of estate records; general liaison with estate surveyors, accountants and other professionals in a pro-active manner.

Employment

Advice on employment rights, service occupancies and the occupation of farm cottages and matters in respect of employment legislation generally which should be considered when dealing with the future or current employment of staff.

Farm cottages

Security of tenure issues, including the drafting of tenancy agreements.

Easements

The grant of easements for access and/or services across retained land.

Water

Riparian rights; environmental compliance and pollution; water rights and abstraction licences; spring waters; coastal waters and the rights of the Crown in relation to shorelines.

Rights of way

Dealing with both public and private rights of way including advising on highways legislation; classified and unclassified roads; bridlepaths; footpaths and access to the countryside generally.

Common land

Both buying and selling; advising on the legislation (particularly the Commons Registration Act 1965); the various rights of common (such as for example the rights of sheepwalk, herbage etc); rights of both owners of common land and the commoners. Advice on the creation of village greens.

Boundaries and hedgerows

Advice in connection with boundary agreements; the location of specific boundaries; the statutory protection of hedgerows and explanations of the legislation generally.

Access to the countryside/trespassers

Advice to landowners in connection with this rapidly changing area of the law, including dealing with trespassers through the courts, advice in respect of insurance; public access and voluntary arrangements by landowners.

Telecommunication masts

Acting for landowners in negotiations with telecommunication companies to site masts on their land, including the drafting of such agreements and advice in respect of the Telecommunications Code.

Sites of Special Scientific Interest

Advice in respect of compliance and the governing legislation, generally together with identification and notification to English Heritage.