Following the success of RICS's (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) annual Rural Conference, specialist rural property agent and chartered surveyor David Coulson provides his expert comment on the key findings to come out of the day-long event.
David, who is a senior partner at Broadley & Coulson Chartered Surveyors based in Crook and regional policy spokesman on rural affairs for the RICS, chaired the conference which took place in Hexham. He said: "The RICS Rural Conference provides those in the rural industry with an opportunity to debate the current issues facing the marketplace and each year a distinctive theme shines through.
"This year was no exception and it became apparent that the theme was that the rural business community simply must work together in order to progress, not just farmers but land agents, chartered surveyors, lawyers, solicitors â€" we need to help each other.
"The key topics of discussion looked at the effects of global warming, wind farms and anaerobic digestion. What came across was that farmers are either misinformed or not educated enough on these issues. What I recommend is that there is a wider pool of information out there available to farmers, such as workshops and seminars.
"Anaerobic digestion in particular has many misconceptions surrounding it, for example that the initial investment is extremely costly. In fact, banks are more likely to lend to farmers with diversification plans because they are more likely to see a return. Larger scale projects are harder to compete for, but banks are looking for small businesses to invest in and this can easily be achieved.
"The topic of wind farms remains controversial and it was evident from the conference that a love / hate relationship still exists. However, wind farms are becoming a more familiar sight in the North East and there are fewer objections to their presence. Although wind farms are obviously of immense benefit to the region, I recommend that planners are sensible and do not over populate the countryside.
"On the subject of global warming, there is no doubt that there are changes to our environment. What we need to do now is work on changing attitudes towards recycling and reducing our carbon footprint.
"By working together on these issues we will ensure that all of the information is brought to the table and can be distributed in a sensible and effective manner, utilising the expertise from all fields."
For more information on Broadley and Coulson visit www.broadleyandcoulson.co.uk.
ENDS
Media contact:
Michelle Oliver
Golley Slater North East
0191 2339063
michelle.oliver@golleyslater.co.uk
