Landowners
Climate change and the growing demand for renewable electricity and low-carbon fuels has led to many opportunities for landowners to utilise their estates in new, exciting, and sustainable ways.
Interestingly, the restructuring of the rules on land subsidies offers farmers the chance to diversify away from food-crop production. There is now the opportunity to create sites for the production of renewable energy, such as wind farms and biomass generating plants. The rules also now allow for growing of non-food crops for biomass, for production of biofuels or electricity. Rural landowners may also find that woodlands, often an expensive asset to look after, now provide a source of energy production and therefore income – which is good.
However, the world of energy production and biofuels is complicated and great care needs to be taken to ensure the economical viability and environmental integrity of any potential project. More so then ever, clients need advisers who understand these new markets, and can help access funding and specialist technical advice.
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For landowners with surplus land, perhaps in an urban environment, it is becoming easier to consider a project to develop a generation facility with sustainable features, typically combined heat and power. Not only is this an effective way of controlling increasingly volatile energy costs, but legislative changes should make it easier to sell on surplus power into the grid.
We have a large private client base and a significant number of these are substantial landowners or farmers. Historically we have provided a range of advice in relation to their agricultural and rural businesses, but increasingly we are advising many on issues around the green agenda, including:
- funding options, including availability of grants
- planning and consents
- tax planning
- joint venture arrangements, including co-operatives
- negotiating documentation with developers and contractors
supply and offtake documents
- environmental issues, including land contamination and water resources
- land contamination.
Ian Flavell, Partner
Private Capital & Charities
T: 44(0)870 763 1485
E: ian.flavell@martineau-uk.com
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