I’m delighted to return to Hobbs Parker Property Consultants in 2019 as a Chartered Rural Surveyor and Director. I originally started out in the Property Consultants team as a graduate, from the University of Reading in 2008, joining to undertake my training to become a Chartered Surveyor and Fellow of the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers. Along the way, I experienced most aspects of the Hobbs Parker Group including clerking in the livestock market, collective sales, farm sales and being involved in the car auction.
The training worked, and I now sit on an RICS panel of Assessors to grill the next set of hopeful chartered surveyors!
During my time away from Hobbs Parker I worked for a national firm in their Oxford office specialising in Valuation, Compulsory Purchase and Compensation work alongside general practice consultancy.
My experiences include:
Valuation
Rural assets valuations including farms, estates, arable land, pasture land, horticultural and development land, and rural property for private clients, high street and private wealth banks and charities. Reports undertaken for a range of purposes to include secured lending, inheritance and capital gains tax and estate planning.
Expert Witness
I hold the RICS Expert Witness Certificate. This course is run with input from barristers. It provides a benchmark to ensure that an Expert is conversant with the process and is able and experienced in delivering their opinion.
Compulsory Purchase
HS2 – Representing land and estate owners, tenants and businesses affected by the HS2 rail scheme from the early stages of surveys and ground investigation works, contractors compounds through to petitioning parliament, and representing clients as Petitioner Advocate at the House of Lords Select Committee.
East West Rail – East West Rail Western Section (Oxford to Bedford and Milton Keynes to London Marylebone via Aylesbury) scheme. To include the agreement of environmental mitigation works, working compounds, crop loss and disturbance claims, and submissions to Public Inquiry.
Utility Schemes- Creation, diversion and decommissioning of electricity, water and gas mains.
Landlord and Tenant
Agricultural Holdings Act (1986) Tenancies – Rent reviews, end of tenancy and request for creation of a written tenancy.
Agricultural Holdings Act (1995) Tenancies – Creation of Farm Business Tenancies, Rent Reviews, End of Tenancy Arrangements.
Agency
Purchase and sale of Farms and Land including openly marketed and off-market transactions.
Outside of work
I enjoy travelling the world and love nothing better than googling far-flung locations, booking a ‘flight’ and exploring. My favourite places so far are the Galapagos Islands off the Ecuador coast, and exploring the lost city of Petra in Jordan.
Closer to home, I enjoy trips home to our family farm near The Black Mountains in Herefordshire and wandering around the bookshops of Hay-on-Wye.