The best of Kent and East Sussex
Five great summer days out for families in Kent
With summer in full swing, there are lots of great options for a day out ...
The Best Restaurants in Kent and East Sussex
This article was written a few years ago and some of the details may be ...
The best pubs in and around Ashford and Tenterden
When I was young going to the pub generally meant me and my siblings sitting ...
Our recommended golf courses in Kent and East Sussex
As a golfing destination, Kent and East Sussex has a huge amount going for it ...
The best beaches in Kent and East Sussex
We explore the best beaches in Kent and East Sussex -- for your children, dogs ...
Making the most of your property
Navigating the New Rules Around Holiday Lets
Holiday and short-term letting has been a popular option for property owners looking to generate ...
Launch Weekend at ‘Four Oaks’ Bossingham, Nr Canterbury
Two styles are available, but all overlook the countryside and are within walking distance of ...
Historic Property Auction Particulars — Mersham 1878
These have been hanging on the wall in our boardroom for as long as I ...
Livestock, land and property prices in 1972
Our Annual Report from 1972 includes prices and expert views from our former partners for ...
Stunning photos of Mersham in the winter
Thank you to Stuart Rodda for allowing us to use his stunning photos taken recently ...
Autumn Statement: A cautious sigh of relief for the housing market
The news from Downing Street has been pretty grim for the last few months. But, ...
Should I put my house on the market before Christmas?
We get asked this every year in the weeks leading up to Christmas. This year's ...
Gold award from our clients
Our estate agents team have been awarded Gold for the Best Agent in Ashford by ...
Should I buy a house in a Conservation Area?
There are some wonderful properties in the Conservation Areas in Kent and East Sussex but ...
How I nearly made a pig’s ear of selling my own house
Have you ever asked for advice and then ignored it? I guess we all have ...
Post Stamp Duty Holiday: What next for the property market?
When Rishi Sunak announced a temporary Stamp Duty holiday on July 8th 2020 to counter ...
Wye – Kent’s Super Village
So what is it about the village of Wye that creates it’s extraordinary reputation? Unlike ...
Millie Green – A Review of Ashford
The Kentish town of Ashford is known for many things: the International Station, the Designer ...
Stamp Duty Savings – are you buying a house with an Annexe?
Not everyone will be lucky enough to purchase their new home before the expiry of ...
Very small ski chalet for sale!
It’s very true - many houses look idyllic in the snow. And, there’s always a ...
How many Ashfords are there in the UK?
Our website contains a database of all the villages, towns and cities in the UK ...
The 50 Most Popular Villages
Our website is very busy -- every day up to 6,000 people visit our website ...
Tips to help you establish a great Wild Garden
If you've been watching TV nature and gardening programmes lately, you'll have seen a lot ...
Tips for buyers and sellers when dealing with properties from a bygone era
The first clue upon arrival is the general look of neglect. Tired net curtains hanging ...
Will Netflix and Amazon affect property prices in Ashford?
There has been talk of an Ashford metamorphosis for almost as long as I can ...
Post-Coronavirus property market predictions
Savills research team recently offered some interesting analysis of what a UK property market recovery ...
Bucking the national property ‘downturn’
It is true that we agree lots of sales, even when many properties appear to ...
Why 2019 is the right time to invest in Ashford
“If you have ever wished you’d invested somewhere that has regenerated, you will know that ...
Listed Buildings Advice
The market for period property is booming and the older the house or cottage, the ...
Will your second home also be your pension?
Recent research suggests that the level of income people aspire to retire on each year ...
Will solar panels increase the value of my home?
As the weather gets colder and darker, and the heating and lights stay on longer, ...
Why do kitchens sell houses?
"Home is where the hearth is" a hearth is a brick- or stone-lined fireplace, with or ...
Valuable advice from our Property Consultants
Outlook – Autumn 2024
Learn about Labour's planning reforms and what the 'new towns' proposal might mean for the ...
Outlook – Summer 2024
Top tips for selling land from Matthew Sawdon. Charlotte Bromley reviews changes to Permitted Development ...
Significant changes to Permitted Development Rights announced
From 21 May 2024 a number of changes will be made to the Town and ...
Flurry of farms kickstart the Spring market
Following a record year in 2023 for our Farms and Land Agency team, we are ...
Are your grazing arrangements due a spring clean?
As we head into Spring, attention for many landowners will turn to managing their pasture ...
The End of the Four-Year Rule
The rules around how long a development needs to have taken place to become lawful ...
Considering selling your farm or land? Read our top tips first
Now Spring has officially arrived, the rain has (hopefully!) slowed down, and demand for farms ...
Government Announcement on Agricultural Property Relief (APR)
Welcome news on APR with the inclusion of farmland in environmental schemes ...
Delinked Payment Transfer Window Opens
The transfer window for delinked BPS payments is now open until the 10th May 2024 ...
More grant funding released for Farm Productivity and Animal Welfare
Following the Prime Minister's address to the National Farmers Union conference, Defra have announced the ...
Rishi Sunak makes announcement at NFU Conference
The Prime minister used his speech at the National Farmers Union (NFU) Conference to pledge ...
Outlook – Spring 2024
Valuable information about Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG), farm grants and support and the farmland sale ...
Outlook – Winter 2023
Important updates regarding Agricultural Property Relief, Red Book reports for IHT valuations, telecoms masts and ...
Ashford Borough Council opens ‘Call for Sites’ Consultation
Ashford Borough Council is seeking suitable sites for inclusion in their Local Plan Review. Landowners ...
Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) applications open in September
DEFRA has announced that SFI applications will open on the 18th of September 2023. Below ...
Outlook – Autumn 2023
Expansion of Permitted Development Rights, developments on the Sustainable Farming Incentive and news of grants ...
Unleashing Rural Opportunity – A Government charm offensive?
Defra has released its vision for unleashing rural opportunity covering planning, connectivity, employment and transport ...
The Delinking of Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) Payments
2023 marks the end of BPS payments in their current form, with Defra introducing “delinked ...
Water Management Grant for Arable or Horticultural Businesses is now Open!
Defra has announced that the first stage of its Water Management Grant is now open ...
Animal Health and Welfare Grant announced
Defra has announced that its standalone Animal Health and Welfare Grant is now open for ...
Farming Equipment and Technology Grant – Round 2 announced!
Defra has announced the second round of the popular Farming Equipment and Technology Grant, offering ...
BPS Entitlement trading window now open!
This year is the last year in which BPS entitlements can be traded with de-linkage ...
New standards added to the Sustainable Farming Incentive Scheme
DEFRA announces further developments for the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and Countryside Stewardship Schemes. The ...
Changes to Countryside Stewardship and ELM’s
After months of political uncertainty, new prime ministers and cabinet reshuffles, the Government wheels are ...
Steve Davies and Elizabeth Welch promoted to Associate Directors
These promotions reflect our fantastic commitment to providing our clients with the best planning advice ...
Calling all pig, beef and dairy farmers – slurry infrastructure grant open
Grants of up to £250,000 are now available to help farmers increase slurry storage capacity ...
BPS Lump Sum Exit Scheme
Open for applications until the 30th of September 2022. To be Eligible you must have: ...
Tax Advice
It can be as simple as ensuring you and your professional advisors truly understand the ...
Land market remains strong
Farmland values have now reached their highest level since 2016, with the average value of ...
£30m grant funding for farm diversification announced
Defra have recently announced the release of the third Farming Investment Fund Theme: Adding Value ...
Sustainable Farming Incenitive (SFI) to launch in June
DEFRA have confirmed that the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) will launch in June 2022. We ...
Woodland Creation Grants – Up to £8,500 per hectare
Woodlands are a unique asset with potential to provide a variety of benefits for their ...
Opportunities and challenges ahead
However, with these new opportunities, come challenges as the agriculture sector faces increasing demand to ...
Canterbury City Council – an unusual call for planning sites
Not your usual Call For Sites! Canterbury City Council have opened a further call for ...
Farmers could receive up to £100,000 to give up their land
Applications for the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) Lump Sum Exit Scheme will open in April, ...
Generous new grants launched to increase productivity on your farm
Farming Transformation Fund: Improving Farm Productivity – Now open Are you considering investing in your ...
Increased payments for Countryside Stewardship Schemes (CSS)
DEFRA has announced that payment rates for many Countryside Stewardship revenue options will increase by ...
Local Nature Recovery (LNR) and Landscape Recovery (LR)
These recent announcements focus on Local Nature Recovery (LNR) and Landscape Recovery (LR), together with ...
DEFRA release details of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) rollout 2022
The proposed rollout is the first element of the Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS). The ...
Development land market in the pandemic
Well as it happens, I am pleased to say that Jon Rimmer, Sam Snart and ...
Vicky Phillips passes the RICS Expert Witness Certificate
For those outside of the legal profession, there are few venues in everyday life more ...
Sustainable Farming Incentive
The first phase is due to be rolled out to all BPS claimants from mid-2022 ...
Timbeeeeeeeer!
DEFRA have brought in a reverse auction system whereby landowners seeking to create woodland in ...
Rewilding in Agricultural Tenancies
Most existing agricultural tenancies will not properly capture these opportunities so it is important for ...
New grant scheme targets AONBs and National Parks
The scheme is for one-off projects which: support nature recovery mitigate the impacts of climate ...
Biodiversity Net Gain – what we know so far
The Environment Bill of 2018 contained a proposal by the Government to make this a ...
Rights of Way
As England entered Lockdown 3.0, despite the weather, the ‘daily walk’ once again came to ...
Rent review – Is now the time?
Tenants are reluctant to seek a rent review for fear of upsetting a longstanding relationship ...
More powers to tenants
Years of lobbying by the Tenant Farmers Association (TFA) has finally resulted in successful amendments ...
The Importance of Place Making – Will A National Design Code Assist?
The main criticism of new development is that it does not create the quality of ...
Grants and Subsidies
Through the agricultural transition plan, the Government sets out its vision. It’s a useful starting ...
Is your business ready for the Agriculture Bill?
The time immortal words of Mark Twain continue to strike a chord as Britain’s second ...
The Agricultural Transition Plan – Is your business prepared?
Plans to deliver a fairer farming system were set out by the government on the ...
What a year!
We have continued to support and advise our clients, whether this is in the livestock ...
Stour Catchment Planning Update
In July 2020, Natural England issued water quality advice that had an immediate impact on ...
All change for the land market?
In a past and present of uncertainty and volatility; and with increasingly negative media speculation ...
Public money for public goods
Currently applications for Countryside Stewardship will remain open until 2023. After which it is mooted ...
Kent and East Sussex – Local Plan updates and deadlines
Local plans are important planning policy documents which are used to guide development to certain ...
Have your say now on the new Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS)
As part of this, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has opened ...
Land and property market has woken up
The Friday after the General Election, when we woke up to an 80-seat majority for ...
Delinking could drive diversification and land sales
Delinking looks set to be a major change of the Agriculture Bill as payments to ...
What’s the future for the Basic Payment Scheme?
The phasing out of the Basic Payments Scheme (BPS) will be one of the biggest ...
Agricultural Property Relief – Don’t let the taxman harvest more than his due
The first-tier tribunal decision in Charnely vs HMRC centred on to what extent a 79-year-old ...
Agriculture Bill – What could it mean for landowners and farmers?
Our attention must be on the Agriculture Bill, which the Government hopes to have in ...
Wanting to plough your grassland?
The Environmental Impact Assessment (Agriculture) (EIA) Regulations came into force in 2006 with the aim ...
Rural Funding Opportunities
Defra has confirmed £35 million of funding will be made available to rural businesses under ...
Agricultural Occupancy Condition
Family decisions from days gone by can have a lasting impact on farms today, as ...
Inheritance Tax Review
While the government continues to muddle through Brexit, and the opposition is busy publishing “Land ...
How to protect your land from the creation of new rights of way
While everyone should be able to appreciate and enjoy the British countryside, public access causes ...
Planning regime changes to allow more flexible use of buildings
The Government initially implemented Permitted Development Rights (PDR) to make it relatively simple to convert ...
Assets for sale? Take time to qualify for relief
Under this relief, qualifying assets result in a reduced rate of Capital Gains Tax of ...
Otties Farm – New Dairy for yoghurt and cheese making
Three generations have worked the land at Ottinge since the turn of last century. The ...
The farming voice must be heard for a Green Brexit
The beginning of May sees the deadline for Kent landowners and farmers to give their ...
Planning permission granted for 14 homes in Whitfield
Proposals to build 14 high quality homes at Whitfield have been given the go-ahead by ...
How to make the best of a Compulsory Purchase Order
As a result there is likely to be an ongoing demand to use compulsory purchase ...
Permitted development in town centres
Potential planning changes could have implications for our town centres, which is timely given the ...
Tenancy planning for landowners
As politicians continue to wrestle with Brexit, there is obviously significant uncertainty. What we do know is ...
Netflix linked with move to Ashford?
The possible plans for a European filming hub presented recently to Ashford Borough Council could ...
Thinking local is the answer when planning to develop
Successful development is often about having the right land in the right place, but when it comes ...
Housing secured in the Green Belt
A Grade II-listed oast house and associated farm buildings will be transformed into six homes after Sevenoaks District ...
National Planning Policy Framework update
The redesign of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) has given councils greater powers to promote housing. However, ...
Vicky Phillips returns to Hobbs Parker’s Property Consultants team
Having reached the position of Partner in her previous role at a national firm, Vicky ...
Change of use and permitted development to support the high street
‘Planning Reform: Supporting the high street and increasing the delivery of new homes’, published by the Ministry ...
Hobbs Parker welcomes new Senior Planner to the team
Senior Planning Consultant Elizabeth Welch joins the team after almost a decade at Dover District Council. Prior ...
Inheritance tax relief for farm businesses
It is not uncommon for farm businesses to shy away from Inheritance Tax planning, as it is ...
Solar farms advice for landowners
The key advancement is the reduction of installation costs and increase in efficiency of the solar ...
Why 2019 is the right time to invest in Ashford
“If you have ever wished you’d invested somewhere that has regenerated, you will know that ...
Green plans could mean red light for development
Ashford-based Hobbs Parker Property Consultants LLP (HPPC) is concerned that if confirmed DEFRA’s consultation about ...
A development opportunity half done!
Congratulations, you did it. Your local authority
has granted you planning permission for development. It’s in ...
19 New Development Sites for Ashford
The draft local plan was put out to consultation last year. It has been reviewed ...
Outlook Summer 2017
In this edition: We look at how owners of brownfield sites looking to bring forward ...
Planning to succeed
As a result, development can be difficult, especially for housebuilders, as many local communities fail ...
Could the latest business rates revaluation hit your pocket?
Farm buildings and agricultural land will continue to be exempt from business rates as long ...
Is now the right time to diversify?
As well as developing your business plan and securing the necessary finance, many face the ...
Favourable exchange rate brings timely relief to farmers
Recent forecasts for net farm income for all farm types for the year to March ...
Is it time to loosen the Green Belt?
With demand for housing continuing at an unprecedented rate, despite the possible implications of Brexit, ...
Plan ahead for agricultural rent reviews in 2017
As many agri-businesses find themselves facing the continued pressure related
to farm incomes, now is the ...
Plans for new home in AONB given consent
Permission has been granted to replace vacant farm buildings with a three bedroom house on ...
Renewable Energy – is it beginning to run on empty?
Last year didn’t end brightly, and despite what’s happening in other countries, 2016 could see ...
Permitted Development Rights for rural buildings
The current legislation offers an excellent opportunity to farmers and landowners to quickly and cost-effectively ...
Agricultural Grant Scheme Launched for Hedgerows and Boundaries
The deadline for applications is 30 April. Benefits may be obtained for capital items such ...
How to gain planning permission — a view from both sides of the fence
Having joined Hobbs Parker Property Consultants six months ago, with nearly 30 years’ planning experience ...
What does Brexit mean for the whole planning system?
It’s been impossible to get away from the issue of the European Union referendum and ...
Outlook Autumn 2016
In this edition: What does Brexit mean for planning? Jon Rimmer takes a candid look ...
Outlook Summer 2016
In this edition: Rising to the challenge of demand for more housing. Housing demand shows ...
Outlook Spring 2016
In this edition: Renewable energy – is it beginning to run on empty? We consider ...
Is selling some land an option in 2016?
There appears to be very little confidence of an improvement in outlook for the agricultural ...
New team rising to challenge
New team rising to challenge To ensure Hobbs Parker Property Consultants respond to the need ...
Consultation for new Lower Thames Crossing
Highways England is currently consulting on the route of a new Lower Thames Crossing, linking ...
Car Auctions — special cars, tips and advice
My five favourite classic cars from our 2023 auctions
James Johnson, Head of Classic Car Auctions at Hobbs Parker, has picked out his five ...
Two 1960’s British Classic Cars – both in British Racing Green
News of two fabulous entries for our Classic Car Auction in July 2023 - a ...
My five favourite classic cars from our 2022 auctions
James Johnson, Head of Classic Car Auctions at Hobbs Parker, has picked out his five ...
My five favourite classic cars from our 2021 auctions
James Johnson, Head of Classic Car Auctions at Hobbs Parker, has picked out his five ...
Jaguar F-TYPE, E-TYPE, I-PACE or trusty Ford S-Max?
I was incredibly fortunate to be sponsored by Jaguar Cars whilst studying Mechanical Engineering at ...
Ten of the world’s best selling Prius hybrid cars for sale
Today we will be selling ten of the world's best selling hybrid cars. If you've ...
Wonderful Jaguar XJ8 For Sale
This is a wonderfully rare car from a lovely local family who purchased it new ...