Press Release Archive News, Rural Land Management Page, Uncategorized

Bell Ingram offers one stop shop for farmers looking to diversify

Bell Ingram offers one stop shop for farmers looking to diversify

Scottish Agritourism is becoming a global brand, and the industry body has set itself a goal to have 1000 Scottish farming and crofting enterprises offering an agritourism experience, with at least 50% providing a food and drink element by 2030.

Farmers and landowners looking for alternative revenue streams have embraced the opportunity to not only maximise their assets, but future proof their businesses for the next generation.

With so much to consider, from funding, to planning and design, it is easy to see how the task at hand can seem overwhelming for those looking to diversify. Bell Ingram’s inhouse team of Valuers, AMC Agents, Planners and Architects can make this a smooth process by offering a one stop shop for professional advice.  

Often the first barrier farmers face when looking to diversify their enterprise is understanding planning requirements. With the development or change of use process in Scotland becoming increasingly complex, navigating the guidance successfully can be a headache and time consuming. Bell Ingram’s experts in planning and development are on hand to provide practical advice on the requirements for a specific project application, saving businesses time and money in the long run.

Our team can prepare and submit planning applications with supporting statements, negotiate and liaise with the local authority and prepare EIA screening requests on a client’s behalf. Recent projects include mountain bike tracks, a wedding venue, glamping pods, visitor centre & café and farm shops.

Once planning and any other consents are in place, the final piece of the puzzle is funding. With LEADER Grant Funding now come to an end, Government investment in agritourism in Scotland is scarce. That said, there remain other routes to finance, and Bell Ingram’s valuations and AMC team has been successful in securing funding for a range of interesting farm diversification projects recently, including holiday cottages, EV charging hubs and Christmas tree farms.

Working closely with lenders, our agents offer expert advice on how to make funding applications as strong as possible. Sarah Tyson, experienced valuer and AMC Agent at Bell Ingram said: “Key considerations are the strength of the business case, ensuring realistic projections and assumptions on profit turnover; the health of the current farming business through availability of historic accounts and the experience of the owners or managers involved.

“As the stages to receiving funding progress, our agents often work with clients and their lawyers to help solve any potential problems, including access or title issues, thus helping to unlock the cash required to get the real work started.”

If you are looking for support at any stage of your farm diversification venture, contact your local Bell Ingram office.

[staff_member id=’3390′]

Article posted on 12/09/2022

The Bell Ingram Blog Spot News, Uncategorized

Keeping History Alive: Scottish Lime Centre Trust is Preserving Our Traditional Buildings

Keeping History Alive: Scottish Lime Centre is Preserving Our Traditional Buildings 

As head of Bell Ingram Design, architect Iain Cram wears a number of different hats, but none so interesting as his role as a Trustee of the Scottish Lime Centre Trust.

The Scottish Lime Centre Trust (SLCT) was established in 1994 in response to the growing concern over a skills’ shortage in the field of traditional building technology.

And over the last three decades, this not-for-profit organisation has promoted the appropriate repair of traditional buildings, and the conservation and development of associated building traditions, crafts and skills through training and education.

The importance of preserving traditional building skills came into sharp focus recently for Bell Ingram Design who are key members of the team tasked with the restoration of A-Listed Braemar Castle in Aberdeenshire.

Iain explains: “Braemar Castle is a perfect example of how vision and craftmanship can give a rundown landmark a new lease of life as a visitor attraction and community resource.

“By using the traditional lime mortar process in the conservation process we are recognising the importance of Scotland’s older built environment, not just because of its heritage and cultural value, but because of the need for environmental and economic sustainability.”

Through their work on other buildings of high significance – including the Marshall Monument in Perth and the Brechin Townscape Initiative – Iain and his BID team have built up a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities that face these places as our needs and expectations evolve through time.

Iain continues: “I believe that architects accredited in conservation have an essential part to play in safeguarding our built heritage and organisations like SLCT are an essential support to integrating heritage skills in to ‘mainstream’ construction training.”

Based in Charlestown in Fife, the catalyst for the creation of the Scottish Lime Centre was rising concern over the effects of using ordinary Portland cement on historic masonry buildings.

Rosamond Artis MRICS IHBC RICS, Director of the Scottish Lime Centre Trust, explains: “Over the past 150 years or so, since the introduction of cement, the lime industry in the UK has dwindled and the cement industry boomed with cement technology developing to produce harder and stronger material. Don’t get us wrong, we think modern cement is a great product, it should just never go anywhere near a historic masonry structure!

“The increased use of cement in the construction industry resulted in the loss of knowledge and skills required to correctly and appropriately specify and use lime mortars. Through the later part of last century we increasingly saw the damage that was being caused by overly hard cement mortars, but the products, knowledge and skills were not available to transition back to the use of lime mortars, and this is where we come in.

“In 1994 our organisation was established to bridge this gap and to bring back the understanding and skill required to successfully use lime mortars. Our remit has developed over the years and still specialists in lime mortar use and technology, we have a broader scope of providing advice, guidance and training relating to all aspects of traditional building technology.”

The Scottish Lime Centre Trust runs practical courses aimed at all levels covering a wide range of traditional materials and techniques, designed to enhance craft skills and awareness. These are aimed at tradespeople and craftspeople; building supervisors and site agents; architects, engineers and surveyors; conservation officers; homeowners; students; voluntary conservation groups; estate managers; and those who just want to learn new skills.

The organisation also promotes Continuing Professional Development (CPD) through lectures, seminars, demonstrations and practical courses for architects, surveyors, conservation officers and students.

Its building advisory service offers professional and technical consultancy and advice provided directly to building owners or their appointed architect/surveyor.

The organisation even offers a Materials Analysis Service and a Sands & Aggregates Database which holds records of currently available sands and aggregates enabling the appropriate specification for use in lime mortars and ability to match both the appearance and physical properties of a historic mortar.

More information online at www.scotlime.org

[staff_member id=’3247′]

Article posted on 12/09/2022

The Bell Ingram Blog Spot News, Uncategorized

Highlands and Islands property market defies the headlines

Highlands and Islands property market defies the headlines

The property market in the Scottish Highlands and Islands has been booming for some years and despite signs of a slowing market elsewhere, prices remain strong in the North and West of the country.

With mortgage rates rising and rumours of house prices stagnating, you could be fooled into believing the Scottish property market is about to crash. But our experts in Oban and Beauly are seeing no let up, with predictions that growth is to slow yet to be seen in practice.

In fact, Andrew Fuller, Bell Ingram’s Estate Agent in Oban, recently secured a sale for a home achieving 100% over the asking price, which put paid to the fact that buyers are no longer willing to offer such large sums over the home report value as we have seen post pandemic. Most recently Andrew and his team also secured two notable sales of over £1million for homes in some challenging conditions.

This is just one example, but it would appear to be backed up by the latest figures from Registers of Scotland that show the price of a detached home is up by 13% to £349,000 on average with the biggest increases seen in the council areas of Argyll, Highland and the Islands.

Similarly, Joanne Stennett, our Estate Agent based in Beauly in the Scottish Highlands, is still experiencing huge demand in the region with houses regularly going to closing dates and achieving in excess of 10% over the asking price.

Interest in both the Highlands and Islands remains strong with a constant stream of enquiries from buyers south of the border, and increasingly from the Central Belt. This demand for houses in the regions has remained strong since the pandemic and off market deals are becoming common place as buyers vie for properties before they reach the open market, such is the competition for stock.

Despite a recent uptick in house prices in the regions, they continue to be favourable to those further south and Joanne believes this will only continue as mortgage rates squeeze buyers out of already expensive property markets.

There is one thing Andrew and Joanne do not have on their side while working in some of Scotland’s most regions is and that is the weather. As we look towards the end of this year and early 2023, it will be the only thing holding them back.
If you are interested in taking advantage of this strong market speak to your nearest Bell Ingram office about our free market appraisal service.

[staff_member id=’3266′]  [staff_member id=’3364′]

Article posted on 12/09/2022

Bell Ingram In The Community News

Supporting Young People With ADHD Into Rural Work

Supporting Young People with ADHD Into Rural Work

By Ian Robertson, Executive Director of Countryside Learning Scotland

Our award-winning ADHD RURAL CONNECT project is the first rural education programme for young people with ADHD. We provide them with “hands on” opportunities to learn new practical skills and qualifications, develop opportunities and employability skills while progressing understanding of their soft skills. It is the first of its kind, offering specialist educational support, to young people with ADHD, helping them into rural work across Scotland and is focused to ensure these young people can reach their full potential, by nurturing their skills for employability and life. 

Thirty-nine per cent of children with ADHD are (at times) excluded from education, so there is a considerable responsibility for us to utilise our 20+ years of experience and expertise when implementing ADHD Rural Connect. With our partners Perth and Kinross ADHD Support Group and NFU Mutual, we are recognising the potential of these young people and the role they could play in tackling the lack of young people embarking on rural careers.

These young people can face many challenges such as poor educational experience; weak interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence; friendship difficulties; not life prepared; lacking in confidence; and impulsivity – meaning poor decision making. ADHD Rural Connect is designed to support these specific challenges through the expertise of the Occupational Therapist and the specialist support to the young people, and the parents, provided by the Perth and Kinross ADHD Support Group. We are combining this nurturing programme with outdoor based practical skills; it is this combination of the two which is unique.

ADHD Rural Connect recently won the Scottish Land and Estates ‘Helping it Happen’ ‘Working with Communities Award’. This recognition gives us the confidence and impetus to keep striving, to take the project to further secondary schools, to support and develop more neurodiverse young people to help them reach their fullest potential whilst delivering a raft of motivated young people as future employees to the rural industries – this can only be seen as a Win-Win situation.

We are known as the charity that provides education opportunities to ‘all across all outdoor industries’ …well  now we are practicing what we preach.

Article posted on 17/08/2022

Press Release Archive News

The year in Land Management

The year in Rural Land Management

As 2022 draws to a close, it feels right to take time to reflect on the year that has gone and look forward to 2023. I can’t remember which philosopher said that: “you need to know where you have come from to know where you are going”, but I suspect he could not have foreseen such a rollercoaster of a year that we have just endured.

From the highs of the spring and the early months of 2022, the residential property market was as buoyant as we have seen it for many years. At the same time the world of forestry planting land, carbon credits and investment in land by fund managers bore no relation to traditional land values.

It only took a change in personnel in No.10 and No.11 Downing Street, and a mini budget, to send investors into retreat and the housing market to all but disappear. That is everywhere but the west coast of Scotland and the Islands where the market seems to be bucking the trend.

There is no escaping the issue that land management and investment in 2023 faces a number of challenges. That said, where there is uncertainty, there are opportunities for those who are willing to take a calculated risk and who are well advised in the rewards that investing in land, property and forestry can bring.

Interest rates may be rising and the cost of money for the lending institutions is increasing, but there is no shortage of individuals looking to purchase good quality farm land. This year saw a dearth of good quality farms coming to the market but with the increase in the cost of inputs, and the rise in interest rates, it is inevitable that more farms will come to the market in 2023.

The Scottish Government is standing by its targets for forestry planting, but we have seen a cooling in the market for planting land. Good land will sell well, but the poorer land with access and future extraction issues is definitely diminishing.

The Government has published its consultation on the future of agriculture and it is questionable whether they will achieve their aims in this parliament. Muirburn and the licensing of grouse moors are all under scrutiny for 2023, which in effect raises serious questions for the future of rural Scotland and the future of sporting and upland management.

2023 is going to prove a challenging year in terms of land and property management in the United Kingdom. The staff at Bell Ingram are on hand to advise how best to navigate the way through these difficult times. There will be opportunities in 2023 for investing and diversification in land and property. The old adage that “he who hesitates is lost!” might be the maxim for 2023.

For more information on our Rural Land Management services visit: bellingram.co.uk/land-management/rural-land-management/

[staff_member id=’3372′]

Article posted on 17/08/2022

The Bell Ingram Blog Spot News

Bell Ingram can help you achieve your agritourism dream

Bell Ingram Can Help You Achieve Your Agritourism Dream

The UK’s staycation market has never had it so good! Already gaining popularity before the pandemic, there’s no doubt that coronavirus has significantly accelerated the demand for holidaying at home.

Farmers and landowners looking for alternative revenue streams have embraced the opportunity to maximise their assets, and the high quality of many of these enterprises is giving foreign holiday destinations a run for their money.

Why bother with the hassle of flying abroad when you have luxury holiday lets and glamping experiences on your doorstep? Or the convenience of soaking up our beautiful scenery from the comfort of your motorhome.

The push to develop the sector is well underway in Scotland with the industry goal to have 1,000 Scottish farming and crofting enterprises offering an agritourism experience, with at least 50% providing a food and drink element by 2030.

If successful, this could be worth £250m to the economy, potentially supporting 10,000 full-time jobs by the end of the decade according to the first Scottish Agritourism Growth Tracker report which was compiled by VisitScotland on behalf of industry body Scottish Agritourism.

Agritourism is definitely becoming a growing travel trend and at Bell Ingram we are working with many clients who have already dipped their toes in this lucrative market.

However, if you are considering renovating farm buildings into holiday lets, creating a glamping facility or simply allowing motorhomes to access to your fields, there are a lot of things you must consider first … and Bell Ingram’s multi-disciplinary team of rural land and property experts can help you get started:

Valuations – Our RICS registered valuers can provide valuations for all types of rural property, including holiday letting and rural tourism. Our team of professionals provide valuations for a wide range of rural property types and we routinely work for private, corporate and public sector clients, as well as banks and other lenders.

Landlord/Tenant – Tenants must gain the permission of their landlord proceeding with any new business development opportunity. If there are projects you would like to pursue, our experts can advise tenants how to approach this in the best possible way.

Architectural Services – Whether it’s renovating an existing farm building to create a holiday let or preparing a 3D visualisation of a visitor centre, BID’s architects and technologists have s strong track record of working on agritourism projects of all sizes. BID also works with clients to identify sites for potential projects.

Planning – Working closely with Land Agents and Architects, our Planning Consultant can provide clients with expert advice to turn your ambitions into reality. Using a professional planning consultant takes the guesswork out of the process, ensures work proceeds smoothly which could save you money in the long run.

Microgeneration & Renewables – Bell Ingram have been providing independent and un-biased advice to private clients on all aspects of small-scale renewable energy schemes for almost 25 years. Our expertise ensures optimum payback on hydro, wind, heat pump, biomass heating, solar thermal and photovoltaic (PV), energy storage, community heating, and combined heat & power (CHP).

AMC – The first key component is how you plan to finance your agritourism enterprise. Bell Ingram’s highly experienced network of AMC agents can organise loans for clients looking to raise fund to get their project off the ground.

*Bell Ingram is a member of Scottish Agritourism Network and our staff will be attending the upcoming Scottish Agritourism Conference at Perth Concert Hall on Tuesday 6th and Wednesday 7th November. Look out for our distinctive blue gilets and stop us for a chat!

[staff_member id=’2670′]

Article posted on 12/09/2022

Design Case Studies, Planning

Giving clients the inside track on planning

Giving clients the inside track on planning

Bell Ingram’s Planning team has provided professional planning and design advice for hill tracks throughout Scotland over the past 10 years for a variety of clients.

Brief

Statutory consents are required for the formation, alteration or maintenance of all hill, farm and forestry tracks in Scotland. Planning permission and/or Prior Notification to the planning authority need to be secured before any work construction can start on site.

We have provided professional planning and design advice for tracks throughout Scotland over the past 10 years for a variety of clients including farmers, SSE, SPEN, Scottish Water, festival organisers and sporting tenants. All of these have been in different locations and for a variety of uses.

Process

We have the experience and a good understanding of the relevant legislation, policies and the guidelines published by planning authorities, Naturescot, SEPA and the Forestry and Land Scotland to inform the appropriate siting, design and construction of tracks.

We can also establish any natural environment designations, landscape or National Park designations and any implication these may have for the development proposed. We can then identify from the start if environmental consultants need to be appointed to mitigate any potential adverse impacts on peat, water environment or landscape and visual amenity.

Outcome

Bell Ingram Design always ensures that applications are supported by sufficient information to be validated and determined without unnecessary delay and additional costs to the client. Our experience is that by been involved from the start of the process, we can provide a professional input which in the client’s best interests.

With this approach we recently secured planning permission for a new hill track for an energy company to be retained for future use by the farmer, which was determined well within the statutory period of eight weeks and within the budget agreed at the outset.

Article posted on 01/09/2022

Design Case Studies, Residential

Finnish ‘Honka’ Home | Kishorn

Onnela is a ‘place of happiness’ in Kishorn

This stunning four-bedroom ‘Honka’ home uses natural building materials to create a warm and harmonious living environment with high indoor air quality that reduces stress and improve wellbeing. The property is also extremely energy efficiency.

Brief

Our client wanted to build a four bedroom house on the site of an old petrol station in the Highland hamlet of Kishorn. However, the house was to be supplied by Honka, a Finnish company specialising in log homes.

The construction team flew over from Finland to assemble the house which would be set onto a base provided by a Scottish contractor. Once the log walls were constructed, the local contractor would then return and complete the roofing, heating and electrical works and all of the external works.

Bell Ingram Design provided a full architectural service for this build including Planning preparation and approval process, Building Warrant preparation and approval process, coordination of the tender for the construction works and Contract Administration Services during the construction phase itself.

Process

This was a complex build which required precise co-ordination between our team, our chosen Scottish contractor and the Honka design team.

Ensuring that the property would comply with Scottish building regulations also required input from both Finnish and Scottish structural engineers. This construction technique may have been common throughout Scandinavia for centuries, but a considerable amount of supporting information was required to satisfy the local Building Control Department regarding the durability and long term performance of the solid log wall construction.

The redevelopment of a petrol station site also required extensive investigations to identify potential contamination with areas replaced with clean infill material.

Outcome

The owner named the house ‘Onnela’ which means ‘place of happiness’ in Finnish, and it is very much a showcase for the many benefits of solid log built homes which have been appreciated for centuries not just in Scandanavia but across the globe

From the smell of the pine wood, to the ability of the solid timbers to even out changes in interior humidity, to the general sense of well-being that living in a solid wood building brings for the inhabitants, the completed house demonstrates all of these qualities.

And while the project was certainly challenging, the outcome has been well worth the effort creating a stunning property constructed from Finnish Arctic pine set in the delightful village of Kishorn, near to the famous Bealach Na Ba pass and on the North Coast 500 route.

[staff_member id=’3264′]

Article posted on 01/09/2022