It is being reported that the Government has lost its case on Feed-in Tariffs in the Supreme Court. This means that all solar pv installations completed by 3rd March 2012 will be paid at the old FiT rate of 43p/kWh. More details to follow in the Members' Documents section of the website.
The Welsh Government has published its strategy for the eradication of bovine TB. Further details are available on the Welsh Government website.
The 9th CAAV Young Valuers' Conference will be held at Royal Holloway, University of London on Friday 13th April 2012. Please go to the events page of the website for brochure and booking form. The close date for bookings is 23rd March 2012.
The Badger Trust has confirmed that it will be lodging a claim with the High Court seeking a Judicial Review, on the basis of three grounds, of DEFRA's decision of 14th December 2011 to carry out a pilot badger cull in relation to bovine TB. Please see the Badger Trust website for further information.
The Government has lodged a request for permission to appeal to the Supreme Court over changes to Feed-in Tariffs for solar pv schemes.
51m, an alliance of local authorities, and the HS2 Action Alliance have both have formally notified the Secretary of State for Transport that they may challenge the decision to proceed with HS2 through judicial review.
Following two successful Disputes Days earlier in the year, we are holding the final day on 21st March at Hazlewood Castle A1/A64 south of York. The day is assisted by members of Rural Arbrix with talks by senior valuers and an experienced barrister. Please visit the events page of the website for flier and booking form.
Following DEFRA's announcement regarding two pilot badger cull areas, the Badger Trust has written to DEFRA to give notice of the grounds of challenge they intend to pursue if DEFRA does not alter its decision. Please see the Badger Trust News Release for further information.
The Government has announced improvements to be made to the Feed-in Tariffs scheme. Please see the DECC Press Release for further information.
Ed Davey has been made Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change after Chris Huhne stood down to defend himself against criminal charges.
The CAAV will be holding two one day briefings (Friday 24th February - Belton Woods, Lincs and Thursday 8th March - The Gables Hotel, Falfield, S. Glos) where Jeremy Moody, Alice De Soer and Kate Russell will give an update on current professional matters of relevance including CAP reform post-2013 proposals, renewables, Inheritance Tax, agricultural and business tenancy agreements and disagreements. Early booking is advisable and booking forms are available in the Events section of this...
The Government has lost its appeal against the High Court ruling on the reduction of Feed-in Tariffs (FITs) for solar pv installations, but it is seeking leave to take the case to the Supreme Court. DECC has already put in place a revised reference date of 3rd March 2012. Further information is available on the DECC website.
The AHVLA has confirmed the presence of Schmallenberg Virus on four sheep farms in Norfolk, Suffolk and East Sussex. Further information is available on the AHVLA website.
DEFRA has confirmed the two pilot badger cull areas - one in West Gloucestershire and the other in West Somerset. Natural England will now assess their licence applications against the criteria set. If successful, badger culling will take place in the pilot areas over a six week period which is likely to start this autumn. Further information is available on the DEFRA website.
The Secretary of State for Transport has announced that the proposed HS2 high speed rail link between London and Birmingham will go ahead. The official statement can be downloaded from the Department of Transport website and further detail will be added to the Members' Documents section shortly.
DEFRA is seeking to appoint new members to five National Park Authorities (NPAs) and the Broads Authority as follows:- - 2 members in the New Forest, North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales NPAs - 1 member in the Peak District and South Downs NPAs and the Broads Authority The appointments are to be for an initial period of up to 4 years and will commence from May 2012. The deadline for receipt of applications is 13th February 2012. Further information and application forms may be found on the...
The Government has lodged grounds of appeal against the High Court's ruling that its decision to amend FiT rates before a consultation had closed may have been illegal. A formal statement is available on the DECC website.
The High Court has held that the Government's actions in setting a cut-off date for new Feed-in Tariff rates before a consultation on the proposals had closed were potentially illegal, thus clearing the way for a potential judicial review of the process. The Government has indicated that it will appeal against the decision. The new, reduced FiT rates were due to come into effect from 12th December 2011.