What's New

The Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 and associated legislation requires landlords to have issued a written statement of contract to contract-holders by 31st May 2023. This note summarises the key actions required, as well as providing links to additional resources.

The checklist below is aide memoire to assist members meet the statutory requirements for occupation contracts under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016. It has been updated to include the obligation for the landlord to provide an inventory to the contract-holder, which is a supplementary provision and, therefore, can be omitted or amended if the parties agree.

These Regulations extend the Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act 2022, seeing controls remaining in place until 30th September 2023. The CAAV Note 19th January 2023 provides further information.

This Act establishes the UK Infrastructure Bank (UKIB), which is wholly owned by the Treasury. The Act sets out the objectives of the bank, which are:to help tackle climate change, including by supporting efforts to meet the target for 2050 set out in section 1 of the Climate Change Act 2008, andto support regional and local economic growth. The UKIB can provide finance, loans and other support to projects which are wholly or mainly relating infrastructure....

The Law Commission of England and Wales has announced it will be reviewing the law surrounding commercial leases (the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954), with a consultation expected in December 2023.

The Geospatial Commission has announced the first phase release of a digital map, generally known as the 'National Underground Asset Register' (NUAR), showing underground cables and pipes. Ultimately providing information on buried services in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and intended to reduce accidental asset strikes, the map currently covers North East England, Wales and London. Use of the digital map is currently restricted to asset owners, such as utility companies, transport and...

Natural England has launched an £18 million Species Recovery Programme Capital Grant Scheme to help protect rare and threatened species. This note provides some more detail.

The Government has published an updated 'How to rent: the checklist for renting in England'. Landlords (or their agents) in England should serve a copy of this guidance on tenants of ASTs, preferably before the start of the agreement. Failure to do so invalidates no fault notices under s.21 to regain possession. The Government has also updated its 'How to Let' guidance for those considering letting their property....

Openreach have published an information pack for CAAV members, which includes details on:Identifying Openreach equipment;Making a network alteration request;Existing apparatus - wayleave search or making a claim for a wayleave;Reporting damage or safety issues with Openreach apparatus. Openreach welcome feedback on this document from CAAV members. Please email rebecca@caav.org.uk if you have any comments or questions.

Among the many papers issued by the Government as part of its revised Net Zero and energy security policies is a Carbon Budget Delivery Plan that begins to set out some of the detail in how the potentially demanding targets for net reductions in greenhouse gases by the agriculture and land use sectors. This note collects and reviews the relevant policies....

This note reviews the announcements relevant to agriculture and land use in today’s Powering Up Britain – The Net Zero Growth Plan.

The new Energy Security and Net Zero Department is today responding to a legal requirement to set out measures to achieve net zero, following an adverse judicial review last year. This note provides an initial overview of the announcements to come.

After his elections as leader of the SNP and First Minister of Scotland, Humza Yousaf has now appointed his cabinet. This note looks at the appointments relating to the rural sector.

Two separate decisions by The Planning Inspectorate, both refusing applications for CPOs for schemes thought desirable, provides some insight on the question: to what extent is an acquiring authority expected to engage and negotiate with affected parties? This note reviews the two cases, both of which refer to the Government 'Guidance on Compulsory purchase process and The Crichel Down Rules'....

An update on market prices for grain, fertiliser and steel.

On 23rd March, DEFRA published guidance on the preparation of Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS), as well as the response to a related consultation. The guidance can be found here: Local nature recovery strategy statutory guidance (publishing.service.gov.uk). The consultation response is here: Local Nature Recovery Strategies: how to prepare and what to include - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) This note provides an overview....

In the latter half of 2022, DEFRA opened a consultation into proposed changes to the Biodiversity Metric, and also sought views on related issues such as training and guidance. We published a note on the consultation on our website: CAAV Note 220802: Biodiversity Net Gain - Technical Consultation - The Central Association for Agricultural Valuers The consultation response has now been published: Technical consultation on the biodiversity metric - Defra - Citizen Space. This note provides an...

DEFRA has opened Round 3 of the Restoration Grant from the Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme (NCPGS). This note contains more information.

The United Nation’s Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) yesterday published its synthesis report summarising its present appraisal as analysed in much longer papers. This note reviews the headline messages of the report.

The history of the CAAV Centenary Scholarship is set out in this note. Any member interested in considering a Centenary Scholarship should contact Jeremy Moody to discuss the matter.

HMRC has published a consultation and call for evidence regarding the taxation of environmental land management and ecosystem service markets. Questions include income tax and corporation tax in relation to theproduction and sale of units generated by ecosystem servicemarkets, as well as considering the implications on agricultural property relief for inheritance tax....

In a speech in the Commons for Liam Fox’s Electricity Transmission (Compensation) Bill the Minister at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero outlined the Government’s position on accelerating the development of electricity transmission infrastructure while recognising issues for landowners and affected communities.

This note provides guidance on the role of the Public Trustee. A relevant Practice Note is also attached.

Aside from the consultation and call for evidence issued with the March 2023 Budget on the taxation of environmental credits and on the potential to extend APR to include land in defined environmental commitments, HMRC has updated its Inheritance Tax manual in two respects regarding the environmental use of land. This note looks at the changes....

The Welsh Government is consulting on changes to Planning Policy Wales to further integrate net benefit for biodiversity into the planning system. This note provides some background.

As we reported earlier, the Energy Security Bill (HL Bill 39), now known as the Energy Bill, was introduced into the House of Lords on 6 July 2022. The Bill has reached the Report Stage in the Lords in its current version. Following its third reading, it will pass to the Commons. This note reviews those aspects of the Bill, the energy policy statements and draft regulations which are of relevance to members and their clients working in the rural economy.

The Climate Change Committee has released an updated review of the progress of Northern Ireland to achieving net zero by 2050. This note contains more detail.

The Government has announced its NSIP Action Plan, seeing a need for reform with an increasing number of large infrastructure projects coming forward, especially for energy generation, transmission and distribution. This note provides further information.

The increasing capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI) have been well reported recently with their unquantified potential to affect social and business life, particularly since the launch of ChatGPT at the end of November 2022. This note takes a brief look at some of the features of the tool and the uses and considerations for rural valuers.

DEFRA has published guidance detailing the process for transferring from the ES Higher Level Stewardship Scheme (HLS) to a Countryside Stewardship (CS) agreement. This note provides more detail.

This Order amends the Units of Production figures in Wales with effect from 10th February 2023, as summarised in CAAV Note 10th March 2023.

This Order amends the Units of Production figures in England with effect from 23rd February 2023, as detailed in CAAV Note 10th March 2023.

This note sets out the Units of Production figures, taking effect from 23rd February 2023 in England, with a separate Order for Wales, taking effect from 10th February 2023.

Version 2 of the UK Peatland Code has been published. Among other changes, this updates brings fenland peat into the scope of the Code. This note provides more information.