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Savills 2026
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Copyright © 2026 — Savills
Our operating environment is now defined by continuous change
As we move through another business year, ‘resilience’ is once again our watchword. Over the past decade, land management has been shaped by an extraordinary succession of shocks. Since 2014, what were once considered ‘black swan’ events have arrived with increasing frequency – geopolitical tensions, climate-driven weather extremes, economic volatility and rapid shifts in rural policy and regulation have appeared and reappeared, often with no advance warning. Each of these events has tested the resilience of landowners, farmers and rural enterprises. Taken together, they have created a new operating environment: one defined not by predictability, but by continuous change. For many in our sector, this pace and scale of disruption has demanded a fundamental shift in mindset. The question our industry is asking itself is no longer: “How do we return to stability?” but rather, “How do we build businesses capable of adapting to whatever comes next?” Because, right now, there is no way of knowing what’s on the horizon.
So, the need for resilience – financial, environmental, operational and strategic – is now a permanent fixture in every business’ strategy. It is no longer a defensive posture but a proactive necessity for long-term success. Thus, this edition of Aspects of Land showcases resilience in action. We hope it will provide practical food for thought in terms of adaptive management strategies and that the articles reflect a sector that is not only absorbing change but using it to shape stronger, more agile futures. Indeed, what emerges is a clear message: that resilience is not a temporary response to turbulence, but the defining characteristic of every modern rural business. By embracing new opportunities, engaging with policy evolution and planning for uncertainty rather than stability, landowners and farmers can build enterprises capable of thriving in this new normal. As always, we hope to provide you with practical insight and inspiration for navigating that journey.
JONATHAN HENSON
Head of UK Rural
07967 555550
jhenson@savills.com
2026
Read the full issue
Careers
Inheritance disputes
FOOD | WOODLAND | POLICY | CONSERVATION
Right tree right place
While the amount of tree planting may have eased over the 2024/25 planting season, there are still valuable opportunities available to help support UK-wide woodland creation targets and deliver localised environmental benefits
Aspects of land
spring / summer 2026
In the last 50 years, UK tree planting has waxed and waned: driven by tax benefits and a desire to re-forest, the surge of post-war planting continued until the late 1980s, then from the mid-1990s to around 2016, few saplings made it into the ground. Tree planting picked up again around 10 years ago, reaching almost 21,000 hectares in the 2023/24 planting year, but even that was still around half of what was being achieved in the early 1970s. In 2024/25, tree planting slowed down again: only 15,579 hectares were planted (a drop of -25% on the previous year) despite the ambitious government targets.
Grants for woodland creation are very favourable and saw an uplift of 27% (5,765 hectares)
Breaking it down by country
England
+27%
Grants fell by -44% (8,469 hectares), perhaps not surprising since the Scottish government introduced a 41% cut to the forestry grant budget in 2024/25
-44%
Scotland
Wales saw an increase of 33% although the area is substantially smaller and last year saw 843 hectares of new tree-planting
+33%
Wales
Northern Ireland saw an increase of 16% although the area is also substantially smaller and last year saw 502 hectares of new tree-planting
+16%
Northern Ireland
Looking ahead, each of the UK countries has its own targets to increase tree planting, although there is a central and unenforceable UK target to increase woodland area by an ambitious 30,000 hectares per year. “But as each year goes past, that target becomes increasingly unrealistic,” says James Adamson, Savills Forestry. So, how do we define woodland, and where do the obvious challenges and opportunities lie?
Defining principles
According to Forest Research (the Forestry Commission’s research agency), UK woodland is defined as land under stands of trees with a minimum area of 0.5 hectares (0.1 hectares in Northern Ireland), a minimum width of 20 metres and at least 20% tree canopy cover (or having the potential to achieve this). The definition relates to land use, rather than land cover, so integral open space and felled areas that are awaiting restocking are included as woodland. It does not generally include planting with the sole purpose of growing timber for energy. Recent efforts have also sought to map “trees outside woodland”, such as garden or hedgerow trees.
“There are plenty of people who want to plant trees, but not many people who want to pay for it themselves,” notes James. “So, if a grant fails to adequately compensate for the long-term change in land use, it becomes a more difficult choice for landowners.” In England, grant-funding opportunities are good: as well as the England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) and the Woodland Creation Planning Grant (WCPG), there is a 15-year maintenance grant available that pays £400 per hectare per year (£6,000 per hectare in total).
“Woodlands are being designed to stay within the additionality test, which favours slower-growing broadleaf species, but what you really need for good long-term carbon sequestration are more timber trees,” says James. The UK imports 80% of its timber and with increasing global pressures economically and politically, this is a significant risk. Meanwhile, Mark points out that the size of the schemes being created can also be an issue: “EWCO was responsible for 2,098 hectares of woodland creation in 2024/25, with a mean project size of only four hectares. It’s going to be very difficult to reach current woodland creation targets with such small sites.”
Carbon credits are much discussed as an alternative funding mechanism. To date, their popularity has not been universal and they have not made the expected impact. However, the UK government is looking into a Woodland Carbon Purchase Fund – announced in November 2025 – with a possible £250 million budget to provide an upfront purchase mechanism for Pending Issuance Units (PIU) – see panel to the left. Forestry consultants like James and his colleague Mark Townsend, Savills Woodland Management, believe that “additionality” presents a specific hurdle: to be eligible for carbon credits, landowners must demonstrate that woodland would not have been planted without the financial incentive provided by selling carbon units, and that the project is not a legal requirement.
Challenges and opportunities
Availability of land is another consideration. Forestry Commission mapping has identified around 2.9 million hectares of low sensitivity land suitable for woodland creation in England (excluding areas that are less appropriate for afforestation, such as prime agricultural land and designated landscapes). However, tree planting requires a permanent land-use change, which is something that landowners need to consider carefully from the outset. In some parts of the country with high land values, afforestation can actually devalue the land in monetary terms, although it may add tangible value in other respects. And, in Scotland, in particular, we are increasingly seeing determined objections to tree planting. “Early engagement with the Forestry Commission, stakeholders and the local community is really important,” says James.
Creating woodland from scratch can also “future-proof” our woodlands, by promoting long-term resilience when compared to natural tree regeneration. “With natural regeneration, there’s no genetic diversification and no species diversification – you simply end up with more of what you already have,” says Mark. “But the trees we have now will not necessarily be well adapted to the conditions and climate in 100 years’ time.” So, how can Savills support national tree planting aspirations? “We often help clients through the decision-making process,” explains Mark Gordon, Director of Savills Forestry, “by undertaking estate-wide strategic reviews and feasibility reports to assess the various options available and expected returns.”
Then, when a decision has been made, Savills helps clients to define what tree planting means in their particular context. This can be based on what they want to deliver – natural regeneration for carbon modelling, timber production or biodiversity enhancement, for example – and the different ways in which value can be defined. Scoping, investment appraisal, costing, due diligence, implementation and ongoing management are all part of Savills woodland design process and recent success stories include Pudding Wood in Surrey and Chevington North and Highthorn in Northumberland (see page 18 of the report).
But even with the associated challenges, there are still valuable opportunities to be explored within woodland creation. Generally, the benefits of tree planting include mitigation of flood risk, cleaner water and improved soil health, new income streams via leisure and recreation opportunities, carbon storage, future timber security and enhanced biodiversity, making it a multi-functional land-use change. Indeed, according to the Woodland Trust, despite increasing tree cover, woodland biodiversity continues to decline. The woodland bird index was 37% lower in 2022 than in 1970 – largely due to our woodlands being in poor ecological condition. So, creating woodland within a landholding, with the best possible tree species mix, will undoubtedly enhance local biodiversity.
Benefits and biodiversity
James Adamson
07807 999751
james.adamson@savills.com
For a more detailed look at tree-planting targets and current forestry trends, read our new Forestry Spotlight.
For more information, contact:
mark.townsend@savills.com
07976 738610
Mark Townsend
mgordon@savills.com
07815 988880
Mark Gordon
download the report
Pudding Wood
“About two years ago, Legal & General (L&G) came to us with their net environmental gain (NEG) programme, which focused on meeting their own internal net zero targets,” explains Jon Dearsley, Savills Natural Capital. “The organisation was keen to explore financially viable, nature-based solutions with wider social benefits. So we went through a few scenarios of how that could be achieved.” Thirty years ago, the land at Pudding Wood (which came from within L&G’s existing portfolio) may have been earmarked for future strategic development, given its proximity to the airport. Now, it has been transitioned to permanent land-use change in tree planting. A section of the land is being used for flood mitigation, which enables the creation of wetland habitat and a long-term opportunity for species reintroduction.
There is a BNG habitat bank, and the final part of the site is a small parcel of land that local residents can use as a community orchard and woodland. Tree planting is now well underway, focusing initially on the northern area of the site, and trees are being protected from deer and rodents with removable recycled plastic tubes. Existing woodland will also be improved, with long-term resilience in mind, with the removal of pheasant pens, tree-thinning and the creation of glades and clearings. In future, the woods will be coppiced with low impact machinery. Endangered native black poplar and rare wild service trees are included in the woodland mix, and the scheme hopes to support priority species such as nightingales and marsh tits, white admiral butterfly, great crested newt, water vole and hazel dormouse.
In Surrey, 155 hectares of low-grade agricultural land close to Gatwick airport is being transformed into new woodland and nature-first habitats designed to sequester carbon dioxide and increase biodiversity over the long term.
jdearsley@savills.com
07921 619771
Jon Dearsley
Each Pending Issuance Unit (PIU) represents one tonne of CO2e that will be sequestered by trees as they grow, from the day they’re planted until the end of the project, 30-100 years later. Under the Woodland Carbon Code, a woodland must be verified every 10 years from year 5 onwards. At each verification, the tonnes of sequestered CO2e are measured, and a commensurate quantity of PIUs are converted to Woodland Carbon Units (WCUs). By the end of a project, if it has grown as expected, all PIUs will have been converted to WCUs.
Understanding Woodland Carbon Units
simon.rochester@savills.com
07870 855528
Simon Rochester
The community was invited to participate over two days, giving local primary schools and local residents a chance to take part in the tree-planting process.” Both Chevington North and Highthorn were funded via the Woodland Creation Planning Grant (WCPG) scheme and EWCO, and both schemes have been registered with the Woodland Carbon Code (WCC). “The design stages and EWCO grant applications had to account for WCC additionality factors to ensure compliance with WCC regulations and conditions, and this was a key factor when designing both schemes,” says Simon. “Ultimately, over a 100-year scheme period, we anticipate Highthorn to generate 24,550 Woodland Carbon Units (WCUs) and 22,621 WCUs at Chevington North.”
“Initially, two sites were identified within Harworth Group’s residual landholding – Chevington North and Highthorn,” explains Savills Forestry consultant, Simon Rochester. “Chevington North was the more straightforward proposition, so that woodland was completed first, with 110,000 trees planted across 65 hectares by April 2024. “Highthorn was more complex because it was close to an existing site with high ecological value, so the scoping process involved a detailed bird survey and a consultation with local landowners and Natural England. Once we had full English Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) approval, 156,000 trees were planted across 72 hectares, including broadleaf, conifer and some mixed species.
The Highthorn scheme, a 230-acre (93.60 hectares) site in Morpeth, Northumberland, forms part of Harworth Group’s net zero carbon (NZC) pathway and ambition to achieve NZC status by 2030 through supporting the Group’s carbon sequestration initiatives.
Chevington North and Highthorn
case study
10-minute read
The UK’s food supply chain is currently balancing on a tightrope. Problems at any single stage can wreak havoc on farming’s tight margins and many changes happen at short notice. So how can the supply chain be improved?
Right now, the food supply chain – and, in turn, the UK’s food security – is highly vulnerable. Challenges include just-in-time production, labour shortages, rising energy costs, pricing pressures, IT sabotage, biodiversity loss and ever-changing welfare standards. Some of these challenges can be mitigated against but others – like climate change and overseas influence – are much harder to parry. “If things don’t quite work at the time they’re supposed to work, there’s little wriggle room,” admits Hamish Logan of Savills Food and Farming in Scotland. However, the fact that food is classed by the UK government as one of 13 Critical National Infrastructures (CNIs) – whereby its disruption could severely affect essential services, national security or the functioning of the state – means that the food supply chain is currently under close scrutiny: from the government’s UK Food Security Report in 2024, which documented vulnerabilities in resilience and persistent stresses on the food system at multiple levels, to a forthcoming study from the National Audit Office due out this summer (2026), which will examine whether Defra is taking effective action to ensure that the UK food supply chain, and domestic food production, is resilient enough.
Despite this forensic examination of the challenges, what are farmers and agri-businesses experiencing in reality? “The feedback I’m getting is that supply chains are being asked to do more than they’ve ever done before,” says Ed Horton of Savills Natural Capital and a farmer. “It’s no longer just about supplying commodity A to broker B; that commodity now has to go through a carbon audit, or a veterinary inspection, or an audit on nitrogen usage and so on. It’s all highly understandable, but the data being captured from farms is then being used to add value at the end of the supply chain – because the product is marketed as low-carbon, or regenerative, or sustainable – but that extra margin isn’t finding its way back to the producer. So, farmers and growers are gathering more data points, spending more time, and investing in software or sampling structures to allow them access to supply chain contracts, but they don’t get to earn the value from that data. It is mainly kept at the point of sale to a consumer. And when value isn’t being shared, long-term contracts stop being attractive and can, instead, become very restrictive.”
Have we got some pull-out stats that we can use here to break up the text heavy content below?
Strengthening the links
Ed believes the food production industry is currently at an important point of shift and supermarkets are starting to realise that the value needs to be shared. “Contracts are now being shaped to help finance that transition for suppliers, by actively paying for the change required, for example cover cropping, the use of herbal leys in a dairy unit, use of intelligent irrigation in the fresh produce sector, direct drilling in the arable sector, and so on.”
“At Savills, we are seeing evidence of 57 directly linked contracts where there is a tangible benefit to the producer financially, and where there are trackable data metrics being used to validate uplift in soil health, water quality and biodiversity. This makes the farming business more resilient, and more resilient suppliers equal a more stable food supply chain.”
Ed notes that sudden changes can also be harder for some supply chains to weather than others: “The dairy farming supply chain has traditionally been short and quite transparent, and where tangible value has been added – in improved animal health, for example – there is an increased uplift in price. But when prices drop for any reason, as we saw in the first quarter of 2026, the changes have a swift and meaningful impact on producers.”
Adding value
“In this situation, farmers have to grow blind, with no idea where they’ll sell their harvest, or they look at alternative spring crops – like potatoes or spring oats. That, in turn, can lead to existing markets then being flooded with excess product and a sharp drop in prices.” As a farmer himself, Hamish and his colleagues are well-placed to help food producers navigate an increasingly complex food supply chain. “We explore alternative crops and potential crop rotations with them, and we look at the best ways of getting through tricky times, like the current malting barley situation, with minimal losses.”
Elsewhere within Savills, a new service line around supply chain management will be launched this summer to support food and farming clients, alongside supermarkets, financial institutions and food manufacturers through the supply chain process – from understanding how contracts could better work in producers’ favour, to ways in which more resilient links can be forged at every stage of the chain.
In Scotland, meanwhile, changing consumer trends are impacting the supply chain for arable farmers. “Malting barley for whisky production is a big issue right now,” says Hamish. “Alcohol consumption is down and export tariffs have caused uncertainty, so the requirement for good quality malting barley is lower. A key outcome of that is greater scrutiny of farmers. In 2025, just after harvest started, a number of rejections occurred due to quality and specifications issues. And this spring, when we would normally start negotiating for the 2026 harvest, the buyers are not offering many contracts.
Changing consumer trends
We also have good finance links, via high street and commercial banks, who need to decarbonise their farming book. By potentially funding these contracts in the supply chain, banks gain access to data and evidence of decarbonising, farmers get a better return and the supply chain becomes more sustainable for the end consumer."
“Savills has touch-points across the whole supply chain – from tenant farmers and landowning farmers at one end, to producers and processors in the middle, and large multinational buyers and supermarkets,” explains Ed. “We can start to link all parts of the chain together and work out how the value can be shared, and the messaging and data that needs to be collected along the way.
Forging links
ed.horton@savills.com
07812 404717
Ed Horton
hamish.logan@savills.com
07970 944942
Hamish Logan
“Regenerative agriculture is at the stage now where it represents good sustainable farming for the long term,” says Ed Horton of Savills Natural Capital and a regenerative farming specialist. “It focuses on soil and water quality, biodiversity and financial resilience which, together, equal a reduction in risk. By building resilience back into farming, we also create a more resilient food supply chain.”
How can regenerative agriculture transform the food supply chain?
If we do nothing, the resilience that our food supply can achieve is on a downward trend. The addition of supply chain management and regenerative farming practices both aim to improve supply chain resilience and, in turn, improve our national food security.
For example, data varies between studies but estimates suggest that for every 1% increase in organic matter, the soil can hold an extra 75,000 to 100,000 litres of plant-available water per acre to a depth of 30cm. “So, raising organic matter levels by 1% across a whole farm could represent millions of extra litres of water-holding capacity, which avoids flood risk, reduces the need for additional irrigation and boosts farm resilience,” adds Ed.
Changes like improving soil quality, fixing carbon into the soil, integrating livestock into arable practices, using camera-guided hoeing to reduce herbicide reliance and raising animal welfare standards can all help feed into and add value to, the food supply chain. “But it’s essential that we – as farmers, land managers and industry advisors – make sure that the value is shared fairly and that this doesn’t become a drive to net zero at all costs. We don’t want to be looking around in 10-15 years’ time, wondering what happened to all the food production.”
Poulton Fields Farm (SS Horton & Sons) comprises 3,500 hectares across four counties in south-west England, and is managed on a regenerative basis. Predominantly arable, there is also a joint venture sheep flock comprising 2,500 ewes, a 125-head pedigree herd of beef shorthorns and a 5,500 pig finishing unit. Here, we look at two very different types of customer-led supply chains and how SS Horton & Sons has responded.
One farm, two supply chains
Heineken launched a global low-carbon/regenerative barley programme to reduce agricultural emissions and improve resilience in its brewing supply chain, where farming accounts for a significant share of Scope-3 emissions. Hundreds of farmers, including SS Horton & Sons, recorded fertiliser use, crop rotations, soil management, cover crops and nitrogen efficiency across more than 100,000 hectares of barley production and used the Cool Farm Tool to calculate the carbon footprint of barley production. Data collected by the programme included carbon emissions, soil health, biodiversity and water use, and regenerative farming outcomes were evaluated.
Heineken
Barley and maize represent a large share of the company’s agricultural emissions, so improving crop production practices is critical to achieving its net zero value chain target by 2040. Its end goal is 100% sustainably sourced barley and hops by 2030.
Heineken intends to purchase the barley produced through these programmes, creating a guaranteed market for participating farmers and enabling supply-chain decarbonisation. The programme demonstrates how corporate supply chains can monetise and incentivise natural capital improvements, with soil health, biodiversity and carbon performance becoming measurable assets within long-term agricultural procurement.
The partnership provides secure market access and potential price premiums for wheat that meets quality and sustainability criteria. The results are two-fold: the long-term viability of the farm business is strengthened, and the flour supply chain delivers a lower environmental impact, while demonstrating traceability and sustainability to bakeries and consumers.
Practices such as diverse rotations, reduced cultivations, cover cropping and improved soil organic matter management are all aimed at improving soil health and resilience, lowering emissions and reducing input dependence. Resulting farm data is recorded on soil health, crop rotations, nitrogen use efficiency, carbon footprint and biodiversity practices, enabling the environmental performance of wheat production to be measured and tracked over time.
SS Horton & Sons supplies milling wheat, pasta wheat and spelt to Matthews Cotswold Flour, creating a short regional supply chain that links regenerative farming with the bakery market.
Matthews Cotswold Flour
7-minute read
One day, all of this will be yours:
a frequent promise in farming families that can inform the basis on which a farming business is run or worked for. But what if that promise is broken and the promisee is left materially disadvantaged? That’s when proprietary estoppel comes into play.
Proprietary estoppel stops someone from enforcing their strict legal rights when it would be unconscionable for them to do so. A landowner is normally free to change their Will or leave their property as they choose. However, if they have made a promise about their estate or an asset in their estate that another person has relied on to their detriment, it may be unfair for the landowner to go back on that promise. In that situation, a court can grant an appropriate remedy.
What constitutes appropriate remedy is entrenched in the supreme court ruling of Guest v Guest. Andrew Guest successfully brought a proprietary estoppel claim through to the supreme court for an interest in the family farm in Monmouthshire after he relied on promises his parents had made to him over many years (and which they later sought to renege on) that he would inherit a substantial share of the farm. The remedy awarded by the court for Andrew necessitated the sale of the farm.
Matt Brown, Savills Rural Consultancy, has acted as an expert witness and valuer in many such cases – a vital role, since claims hinge on a valuation not only of a farm’s assets but also the lifetime losses incurred by the claimant, and therefore on what would constitute appropriate remedy. “It’s a question of the value of property in its constituent parts and under various scenarios,” Matt says. “For instance, in addition to the farm’s diverse assets, consideration should be given to changing circumstances, such as the owners needing residential care. Also, the remedy must be commensurate with the losses and should not constitute unreasonable gain: the claimant should not be better off than they would have been if they were to inherit as expected. Proper valuation records are therefore essential."
Key to the supreme court ruling was the proper approach to granting redress. It was decided that the appropriate starting point for relief in these cases is to give effect to the claimant’s expectation (i.e. to enforce the promise), rather than to compensate the detriment. However, where the circumstances make strict enforcement of the promises unjust, the court may have reason to depart from this rule and order a reduced or lesser award.
Court rules
In addition to the value of the property, a claimant’s input and contributions are also key. So the factors at play are the value of the property; the cost of works and input; and any loss of earnings incurred by working on the farm.
This last point reflects changing attitudes to inheritance. Traditionally, it was accepted that sons would inherit the family farm, but there is an increasingly prevalent view that daughters should not be treated differently. “This is a big issue for farming families,” says Barny. “We are seeing more cases because farming demographics are changing and estate values are so heavily dependant on the land. We are seeing more of these cases in Wales and the south-west of England, perhaps because in eastern England farms tend to be fewer but larger arable farms run more like corporations, whereas the west and Wales have lots of smaller livestock and family-run farms often turning low profits with land as the primary asset. This all increases the scope for conflict.”
Barny Croft is a Partner at Birketts LLP who specialises in inheritance-related disputes. “What the appropriate remedy should be in these cases is incredibly difficult and always fact specific,” he says. “The most equitable solution will depend on all of the circumstances. What are the parties’ current and future living arrangements? What are their current and future needs? What impact would selling or transferring the farm have on those involved? For example, it’s common to see an arrangement by which a son gets the farm and a daughter gets the cash, but if the farm goes to the son and all the cash goes on care, where does that leave the daughter?”
Changing attitudes
So what can be done to minimise the need for proprietary estoppel claims? “Families should seek appropriate advice to get well ahead on issues of inheritance,” says Matt. “They should have frank discussions and set up a thorough succession plan, which is clearly set out and properly minuted. Having a record of everything discussed and agreed will make any subsequent legalities much more straightforward, with no room for misinterpretation.”
Minimising risk
How can families minimise conflict in the first place? “Manage and reconcile inheritance expectations between family members,” says Barny. “Be clear about what is being promised. Be mindful that things change. Plan for contingencies to mitigate misunderstandings or disagreements: draft a Will, and partnership, tenancy and land transfer agreements. When expectations align, disagreement is minimised.”
matt.brown@savills.com
07970 266727
Matt Brown
Families should have frank discussions and set up a thorough succession plan, which is clearly set out and properly minuted.
5-minute read
Promises promises
To avoid legal wrangles over inheritance, it’s important to manage and reconcile expectations between family members and be clear about what is being promised
In their own words
Both the scope of career opportunities and the path that leads people to work in Savills Rural is wide and varied. Here, three members of the team share their stories
Emma DalgLish
Associate Surveyor
07974 589711
emma.dalglish@savills.com
Our family farms in Dumfriesshire, south-west Scotland, were sold when I was 16. While my sisters and I loved growing up on a farm, none of us had shown a particularly strong interest in taking over the business.
My father had always dreamt of moving to Highland Perthshire, so, after four generations of ownership, he took the very difficult and emotional decision to sell. It was handled by Savills and, while I didn’t yet know what career I wanted to pursue, I didn’t want to be tied to a desk job. Working in rural property looked interesting. I was then given the best advice at the time by Charlie Dudgeon, who was handling the sale: to study what I enjoyed and keep my options open. After graduating from the University of York with a degree in environmental geography, I went on to complete a Masters in real estate investment and finance. At the same time, I worked part-time with the Savills Edinburgh residential team. An encounter with Ev Channing led me to do some work experience with the rural agency team.
I saw first-hand how every instruction was entirely different from the last. In addition, regardless of buying or selling, it was clear that the client’s decision-making process is very personal and requires considered advice. I knew I’d found the right area. Although Covid briefly disrupted my plans, I joined Savills on the rural graduate scheme in Edinburgh and qualified as a chartered surveyor in May 2023. Just six months later, I was invited to join the national farms and estates team based in London. Today, I feel I have the perfect balance: I live and work in the city, but I travel all over the country to visit a diverse array of rural properties. Whether pitching for a new instruction, carrying out a valuation, preparing a marketing plan or negotiating a sale, I love the variety and challenge that each week brings.
Hamish Smales
Rural property manager
07977 579482
hamish.smales@savills.com
I grew up on my family’s 250-acre mixed beef and sheep farm in Northumberland, but didn’t immediately start my professional career in the rural sector. Having studied business and management at the University of Exeter, my first interest was in sports management.
I spent several years sourcing and negotiating professional rugby union contracts for players based all over the country. I did this while playing in the Championship at Cornish All Blacks and representing England 7s and Counties XV. “With an increase in regulation and a highly competitive market, I realised that I was better off having rugby as a side interest rather than giving it my full attention. I switched focus and set my sights on working in the rural environment. I knew that a nine-to-five desk job was not for me, so I took on a role assisting with rural and agricultural clients as a first step towards becoming a chartered surveyor. Unlike others who come through the graduate route, my path to qualification was spending five years working in the industry and gaining all the relevant experience.
Qualifying during Covid, I was one of the first cohorts to do the final assessment on Teams – today, it’s standard practice. I joined Savills Newcastle office in July 2023 and work in the estate management team, which looks after landed estates owned by private and institutional clients across Northumberland and County Durham. The business approached me as part of an internal referral scheme; there was a role to fill and a friend put me forward. Being hefted to the North East was a big plus in my favour. The variety of work is one of the attractions: on any one day, I might spend the morning inspecting allotments and residential let properties, then go to negotiate the extension of a commercial quarry and then visit an equestrian enterprise. Alongside this, I still keep my hand in sport as a consultant European and premiership referee with the RFU.
Katherine Ilett
Rural valuer
07890 427669
katharine.ilett@savills.com
When I was 18, I had some work experience with Savills Rural. Like many others at that age, I had no real idea what I wanted to do with my career, but, with the benefit of hindsight, a seed must have been sown when Savills sold our family farm in Suffolk just two years before.
In an example of life coming full circle, last August I joined the rural valuations and consultancy team based out of the London and Cambridge offices, where I specialise in country estates and farm valuations. I studied English literature at university and considered taking up writing full-time or pursuing a career in publishing when I graduated. In the end, the opportunity to secure a professional qualification while working proved attractive, and I landed a graduate scheme placement in commercial property before going on to work as an investment agent in Mayfair. After dipping out to experience London’s prime residential market, I came back to investment, where I went on to spend 10 years in student accommodation and build-to-rent.
Despite not having trained as a rural surveyor, I jumped at the opportunity to join the consultancy team. Growing up on a farm, it feels like going back to my roots. I’ve always been interested in rural communities and there’s so much currently going on in this sector. Savills was prepared to train me up to become an expert in the field, which was encouraging, too. Working here means I can tap into the vast amount of research and in-house expertise at any time. I spend two days a week at Savills HQ in central London, two days in Cambridge leaving a day for property inspections or writing up reports. I particularly like the variety in my role, inspecting the enormous range of properties we consult on from windmills to wildlife parks, stately homes and everything in between; no single project – or day – is ever the same.
6-minute read
