Estate Matters

Eliza Ecclestone is the owner and Managing Trustee of St Clere Estate in Kent and Executive Chair of Trustees at Chevening Estate - the official country residence of the Foreign Secretary.  

Eliza talks openly about the challenges she has faced since unexpectedly inheriting the 3,000-acre estate near Sevenoaks in Kent.

But those challenges have not stopped Eliza’s YIMBY (yes in my backyard) attitude. 

She has been working hard and communicating honestly to build trust with her local community, to ensure that the Estate not only remains a core part of the local community, but supports it too. 

Jake Fiennes is one of Britain’s most high-profile and in-demand conservationists and he sat down with podcast host, Anna Byles, at Holkham Nature Reserve in Norfolk.

Jake speaks candidly about the need for a natural capital 'Doomsday Book' to accurately measure the UK's fauna and flora, and what that means - not only for landowners - but a broad spectrum of land and green space custodians.

Balancing productive land use with nature enhancement, developing baselining tools, influencing key policy and decision-makers, and clear public messaging to rebuild people's connection to and respect for the land, are all discussed.

Andy Squires is the Lead Security Consultant with County Investigations who work with land-owning clients across the UK to remove trespassers from private land and deter them in the first place.

In this episode, Andy shares why landowners are not best placed to deal with trespassers and how the company's approach helps to avoid challenging situations.

As a former police officer, Andy says his training from neighbourhood policing is invaluable when dealing with trespassers. 

https://countyinvestigations.net/

Kim Wilkie is a strategic and conceptual landscape architect, designing projects all over the world. 

He is currently working with the Duchy of Cornwall to masterplan a new settlement South of Faversham, Kent. 

Kim's key principle, and the title of his book is: 'Led by the Land'. He belives it is critical to consider how land, water, communities and people fit together. 

Patrick Galbraith is a columnist and author. 

His recent book: 'Uncommon Ground: Rethinking our relationship with the countryside', explores the debate on access. 

In this episode of Estate Matters he tells host Anna Byles about the estates he visited and the people he met as part of his research, including landowners and access campaigners. 

Patrick's conclusion is that there needs to be more education and engagement on land access so people have a better understanding of what is available to them and why.

https://amzn.eu/d/2Nn2xqe

Joe and Keeley Evans run the Whitbourne Estate in Herefordshire. 

In this episode of Estate Matters, they discuss the challenges of growing their hospitality business, Crumplebury and what they have planned for the future of the estate.  

Joe also talks about his Vice Presidency of the CLA and what he hopes to achieve in his time as President. 

https://whitbourneestate.co.uk/

https://www.crumplebury.co.uk/

Dr Johnny Wake is a Doctor turned Estate Manager. 

He is the managing partner at his family's 1,700-acre Courteenhall Estate in Northamptonshire, as well as holding several positions with organisations including LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) and the Environmental Farmers Group. 

In this epiosde of Estate Matters, Johnny talks about a people-focussed approach to both medicine and land management. 

He discusses the importance of engaging with the local community, and shares, very honestly, the times when the estate hasn't got it right. 

Read more about the estate here: https://www.courteenhall.co.uk/

Sir William Worsley is the owner of the 3,000-acre Hovingham Estate in North Yorkshire, which has been in his family for more than 450 years. He is joined in this episode of Estate Matters by Avril Roberts, Senior Property and Business Policy Advisor with the CLA. 

The pair discuss masterplanning for rural estates and the importance of good communication and engagement with neighbours and stakeholders, set against the background of the Government's housing targets. 

https://www.hovingham.co.uk/

https://www.cla.org.uk/people/avril-roberts/

Managing Director of Estates at Blenheim Palace, Roy Cox, is the first guest to join Season Two of the Estate Matters podcast.

Roy, along with host Anna Byles and KOR's Senior Public Affairs Consultant, Andrew Howard, discuss the reasons behind the Estate's proposed solar farm at Botley West in Oxfordshire. 

Roy explains how the rigid planning process governing nationally significant infrastructure projects (NSIPs) prevented Blenheim adopting its usual proactive approach to communication with the local community, and subsequently what that meant for its reputation and relationships with its community and stakeholders. 

https://www.blenheimpalace.com/estate/

Iestyn John is a Partner at Planning Consultants, Bell Cornwell. In this episode of Estate Matters, he is joined by KOR's Senior Consultant in Public Affairs, Andrew Howard. 

The pair discuss the detail in the updated Framework and what opportunities that poses for landowners. Both agree the main thrust of the revisions is creating more new homes, more quickly. 

But will that mean compromising on "building beautiful"? Estates' reputations are built on the quality of any project they deliver, so how will they ensure they can continue to create legacy developments?

Read more about Iestyn here: https://www.bell-cornwell.co.uk/team/iestyn-john/