Alternative Outlook

With many UK growth markets – including central London – experiencing a slowdown this year, it seems farmland is the safe bet for property investment in 2013.

According to research from Savills, the upward trend for annual growth will continue this year, with farmland values predicted to rise by 40 per cent over the next five years. This is in contrast to prime central London property, which will only witness an average of 26 per cent growth over the same period.

Nevertheless, not all farmland will enjoy the same level of performance…

Following a decade of consecutive annual growth farm land values throughout Great Britain are forecast to continue their upward trend and increase on average by a further 40% over the next five years, according to research released last week (Friday 07 December) by Savills.

This is in stark contrast to the other property success story of prime central London, which after three and a half years of considerable price rises is likely to endure a period of little or no growth next year, but total price growth of 26% by the end of 2017.

‘It …

Farmland continues to rise in value this year with Scottish values outperforming the rest of Great Britain, according to the latest figures from Savills.

The number of acres of farmland marketed in Scotland increased this year by 22 per cent, compared to the first three quarters of 2011 with 36,000 acres advertised publically. This is the largest supply of farmland during the first nine months of the year since 2006.

Luke French of Savills said: “While we have seen a notable increase in supply this year, larger commercially viable f…

Alex Lawson Director of Savills land and farms comments, “There continues to be a real thirst for good quality blocks of arable land from a wide range of buyers and the biggest issue is the lack of supply.

For other land types buyers are increasingly discerning and we are often finding separately lotting the house with a few acres away from the bare land is the most successful route to maximising a sale”.

Across Great Britain prime arable land values rose by 3.2% during Q3 to average just under £7,200 per acre. This …

Unlike many other assets farm land in the UK has continued rising in value throughout this year, a trend analysts expect to continue into 2013 and beyond.

One of the key factors helping to support values is the dwindling supply of farmland available to buy, according to the latest research from Savills.

‘There continues to be a real thirst for good quality blocks of arable land from a wide range of buyers and the biggest issue is the lack of supply. For other land types buyers are increasingly discerning and we are often findin…

It is known as “gold with a coupon”. English farmland has trebled in value over the past decade and now averages more than £6,000 an acre. While farmers still make up at least half of all buyers, estate agents have seen an influx of City bankers as well as buyers from overseas – crisis-stricken Greece and Italy, along with India and China. In the next five years it is expected to rise in value by more than two-thirds.

The appeal of farmland is that it is a safe-haven asset, like gold, but also gives annual returns of 2-3%. On t…

The lush green fields of the West are set to increase in value so much in the next four years that they are a better investment for the rich than gold, oil or an apartment in Mayfair.

That is the conclusion of research by leading economists who said that the value of farmland – even if it is not on the edge of a town and has no chance of being sold for development – was set to rise by 37 per cent by 2016.

And that return beats all the forecasts of growth for gold, traditionally the safe harbour for the world’s millionaires in troubl…

The price of British farms will rise higher than any other class of real estate in Europe over the next four years driven by investors buying farmland to capitalize on growth in global demand for food and also to shield wealth and pay less tax.

Farmland values will rise 37 percent by 2016, beating forecast growth for gold, oil, ten-year British government bonds and homes in London’s most exclusive neighborhoods, according to data compiled by Oxford Economics and the research arm of property consultant Savills. The United Nations’ f…

Brooks Macdonald Funds (BMF) has launched UK Farming plc, a new asset backed UK farming business. BMF also appointed Christine Tacon as Chairman of the new business and Andrew Christie-Miller as a Non-Executive Director.

Christine was Managing Director of The Co-operative Farms Limited from 2000 to December 2011 and was an executive board member of Co-operative Food Retail. She brings a wealth of experience in the farming industry to UK Farming plc.

Andrew Christie-Miller was Deputy Chairman of Openfield Group until July 2010, a co…

A piece of land in the country is a fine aspiration for any City gentleman, but it could also prove a shrewd investment move. With the markets far from certain and inflation a concern, farmland is looking more and more appealing.

Land has a lot going for it. There is nothing more tangible than a piece of earth to call your own and unlike similar investments, such as gold, land will provide an income. While it is possible to bring more land into production, it is clear that demand is going to continue to outstrip supply for the foreseeab…