Iain specialises in agricultural and rural work, acting for famers, landowners and landed estates. He is the head of our agricultural & land team, which is the only agricultural property team ranked in the top tier of both the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners directories in the region.
Iain’s work ranges from the acquisition, development and disposal of landed estates, farms and bare agricultural land, to advice on agricultural tenancies, farm business tenancies, and environmental matters. He specialises in the drafting and negotiation of strategic land option and promotion agreements.
Recent/significant transactions include:
- Acquisition of a complex and diverse 480 acre unregistered landed estate in Wales with 10.5 miles of fishing, 5 properties and over 3,200 acres of sporting rights for £4.9m, with complex tenancy, VAT and employment elements. Contracts were exchanged within one month of instructions being received.
- Purchase of two adjoining farms amounting to some 1100 acres together with farm business tenancies and contract farming agreements and a related re-mortgage of existing farming assets.
- Sale of land in Pembrokeshire Coast National Park for development of a Centre Parcs style holiday village.
- Sale of greenfield site for development by major landed estate client with complex uplift provisions. The sale was by way of contract race with exchange of contracts taking place within 24 hours of issue of papers.
- Option agreement for over 195 acres of farmland to a national house builder, including the usual minimum price, planning obligations, equalisation provisions and strong participation provisions for the landowner.
- Grant of option and lease of a wind farm.
- Promotion agreement covering over 450 acres together with complex collaboration agreement between neighbouring landowners.
Iain trained at Henmans and qualified in 1997, becoming a partner in 2001. Iain is a member of the Agricultural Law Association and the Charity Law Association and was on the committee of the Oxfordshire branch of the CLA for some years. Iain is recognised as an expert for agricultural work in the Legal 500.