Independent Forestry Panel

After the launch on 4th July attended the national stakeholder event on 10th. Over 100 there and considerable support for the Panel's recommendations. When we started the journey on the Panel over a year ago I would never have expected such a concensus. Remarkable. Now need to put single issue campaigns aside and work together to encourage Government to pick up the baton laid down. Interestingly, after event, Sir Harry Studholme and I attended All Party Group in Commons (House of Lords represented also) to discuss Panel's report as guests of Lord Taylor, Forestry Minister. We both had an opportunity to present the Panel's findings. My impression was that all parties were very supportive of the general themes from the report and wanted a successful outcome. Although I have no doubt that politics will play a role in due course! I await with interest the Government's response in January - this is a once in a generation opportunity for both forestry and society... Since the formation of the Forestry Commission in 1919 (Lord Clinton's great grand father was one of the original founders) in 90 years, 800 years of deforestation in England has been reversed. With c10% cover compared to c 35% in Europe we have some way to go but at least we now have renewed impetus and some clear recommendations on how we can continue the journey. At Clinton Devon we have 17% woodland cover and later this year we will be planting the first new plantation for many years - a small Jubilee Wood in Newton Poppleford.

Estates Business Group

Two days in London - chairing Rural Committee of Estates Business Group on Tuesday where we heard from Richard MacDonald ex NFU DG who talked about his Task Force addressing farm regulation. All very promising - better regulation is the core theme - out of around 200 recommendations the Government is signing up to at least 160. Let's hope they maintain momentum... As Estates we need to keep pressing the case for better regulation and supporting Richard's recommendations. Interestingly Richard has been appointed on a panel to drive the recommendations through so I am pretty hopeful we shall see some positive action. You will be aware that John Wilding has been a member of the Forestry Regulation Task Force. All round it appears that Defra are sending some pretty good signals about freei g up land managers to do the right thing. Today at the EBG main meeting we had the chair of the Serious Organised Crime Agency give the group a fascinating talk on the challenges faced by Government and society in fighting global organised crime. Frightening stuff but we all felt reassured that the issue was being addressed so professionally. It is all about disrupting criminal activity. What caught everyone's attention was the issue of cyber crime. As a business we need to re think our approach and we will be doing this as part of our wider ICT strategy. As individuals we need to think about his too. Especially those with young children putting their life stories on Facebook...

Rain stops play... And work

Torrential rain and high winds have arrived over past 24 hours only a week after Devon was classified as being in Environmental Drought conditions... No electricity, phones or emails across the Estate. Western Power taking an exceedingly long time to sort the issue. Remarkable how unresilient the power network is. Business impact huge.

Tree Disease and Import Controls

Check out our new 2.5 min You Tube video on the emergency felling in the Lower Otter Valley, East Devon and our views on import controls of horticultural products...

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=32DHyTVV2_o

or just Google clintondevonestates youtube !

Quote of the month...

"You cannot choose your battlefield,
The Gods do that for you;
But you can plant a standard,
Where a standard never flew".

Stephen Crane
US novelist and poet
1871 to 1900


Rather apt I thought...

Another catch up...

On 19th February was in Chicago at the invitation of Professor John Ward, Kellogg School of Management, North Western University.  Gave a talk and led a session (3.5 hours!) on Family Business and especially how non family executives fit in to the MBA Class of 2012 - 35 or so MBAs from larger family businesses from US and across the globe.  Absolutely fascinating and worthwhile session - some really interesting people and lots of challenging debate.  Had a few 45 minute 1:1s also...  Was looked after superbly by my host, John Ward and his colleagues.  Chicago is an amazing place - I love the US but Chicago will now definitely feature on any future return on holiday - a remarkable history, culturally, architecturally and economically.

Back to the UK and helped select the final 12 Nature Improvement Areas to be announced by the Government on 27th February - These are ground breaking initiatives which, if led and executed well, should set the tone for the blurring of the very polarised environment and farmer / landowner debates of the past.  Successful NIAs require collaboration and joint working between, environmental NGOs, Local Authorities, statutory agencies, communities and most importantly farmers and land owners.  It was this latter constituency that I was thinking about most whilst sitting on the Panel.  I will be watching closely to see those NIAs that really pick up the baton and really involve and integrate farmers and landowners into the governance and decision making.

Forestry Panel still going strong and I hope to get back involved helping to pull our final report together over the coming weeks.

Back at the office, lots going on.  Getting into the Sunday Times Top 100 Companies to work for list was immensely rewarding.  I didn't go to the party in London with the other 99 but our Estate table seemed to have a lot of fun.  We now need to do the hard bit and evaluate the results, benchmark them and work with everyone across the Estate in understanding how we can further improve our Employee Engagement going forward.  Although we have done well - I know that there are a number of things we can begin to do differently to make the Estate an even better place to work.  This is going to need everyone's input please.  Carla, Graham and myself will be working with teams to take this initiative forward in the coming weeks.

We appear in the local media quite a lot at the moment - mainly because there is so much going on.  A lot of it linked to our 2021 Strategy and our four key programmes of STRUCTURE, CAPITAL, INVESTING IN OUR FUTURE and STEWARDSHIP AND SOCIETY.  Potential developments at Exmouth for residential and our multi million pound investment in Liverton Business Park are keeping the team busy along with our work on the exciting affordable housing development at Greenway Lane Budleigh Salterton.  We hope to hear from the Planning Inspectorate in the next few weeks on the outcome of our application to erect some fencing on the Pebblebed Heaths to increase the grazing regime and improve the natural habitat - this could become a really positive turning point in our management of the heaths and I shall be watching the outcome very closely.  John Wilding has been on regional radio and TV and in the press over the increased felling activity of Japanese Larch to prevent the disease P. Ramorum getting hold.  John is lobbying for better import controls and trying to get this issue on the agenda of Government.  George is now also getting publicity over Clinton Farms' plans to increase the herd at Otter Dairy and construct a new livestock building!

Work on our 2012 Countryside Matters (The Estate Review) has just started with a publication date later in the Autumn.

Will give a further update in a few days...

Round up....

The past couple of months have been a whirlwind of activity.

Consultation document in for Plumb Park - which was at the same time as our request for a formal screening opinion from the Council on 350 homes if we were to put a planning application in.  There have been times when we felt that this was the only option - but we are now hoping that the LDF process will support our well considered plans to deliver the only re generation opportunity for Littleham in the next 20 years, plus significant numbers of affordable homes for Exmouth...  we shall see.

Our Solar PV site was delivered on time and is now live.  This will give us much experience in the technology and inform our thoughts about any future further roll out.

Expansion of Liverton Business Park in Exmouth continues, although slower than we had hoped due to very poor weather.  Still exciting times, a bit scary - investing c £3M without any tenants and committing a further £12M to build out all units...  all borrowed money but a real commitment to the Town and we are hopeful it will help wider regeneration plans and provide many new jobs.  The third phase of expansion is outlined in the Local Plan proposals and we hope it will result in high quality office and workspace for the Town.  But lets get Phase 2 finished first!

In Budleigh Salterton we have been working up our plans to deliver much needed affordable homes on the scheme in Greenway Lane which has outline planning permission.  We are already getting ready to prepare the enlarged allotment site and plans include a proper water main, paths and brand new sheds for each allotment holder.  The Estate will not simply sell this site off - we are committing to enter into a Joint Venture to ensure what we promised is delivered.  Interesting times.

Spending a lot of time looking into bio mass options for district heating systems in North Devon and at Plumb Park Exmouth (duel fuel with gas).  Again - cutting edge stuff and could deliver significant benefits to communities in terms of lower fuel prices, more consistent supplies and decentralised energy from local woodlands.

We have been involved in helping the County Council and Local Enterprise Partnership put a bid into Government for up to £1.5M of funding to help rural businesses across the county - should know result later this month - we are through to second stage which is exciting.  Our focus has been on supporting Family Business learning and thinking based on our close relationship with the Family Business Faculty at IMD in Lausanne.

Lots going on in the woods - much clear felling due to keeping ahead of the disease P. Ramorum which is devastating Larch.  Also, much new planting.  Including, later this year, a brand new Jubilee Wood on land next to Harpford Wood (Newton Poppleford / Harpford) - more details later.  It will be a true community accessible wood - even hope to encourage local children to help plant it...

On the Pebblebed Heaths our application to set up an enhanced grazing regime - to better manage the natural habitats and deliver the recovery in habitat conditions and species required by Natural England - was submitted before Christmas.  We await with eager anticipation the feedback...

For me personally - have completed my work on the judging panel for the Government's flagship Nature Improvement Areas Competition - a global first and a real privilege to be asked to sit on the Panel.  Our recommendations are now with the Secretary of State to make a final decision on the winning top 12.  My work on the Independent Forestry Panel set up by Government and chaired by the Bishop of Liverpool continues - we hope to publish our final report and recommendations later in Spring.  Our interim report is already out so do have a look.  My time on the Environment Agency Board is more and more focussed on water - this is going to be a very big issue for the next generation and we need to get mindsets (and policies) changed about water as a resource for both people and nature in the coming months and years.

So that is the catch up.  However, by far the most impressionable event for me in the past few months has been my visit to Littleham Primary School to talk about the pros and cons of developing the Plumb Park site next to the school.  I met around 60 pupils in two groups - Year 1/2 and Year 3/4.  I came away with three big takeaways:

1.  I am in awe of school teachers and their job - the ones I met were amazing, professional and passionate

2.  That children, even young children, are worth listening to.  They have no angle or baggage.  I took away new ideas and a real focus about what we should be doing to make our proposed development relevant to them

3.  The Estate, in terms of its stewardship for the next generation needs to find ways of engaging with young people across ALL our activities.  It is a real investment for the future.

YouTube video

See below URL for latest short intro video to the Estate:


www.YouTube.com/user/ClintonDevonEstates

CAP Reform and Rural Growth Networks

Attended a CAP Reform update seminar in London today - interesting and at the same time very concerning as the current proposals seem to be moving farming backwards and more reliant on subsidy rather than moving towards a more competitive industry less reliant on public funding.  Indeed the law of unintended consequences may well come into play if some of the proposals actually get agreed by the European Parliament in due course.  Negotiations continue till 2013 so there is time for sense to prevail yet I doubt if it will...  UK Government have their work cut out.

In the afternoon attended a briefing by the Secretary of State for Defra and her ministers on the outcome of the Chancellor's pre-budget statement specifically in terms of rural growth opportunities and of real interest to Clinton Devon - Rural Growth Networks.  Below is a url linking to a Defra presentation on the subject:

http://archive.defra.gov.uk/rural/documents/economy/rural-economic-growth-review-111129.pdf

I was involved as Chairman of the Estates Business Group - www.estatesbusinessgroup.co.uk -
Rural Committee in some of this work earlier in the year and it is fantastic that the Treasury are looking to fund some initiatives for rural areas from community broadband, affordable housing to Rural Growth Networks investment.  The funds are limited and subject to open competition between the Local Enterprise Partnerships.  We need to ensure that the Heart of the SW LEP gets engaged with the rural growth agenda and submits some bids ASAP otherwise the funds will go to other areas.  Clinton Devon will do what ever is necessary to help Devon get its fair share to encourage local jobs, increased productivity, income growth for local businesses and community infrastructure - but we need Local Authorities to lobby the LEP over the coming weeks.

Whilst the economy is in a pretty dire situation - we must do whatever we can to protect the UK's AAA rating - otherwise it will be game over.  In that respect it will be a private sector driven recovery - especially if the public sector is unable to deliver the necessary infrastructure investment.  We shall see...

CASE FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING - DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE 18 NOVEMBER

My three minute presentation to EDDC Development Management Committee on Friday 18th November can be found at www.clintondevon.com - hopefully uploaded today.

I made the case:

That in the last 15 years Exmouth contributed 30% of the Districts’ houses, however, in the last 5 years it contributed 22%; all in line with the facts that:

It houses 25% of the population of the District; household sizes are reducing and, it’s getting harder to develop within the built up area boundary.

But the LDF Panel says that Exmouth should now only deliver 11% - 1,700 houses - and this figure includes:

• 482 already built and 391 under construction or with permission. Of those built only 32 were affordable and taking this pattern on, out of 873, ONLY 57 WOULD BE AFFORDABLE! That’s 6.5%!

• 137 houses that have “made progress”

• 150 dwellings for allocation

• 540 as strategic allocations (Littleham and Goodmores Farm); that is 3.5% of the overall total.

When you consider that provision of affordable and other housing for young families is the number one priority for Exmouth when demand is massive it is rather depressing that the politicians present (presumably who don't need affordable housing) can be so cavalier as to think that their plan will deliver it when the facts clearly show that they have no chance.  Only one or two individuals questioned whether Exmouth needed to look again at the numbers but they were swiftly silenced and the agenda moved on.

No one took any notice or challenged the figures so we go to consultation with 190.  We now need to decide how we approach the consultation.  We intend to engage with local people as well as those interested in improving infrastructure around Littleham and wider Exmouth.  We are particularly interested in hearing about community infrastructure and also from those interested in affordable housing provision.

A specific website will be launched shortly to help us with this engagement.

Plumb Park Podcast

Today we posted the 5 minute Podcast I made showing the interview about our proposed development near Littleham Exmouth.  It is about building a community - providing affordable housing for local people, infrastructure, landscaping, open space, woodland and orchards and new linear rights of access.  Our proposal enables much greater numbers of affordable housing to be built as well as a full planning obligations package.  We envisage improvements to public transport, the Pankhurst Industrial Estate, local infrastructure and housing provision.  We also believe that elements of the development nearer Douglas Avenue can reflect the Avenues Design Statement.  All in all a very exciting opportunity!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9z5hEpTFo4&feature=feedu

Employee Engagement

Amazing that I understand over 90% of Estate employees have responded to the "Employee Engagement" questionnaire being run by Best Companies.  We won't know the full results until early in the new year but this level of response is encouraging and should give us some useful feedback on which to base plans to improve the way we work.

As 2011 is year one of our ten year strategy I am keen that we start off on the journey with a truly engaged team!

Woodland Trust and Jubilee Woods

Met Woodland Trust this afternoon to discuss our management of Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS).  Overall we think they were impressed with our approach - we certainly enjoyed the engagement and opportunity to discuss what is a very topical subject.

Our plans for a new woodland extension at Harpford Wood was discussed and our plans to designate it free open access and a "Jubilee Wood" perhaps involving local people in its establishment.

Lord Clinton's Charitable Trust agreed recently to donate £500 to each Estate parish to support the recognition of the Queen's Jubilee in 2012.  We are talking to the Woodland Trust about any guidance they can give to planting hedgerow trees or small groups / specimens.  Once we have looked at this we will contact all parishes and town councils.

Colaton Raleigh Parish Council Briefing

Held a useful briefing and update session with Colaton Raleigh PC earlier in week.  Topics covered Solar PV at a brown field site and an update on the Clinton Farms dirty water system and lagoon which will help further reduce any possibility of diffuse pollution and excessive nitrates in the soil at the wrong time of the year. Being an organic farm a lot has been done already to improve soil fertility and conditions for wildlife, however, there is always more to be done.  We also gave an outline of a future planning application to erect a building to enable a second organic herd to be established at Otter, which would result in the calving unit moving elsewhere and a new road being established taking all farm traffic off Church Road.

Hope to hold sessions like this every six months or so with all parishes.

Littleham Podcast

Finished a 5 minute "podcast" of me being interviewed on the Estate's position regarding Plumb Park - our counter proposal to the Town Council's 190 allocation in the Littleham site.  Should be on Youtube in next 36 hours.  More details when live.

18th November

18th November is an important date for Exmouth.  It is the day of the Development Management Committee Meeting where a decision will be taken regarding Littleham 190 houses or Plumb Park 350.  We hope for Exmouth's sake it is the latter...  more affordable homes and more real benefits for local people...

Meeting residents of Exmouth

In past few weeks it has proven remarkably difficult to meet with and engage with the Town Council about the LDF process.  So, we are now engaging direct with residents.

We have been to the AGMs of Littleham Residents Association and TARA (Avenues).  I enjoyed both.  Real people with real issues. I want to do more of this and we are working up a comprehensive engagement and consultation plan for the coming weeks.  On Monday 14th November we hope to meet for an information session with some Town Councillors and representatives from resident's associations.  We will talk about the Estate, our strategy and approach to Liverton Business Park and the LDF in respect of Littleham.  Hopefully the start of a wider engagement?

Feedback indicates that local people would like to see something done about the industrial site.  We are working on engaging with the stakeholders there to see if we can exercise some influence.  If we can deliver our Plumb Park 350 proposal then we may well have resources to do something quite exciting as well as open up a large open access park around "Donkey Hill".  Affordable housing is the message we keep getting and we intend to respond to this...

We need to talk to Sandy Bay re traffic and we will do this over the coming weeks.

Exmouth

Interesting times...  nearly ten years of work evaluating our Littleham housing site in Exmouth it was dismissed at the stroke of Cllr Mike Allen's pen on 11th October as unsuitable!  It was recognised by professional urban planners as THE most sustainable site in Exmouth for up to 500 homes.  No evidence presented other than councillors didn't like it!  Planning officers, consultants and Estate property team amazed at the cavalier approach.  But then, a counter proposal by the Town Council for 190 dwellings on a sub set of our site...

In two weeks we developed our response which is called Plumb Park - 350 houses on a site slightly larger than the Town Council's allowing lower density, much better landscaping, much more affordable housing and infrastructure...  yet this too rejected on 25th October and 190 confirmed on 1st November.  A lot of grandstanding which we found frankly inappropriate when you consider this is people's homes being talked about.  Over 3,000 on housing waiting list - we wonder what is behind all this...

There comes a point when you say OK lets now go into battle for what we believe in.  This is what we are doing.  We want to build a community not a high density housing estate.  See www.clintondevon.com for more details of our proposals.  Podcast will be launched in next 24 hours - details will be here.

On a brighter note the development at Liverton is proceeding well, despite the bad weather.  The fact we have started work has begun to attract a number of high profile tenants.  We hope to sign one or two heads of terms in coming weeks.  It is all VERY exciting and such a contrast to the comedy show over the LDF for housing...  My occasional trips to London and elsewhere on non executive business are a welcome relief and safety valve...   If we are to help unlock Exmouth and take on tenants such as Stage Coach and Jewsons they had better hurry up as we may not have room for them the way interest is taking off for LBP2.  Our emerging thoughts for LBP3 are including quality office use...  we await and see what the Town thinks...

A lot going on...

Attended quite a number of interesting meetings over past few weeks.  Environment Agency Board Meeting in Cardiff with a tour of the Welsh Assembly - remarkable building and facilities.  Chance to talk to those involved in bringing together Forestry Commission, CCW and EA Wales into one body...

Forestry Panel Meeting in London - minutes will be out shortly.  Progress is being made.

Nature Improvement Area judging Panel at Defra, London - getting 79 to 20 was not easy - some amazing applications. I am looking forward to having the privilege of judging the final few to get to 12!

At the Estate the key meeting has been our Board Meeting - this time in Devon with video links back to London to get up to date reports on the economy and global markets.  A great meeting, a lot to discuss about progress on the delivery of year one of our ten year strategy.  We are making progress on a number of fronts but in one or two areas it is quite frustrating - more in another post!

Been away...

Hi. I have been off air for a while. Holidays but also not sure if my ramblings were being picked up and read... And more importantly if they were of interest. I have heard from one or two of you that they were so I'll try and get back into the swing of things... Do please send the odd message to confirm that my transmissions are being received...

New post shortly...