Rural Estates: place shapers and change makers

They provide homes, access to green space, culture and so much more.

The role and influence of estates goes well beyond the ‘gates’ and increasingly this is recognised by those shaping local development plans. Estate-led development is rarely development for its own sake.

Rather than focusing solely on financial returns, by presenting proposals as part of a holistic estate scale plan we can create a dialogue that goes beyond whether a proposed development fits in a neat planning policy box.

A large part of our work with estates is to help them create long-term strategies and masterplans. Balancing the numerous roles that estates play poses opportunities and challenges, in particular for those who need to rebalance their activities to ensure a sustainable long-term future. This can create opportunities to enhance their contribution to the vibrancy of local communities; an evolution of the historic role many estates have played in rural place-making.

Development proposals brought forward by estates – such as new housing or commercial developments – are inherently shaped by a shared sense of place and more often than not are focused on setting exemplary standards in terms of environmental sustainability and design quality. Such is the inter-reliance between estates and their local communities, these proposals can also respond to the provision of homes and services to meet community needs. A positive legacy is the driving force.

The influence of estates, especially in high-value landscapes such as National Parks or AONBs, means that a considerable amount of natural capital and the built heritage environment is managed by landowners and their tenants, with whom decisions around current and future land use and land management rest. Planning policy can apply limits on development but cannot be used to either direct or positively influence how landowners and managers deal with their natural, social, and economic capital outside of a development context. Policy makers increasingly acknowledge this limitation and recognise the potential offered by estates in terms of responsible, integrated land use and place-making.

A growing number of planning authorities are now adopting, or considering adopting policies which recognise the role of estates since we supported the Wiston Estate in the South Downs National Park, in the production of the first ever ‘Whole Estate Plan’ to be formally endorsed by a local planning authority.

Even where local development plans don’t overtly include a policy in relation to estate-led development, the estate-scale approach is likely to be effective, as demonstrated by our work with the Bolton Abbey and Chatsworth estates (part of the Devonshire Group) in the North Yorkshire and Peak District National Parks respectively.

At Bolton Abbey, we managed the production of a strategy and masterplan for the redevelopment of the ‘core visitor area’. Alongside this, we have made representations on the proposed inclusion of a Whole Estate Plan policy as part of the local development plan review, which will be out for consultation shortly.

At Chatsworth, we are leading the production of an ambitious, holistic whole estate plan, which seeks to share thinking around the vision, aims and objectives of the new generation of estate leadership that will inform management, investment and development decisions over a fifteen to twenty year period. A process which has established a productive dialogue between the estate and the National Park in advance of any development proposals being brought forward.

Visit our case studies to learn more about our approach to estate scale strategies.

Following on from our recent leisure and tourism event, later this year we will be holding a ‘roundtable’ on the main issues and opportunities facing rural estates. To express an interest in this event, or in our estate work more widely please drop us an email: marketing@ruralsolutions.co.uk