CLA South East member case studies

Members Sam and David Dean in Hampshire have used the CLA advice team, and would recommend the service to others:

"We cannot thank the CLA advice team enough for all of the help that they provide.

“We have contacted Claire Wright on so many different occasions to find out what we are and what we are not allowed to do on our farm. She has patiently helped us navigate our way through our best options and so we know what we can legally do.

“When we had a failed planning application that we didn’t understand, Claire quickly explained the reasons and the best way forward.

“Fenella Collins provided a lot of help with a new venture that we were not sure if we wanted to continue with. Because she knew exactly how big and how many barns we were allowed on the new farm, we were able to put in an offer.

“To have people understand the position you are in and be completely on your side with so much information has been great. They explain it in practical ways that you can get on with.”

Meanwhile Susanna Fitzgerald, an East Sussex-based member, enthuses about the CLA's event offerings and networking opportunities.

She said: "Although I have owned a small country estate in the South East of England for many years, it is only comparatively recently that I have become much more involved with running it, and soon realised just how much I had to learn. The CLA has been an invaluable help.

"In the last couple of years or so, I have been to a wide variety of events put on by the CLA on matters covering new policies and legislation coming in, including the new grant system, rewilding and its possible benefits, running a rural business, and most memorably, how to make chocolates, among others.

"Hearing about other members’ businesses and estates, the problems they tackled and how they solved them has been inspirational. It is wonderful to feel part of a community who are going through or have been through the same experiences that you are, and to know that help is available, as part of your membership fee, to help you with your problem.

"The CLA has a very wide range of knowledgeable people involved with it, both as officers and advisors as well as the other members, all with considerable skills and expertise to share.

"I have benefited greatly from the help and advice I have received, and I would strongly urge anyone who has an interest in the countryside and rural economy to join the CLA as soon as possible. Apart from anything else, the events have been hugely enjoyable and most entertaining."

These case studies appear in the CLA Annual 2023.