Ryecroft Glenton (RG), one of the North East’s leading independent business advisory firms, is continuing to grow its agriculture and landed estates offering and is responsible for more than 24,000 acres of landed estates across Northumberland and County Durham.
The team has gained a new landed estate client each year since 2016 and has increased its acreage by 89% on landed estates alone, due to the agriculture sector experiencing rapid evolution in recent years. This has encouraged diversification into areas such as hospitality and retail to provide alternative and sustainable income streams.
As a result, business owners require advisers with the necessary specialisms to provide a holistic and comprehensive service.
RG has long-standing experience of working with agricultural businesses and landed estates and has evolved its capabilities to offer a comprehensive service, which can be accessed by its clients.
As well as annual compliance work, RG offers a variety of services in the form of succession and inheritance tax planning, trust and estate management as well as personal and business tax planning to ensure minimum tax leakage.
Since 2016, RG have worked with Meldon Park, a family-ran estate in the heart of Northumberland headed by James Cookson. It has diversified to launch Northumberland Logs and Cut Your own Christmas Trees and a popular equestrian DIY Livery business alongside its existing agricultural assets.
James Cookson of Meldon Park said “We’re a rural estate which manages around 80 leases for residential, commercial, leisure and agricultural use and have diversified into the firewood business after we began selling waste timber from trees we were felling that were considered hazardous and the business has significantly grown since”.
Ryecroft Glenton have been very helpful, they are very quick and efficient at responding. They have been a great help when it has come to tax planning such as VAT and income tax, capital gains tax and inheritance tax.”
Helen Pennock, Partner at RG said “The agricultural sector constantly faces challenges, and it is currently going through the biggest change in the last 50 years in the form of the Agricultural transition plan.
“RG has a multi-disciplined Agricultural and Landed Estates team who have a breadth of knowledge and experience in the sector, and who are always on hand to help our clients as and when they need us”
Amanda Cooper, Senior Manager at RG said “Our Agricultural and Landed Estates Team now act for over 300 clients and are we very proud of the growth we have achieved over the years.
Our detailed understanding of each client’s business and family requirements is what sets us apart. Our main priority is to quickly embed ourselves within their affairs and assure them that we are always available to take their call and help them make their business decisions”.