Demand for farmland continues to drive prices up in rural areas, according to the National Farmers' Union (NFU), a trend it says is set to continue. Land prices have risen steadily in the last few years, on the back of a reduced supply and strong demand from both farming and residential buyers, it says. 'In the short to medium term, supply of land is likely to be restricted, while losses of land from agriculture will continue with land taken for development or for mineral extraction or forestry,' it continues. These losses are likely to remain at a low level relative to total agricultural area, but can be significant in absolute terms, the report claims. It also says that supply is unlikely to outstrip demand in the foreseeable future: 'Further land is likely to be lost through the proposed managed retreat in coastal areas. Therefore, unless significant changes in the taxation regime as it affects land, there is no reason to suppose that prices will fall in the near future, and they are expected to continue mirroring their long-term growth path,' the NFU concludes.
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Uniquely unique? The Yorkshire grain silos transformed into a home that's a symphony in glass, steel and curvesAmid the beautiful countryside of North Yorkshire, on the edge of the Castle Howard Estate, The Silos is a property for which the word 'house' simply doesn't cut it. And that's not the only way in which it's made us throw out the dictionary.
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Polluting water executives now face up to two years in prison, but will the new laws make much of a difference?The Government has announced that water company executives caught covering up illegal sewage spills could now be imprisoned for two years, under new laws — but many still have their doubts.
