Bruton Knowles had a fruitful few days at the Royal Three Counties Show in Worcestershire recently, where its Planning and Development and Rural teams raked in a fantastic array of new business leads whilst also re-connecting in person with many existing associates for the first time since the global pandemic.

Over the course of the three-day event, which took place between 17th to 19th June 2022 at the Three Counties Showground in Malvern, representatives from the firm of leading Chartered Surveyors were on hand to deliver detailed planning and development appraisals to landowners, as well as no-obligation advice on all aspects of rural property and land assets.

Experts from Bruton Knowles – which has 11 offices across the UK and employs over 200 staff – were also available to talk more widely to visitors about their services. These cover the full spectrum of professional advice and analysis relating to buildings, land and the environment in which property assets sit.

With around 90,000 visitors attending this prestigious event, of which 30% are estimated to be involved in the farming industry, the Royal Show provided an excellent platform for Bruton Knowles to give practical tips to a priority group of current and potential customers.

The team were delighted with the levels of engagement despite the extremes of weather, especially when Adam Henson, presenter of the BBC’s Countryfile programme and one of the best-known farmers in the UK, stopped by for a chat and to show his support.

Rural businesses are the lifeblood of the economy, accounting for around 23% of all registered businesses in England and employing 3.6m people, with those figures growing all the time as more seek to diversify and respond to changing market conditions.

Many also operate under the small business category, which comprises 99.9% of the UK's total business population, and are seen as pivotal to the green revolution as the country strives to become Net Zero by 2050. 

James Bailey, Managing Partner at Bruton Knowles, said: “For many landowners and stakeholders of rural assets, ensuring their industry remains competitive involves planning for the future and working out how the value of their assets can be unlocked.

“Our specialists are always geared up to provide the best advice on a whole range of options, from renewable energy investment through to securing rental values, selling livestock, change of land use and rural management.

“As custodians of the rural and built environments, we are fully committed to helping our clients understand the sustainability impact of their investment decisions whilst also enabling them to develop new sources of income in addition to their more traditional rural business activities.

“It was fantastic to be having these sorts of conversations once again at the Royal Three Counties Show. As always, our teams did us proud, engaging with existing customers and potential prospects from across Herefordshire, Worcestershire, and Gloucestershire. They always work incredibly hard to understand client needs whilst balancing these with the commercial realities of the sector.”

In between chatting to visitors at Bruton Knowles’ stand, the team were also able to find five minutes to enjoy the show themselves, taking in the vast array of arena displays, the food festival, and family activities on offer.

As well as marking the 100th anniversary of the Royal show, 2022 is also Bruton Knowles’ 160th year in business. The firm continues to go from strength to strength as an independently owned, national property consultancy, backed by an enhanced Rural team which was bolstered in 2020 through the acquisition of rural surveying practice, John Amos & Co.

The team at John Amos & Co. operates out of its Leominster office but works closely with Bruton Knowles’ Rural Team to deliver high levels of service, built on a reputation of trust, integrity and valued impartial advice.

Complementing the Rural and Planning and Development Teams are Bruton Knowles’ four National Teams, which operate across Utilities and Infrastructure, Valuation, Commercial and Building Consultancy.

Each team is agile, ambitious, with a stand-out work ethic, delivering a one-stop-shop service to deliver an entire project to the exacting standards required. Bruton Knowles has extensive expertise and in-depth market knowledge of local and national property markets throughout the UK.