Let’s talk rubbish and the law - John Sones looks at fly-tipping and and what can be done to prevent it occuring on your land

LAST year, one of our local newspapers featured a farmer who was the victim of hazardous asbestos waste being illegally dumped on his land. The headline was "Farmer: I won't pay asbestos bill", which related to his apparent refusal to pay the clear-up costs of £3,000. Unfortunately, although he had neither caused nor permitted the waste to be dumped, under the current law he is deemed to be "knowingly" keeping it there and has to either have it responsibly removed or get a waste management licence otherwise he risks being prosecuted.

Demystifying planning - Approaching planning in the right way can save time and money, says Business Link

IF YOU are thinking of applying for planning permission, whether for a specific development or a change of use, you may be put off by a process which can seem complicated and confusing.

To register or not?

I HAVE a property with about five acres of land. How do I go about registering a smallholding, and who with? What advantages are there for having my land registered as a smallholding? The land is in a designated green belt area so does this cause issues? Tim Stringer

Single Payment Scheme - European Union agrees to major change to rules to support claims for entitlement

ON January 21 2008, the European Union's Agricultural and Fisheries Council agreed to a major change in the rules of the Single Payment Scheme.

Planning and polytunnels - John Sones looks at recent case law involving polytunnels and related planning issues

IN December 2006 there was a landmark High Court decision about whether or not a farm with several existing polytunnels required planning permission for them. Although the result has given some clarification, there still continues to be confusion about their planning status. In this article I will explain the background and outline the current situation. I will also touch on other general planning issues.

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