Rural Estates Manager / Land Agent - Holker Estate

Candidate Information Pack Rural Estates Manager / Land Agent

Beach Baker are delighted to be working in partnership with The Holker Group to recruit a Rural Estates Manager/Land Agent to be based on-site at Holker Estate in South Cumbria.

INTRODUCTION Holker Estate is a busy and diverse estate, covering some 17,000 acres of beautiful countryside in England’s South Lakeland. The Estate is home to the Cavendish family for whom conservation of the historical Holker Hall, its land and wildlife remains imperative, not just for themselves and future generations of their family, but for the thousands of visitors that the Holker Estate attracts each year.

Many of the buildings and structures on the Estate are listed or designated Scheduled Ancient Monuments, and over one third of the Estate has some form of environmental designation, including Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and National Nature Reserves. Working in conjunction with national bodies, the Estate can effectively manage these areas to protect the habitats that support the many rare plant species and abundant wildlife.

COMMERCIAL, RESIDENTIAL & AGRICULTURAL PROPERTY

The Estate owns approximately one hundred unique country properties, predominantly located in the Cartmel area. These range from traditional cottages to large detached farmhouses, two thirds of which are let on the open market.

The Estate also owns Devonshire Buildings in Barrow-inFurness, which are two Grade II* listed buildings comprising 112 apartments, a public house and a sandwich shop in close proximity to BAE Systems.

Within the boundaries of the Estate are a variety of commercial properties including business units at Holker School, workshops, storage units, an oyster farm, stables, quarries, a golf course and various agricultural farms and grazing’s.

The Estate owns a number of fully quipped let farms and at the heart of the main Estate, owns a 750 acre contract farmed arable operation.

The Estate has approximately 1,300 acres of woodlands at Holker and across south Cumbria. Two thirds are coniferous forests planted in the twentieth century and one third are broadleaved woodlands, some of which are classed as Ancient Woodland Sites. The coniferous forests were planted to produce commercial timber products within a relatively short time. Whilst this remains an important consideration, the Estate’s objectives are broader now and the woodlands are managed with biodiversity, landscape and amenity in mind.

The woodlands are managed by a small team, using contractors for felling and planting work. The Forestry Commission provides support through a woodland management grant and woodland improvement grants. The Estate is also exploring opportunities for new woodland creation.

The Estate produces sustainably grown commercial timber products including woodchip, which is used in the Estate’s two biomass boilers.

Surrounding Holker Hall are 200 acres of parkland which forms part of the Registered Park and Garden and is grazed by a herd of fallow deer. Holker is a member of the British Deer Farms and Parks Association and has recently started supplying Dovecote Park with the venison from the park deer.

HOLKER FORESTRY AND DEER

RURAL ESTATES MANAGER / LAND AGENT This role is a new and unique opportunity, to live and work in South Cumbria based on the Cartmel Peninsular.

The role includes the requirement to reside in a well presented and beautifully set Estate property provided as part of the package.

PERSON SPECIFICATION • The ability to manage and motivate a small team to

deliver day to day basic Estate management operations.

• The ability to establish new relationships and successfully maintain existing ones.

• Excellent interpersonal skills and experience of

communicating effectively across all levels.

• Highly competent in people management initiatives.

• A friendly, diplomatic, and approachable team leader with strong interpersonal skills that facilitate trust.

PRINCIPAL ROLE ACCOUNTABILITIES •

Day to day management of Holker’s Estate team and reporting directly to the Estate Operations Director.

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Ensures the team provide operational and administrative support to Estate Operations Director in their delivery of strategic projects across the Estates portfolio.

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Understand and advise on all matters regarding livestock and game management across the estate.

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Input to the budgets set by the Clerk of Works and Finance Team regarding delivery of routine repairs and maintenance to the Estates property portfolio.

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Work with the Clerk of Works and Estate Team where appropriate to deliver the annual planned preventative maintenance programme, jointly ensuring that Holker properties are kept in a sound state of repair whilst exercising an appropriate duty of care to tenants.

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Support the Estate Operations Director in delivering the Estate’s in-hand and tenanted farming strategy.

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Manage the re-letting of the Estate commercial and residential properties whereby they do not form part of strategic developments.

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Maintaining and deploy a knowledge of current best practice, legislation and regulations with regard to health, safety and compliance.

HEALTH & SAFETY •

The Land Agent is required to carry out their duties in accordance with the Estate’s Health and Safety policies and procedures.

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The Land Agent must continuously review and build on the Estate’s adoption of statutory requirements and best practice.

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The Land Agent must encourage the Estate Team to operate with full awareness of and compliance to all relevant Health and Safety requirements.

DIVERSITY - The Land Agent is required to have due regard to equal opportunities at all times, and to work in a fair and reasonable manner towards all people, ensuring service standards are maintained for all cultures.

CONTACT US

Dan Cole Managing Consultant Property - Rural

dan.cole@beachbaker.co.uk

07443 880 834