Challenges 

The key challenge with this project was the considerable number of different land interests stretching 100 miles across the Scottish Highlands. Circa 140 agreements were required with a wide range of land uses from large estates, crofting and common grazings. 

Poor land registry data meant we needed to carry out extensive sasine searches and landowner discussions to map out every land interest along the route.  

The project was also contentious with several local parties initially reluctant to provide consent. Added to this was a challenging timeframe. 

Fortunately, at B&P we like a good challenge. Proactive engagement and building relationships are at the heart of what we do. We worked as a team, carrying out extensive engagement and where necessary advising on statutory powers to secure agreements.  

Various complex compensation negotiations were required, including timber crop compensation, development loss for residential plots/peatland restoration projects and disturbance claims across large farming estates. We used our experience in dealing with compensation claims to offer professional advice on approaching each of these. 

Ultimately all agreements were secured voluntarily and on time, allowing the project to successfully progress to the planning stage. 

Challenges 

This area of Scotland is known for its high value crops such as potatoes and strawberries supplied to major clients and events including Wimbledon. At the point of our involvement the project had already been in discussion with landowners for several years however there were considerable reservations and the prospect of CPO being required to secure land rights. Our land team rebuilt relationships between the client and landowners to successfully secure all 40 landowner agreements within a pressurised 18-month timeframe, demonstrating our team’s excellent engagement skills. 

The biggest challenge with this project, however, was the COVID-19 pandemic which meant construction had to be stood down for a period of time. As a project of national significance, construction was able to restart during lockdown with our Agricultural Liaison Team among the very limited number of people permitted to remain on site throughout, providing a presence to oversee compliance and maintain local relationships. 

There was also a change of contractor during construction causing disruption and changes to how things were done, plus the added pressure of open soil exposed for cable construction which needed to be continued urgently. We had to reassemble a new construction team and get work back on track as quickly and smoothly as possible to prevent damage and considerable losses for the landowners.  

Good relationships and understanding the needs of all involved are integral to every project but were absolutely crucial during this time on Seagreen. Our industry experience and ability to draw on the right people from our team to maintain strong relationships with the client, contractors and the community were critical to its success. 

Additional challenges our land team had to navigate included a major golfing event at Carnoustie and associated media coverage, negotiating with global media outlets such as Sky Sports to allow coverage without impacting on construction. Our role also included liaising with the Ministry of Defence to close the UK’s longest rifle firing range for a week to facilitate construction. 

Many of our team honed their engagement and negotiation skills through this project building long lasting relationships which continue today. 

Challenges 

This is a massive project so inevitably comes with some challenges to overcome. 

Due to the scale of the project there are approximately 110 landowners and tenants we had to build relationships and trust with. Our team’s extensive experience in stakeholder engagement and open, honest, up-front approach paid off here developing strong relationships and confidence.  

The original client losing the Development Consent Order during Covid was a setback. However, due to the strong relationships and levels of trust built with the landowners, the survey and evaluation stage of the projects remained on schedule. 

Weather can also be a challenge impacting construction timelines and restrictions such as soil handling. With landowners along the route growing crops from cereals to salads, and even blackcurrants, each crop and soil type needed its own type of managing and protection. Our ALOs are on hand at all times to liaise with all parties to deal with any issues or queries and keep lines of communication open.