They took the trees, our fruit trees, and then sold us back the fruit. They took the water next, the rivers, the rain, the springs that fed civilisations for thousands of years.

They took the water, bottled it, and sold it back to us. They took the land, land that existed long before any human being drew lines around it and told you that if you wanted to stand on it, you better have a payment plan.

Am I the only one this drives crazy?

Everything you need to survive, water, food, shelter, was already here. Nobody created it. But somehow you were born owing them for it.

And why does a free life sound like such a crazy idea?

Why does simply existing without debt, without bills, without permission? Why does that sound like a fantasy?

Who the hell convinced us that this is how it’s supposed to be?

Land Rights in The Bible

 

All land on Earth is God’s personal property and mankind can only ever be stewards, or tenants of it

‘God speaks to Moses: “The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; and you are but my tenants”‘. Leviticus 25:23

‘Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the highest heavens, the earth and all that is in it.’ Deuteronomy 10:14

‘The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it ‘ Psalm 24:1

Theft of land or inheritance is a cardinal sin

‘You shall not covet your neighbour’s house…’  Tenth Commandment, Exodus 20:17

 

Heirs have the right to receive their estates intact:

‘And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a man die, and have no son, then ye shall cause his inheritance to pass unto his daughter. And if he have no daughter, then ye shall give his inheritance unto his brethren. And if he have no brethren, then ye shall give his inheritance unto his father’s brethren. And if his father have no brethren, then ye shall give his inheritance unto his kinsman that is next to him of his family, and he shall possess it: and it shall be unto the children of Israel a statute of judgement, as the Lord commanded Moses.’  Numbers 27:1-11

 

Greed for property draws the heart away from God

‘Woe to those who join house to house and field to field, until there is no more room, and you are made to dwell alone in the midst of the land. Yahweh of heaven’s armies has sworn in my hearing: “Surely many houses shall be desolate, large and beautiful houses, without inhabitant.’ Isaiah 5:8-9

 

God judges us by how we treat the poor, lowly and humble

‘But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain other brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, “These that have turned the world upside down have come here also”’.  Acts 17:5-6

‘Whosoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.’ Matthew 23:12

 

Jesus’ disciples and apostles held all things in common

‘Then they that gladly received his word were baptised: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and in fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things in common. And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God and having favour with all the people. And YAHWEH added to the church daily, such as should be saved.’ Acts 2:41-47

 

Jesus directly demonstrates the right to roam

‘And it came to pass on the second Sabbath after the first, that He went through the corn fields; and his disciples plucked the ears of corn and did eat, rubbing them in their hands.’ Luke 6:1

 

The Jubilee provides for all debts and tenancies to be temporary and reset every couple of generations

‘And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.’  Leviticus 25:10

 

The Sabbath year reminds all landholders that the land is God’s property and it is their duty to manage it so the poor landless are provided for

‘And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the fruits thereof: But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard.’ Exodus 23:10-11

 

Producers must take responsibility for what they sell, and pay for any adverse consequences

‘If, however, an ox was previously in the habit of goring and its owner has been warned, yet he does not confine it and it kills a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned and its owner also shall be put to death.’  Exodus 21:29

 

Respect property boundaries

‘You shall not move your neighbour’s boundary mark, which the ancestors have set.’ Deuteronomy 19:14

‘Do not move the ancient boundary or go into the fields of the fatherless.’ Proverbs 23:10

 

Government is only one of five co-equal institutions: Marriage promulgates; The family cultivates; Commerce invigorates; and The church translates.  When government goes unchecked by other powers, laid down by God, it is used to take property from the people, confiscating more and more for the privileged eating into the rights of the other four to thrive and, ultimately, survive. Beware of theft by runaway government in a fallen world

‘So Samuel spoke all the words of the Lord to the people who had asked of him a king. He said, “This will be the procedure of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and place them for himself in his chariots and among his horsemen and they will run before his chariots. He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and of fifties, and some to do his ploughing and to reap his harvest and to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. He will also take your daughters for perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and your vineyards and your olive groves and give them to his servants. He will take a tenth of your seed and of your vineyards and give to his officers and to his servants. He will also take your male servants and your female servants and your best young men and your donkeys and use them for his work. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his servants. Then you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.’   1 Samuel 8:10–18

 

The faithful shall inherit the earth through Christ

‘The meek shall inherit the earth..’ Matthew 5:5

‘God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.’ Hebrews 1:2

‘And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.’ Romans 8:17

 

True wealth is accumulated by ones own and ones family’s labour

Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase.’ Proverbs 13:11

 

You are not allowed to charge interest on loans to fellow believers

Thou shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother; usury of money, usury of victuals, usury of any thing that is lent upon usury: Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury; but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon usury: that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all that thou settest thine hand to in the land whither thou goest to possess it.’  Deuteronomy 23:19-20

 

The Jerusalem Temple is not Biblical

Go and tell David my servant, Thus saith YAHWEH, “Thou shalt not build me an house to dwell in: For I have not dwelt in an house since the day that I brought up Israel unto this day; but have gone from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another”.  1 Chronicles 17:4-5

‘And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.’ Revelation 21:2 & 22

 

Israel is commanded not to discriminate, but to care for intermingled ethnic groups as themselves

‘But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.’ Leviticus 19:34

Prince William on third anniversary of ‘Homewards’, his Royal/Corporate charity for homeless people.

https://www.bigissue.com/news/housing/prince-william-homelessness-homewards-year-three/

Prince William: ‘If systems help create homelessness, systems can help prevent it’….?

The future king is aiming to demonstrate that preventing homelessness is the key to tackling the issue as his Homewards initiative turns three. 30 Jun 2026Perhaps William can let the homeless use one of his seven palaces, 10 castles, 12 homes or 56 holiday cottages as part of the royal family’s £20 billion property portfolio?

£3.5m to help 70 people find a home cost £50,000 per person!

By 2027, Prince Billy’s multi-million pound charity is set to house only about 40% of the 250 people they had planned to.

The five-year project is aiming to demonstrate that it is possible to end homelessness across the UK.

In its first three years, Homewards has supported 70 individuals and families into stable homes, and over 250 people were supported into employment. There are over 100 local initiatives involved in the programme, with a £500,000 fund to develop and deliver hyper-specific local action.

Homewards is aiming to fund longer term efforts to prevent homelessness with £1.9 million invested across six locations through the Homewards Fund and £3.5 million through grants and private philanthropy.

The number of households living in temporary accommodation is at its highest since records began, with 134,210 households living in temporary housing in England as of the end of 2025.

Many people who are in temporary accommodation and social housing face moving into the space with zero to little furniture. Homewards is setting out to tackle the issue with a £2.3 million partnership bringing repurposed furniture to those in social housing.

Prince William’s initiative has brought together The Multibank, B&Q, Bosch Home Appliances, DFS Group, Howdens and IKEA to furnish 42 homes so far, with a target of 250 by the end of the programme.

 

Toxic waste on Duchy Estate land in Wigan.  King’s private estate tried to sell land with UK’s ‘worst illegal waste dump’ to council

https://archive.is/m3xZb#selection-1235.0-1587.96

KING Charles’s private estate tried to sell land that was contaminated with a large rotting illegal waste dump to a local authority, it has emerged. In January, a 25,000-ton site described as the UK’s “worst illegal waste dump” in Bickershaw, Wigan, was revealed to be largely on land owned by the Duchy of Lancaster, the King’s extensive private portfolio of properties and estates. Previously, the Duchy said it had offered to transfer the land to Wigan Council in July last year.

However, a Freedom of Information Request by Channel 4 News found that the Duchy tried to sell the site to the local authority at full market price. The Duchy previously claimed that it is, in effect, exempt from regulations and duties to clean the site on account of an ancient feudal legal framework dating back some 750 years.

Then in February, following revelations that the toxic illegal landfill was largely on the Duchy’s land, the estate followed up the offer to the council, offering to transfer the land for free. “We have discussed the matter with the Duchy Solicitor, who has confirmed the Duchy will transfer the property to the Council for nil value and with each party bearing their own costs in the hope that that will assist the Council in dealing with the property in conjunction with its own adjoining land,” the Duchy wrote.

In the revealed correspondence, emails from the Duchy’s solicitors, Farrer & Co, show, in addition to the transfer offer, that the Duchy attempted to sell the contaminated land at market value to the council. In July, the Duchy reportedly wrote: “… it may be possible to sell the land to you. Any sale would have to be at open market value and the Duchy of Lancaster’s valuers, and our costs would have to be paid as well.” Wigan Council told Channel 4 News on Monday that it “respectfully declined” the Duchy’s offer.

A Duchy of Lancaster spokesperson told Channel 4 News: “We continue to work with Wigan Council to try and find an effective resolution to the illegal waste site.” Last month, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said that the Duchy’s plan to hand contaminated land to the local council is “not an acceptable response”. The UK Government has since announced it will fund the clean-up of the Wigan site, although it has yet to begin…

Community Rejoices as Claim for Adverse Possession Successfully Upheld

Challenging Councils & Public Bodies
Leading Housing Solicitors

HJA In The News April 14, 2026

Gregory Horne, Solicitor in the Housing Law team at Hodge Jones & Allen, successfully assisted the defendant in the case of Elitestone v Revill, helping Mr. Revill to demonstrate factual possession of the land in dispute; whereby the original claim for possession was dismissed with the counterclaim for adverse possession allowed with declarations and costs.

Hodge Jones & Allen took on Mr Revill’s case after his previous legal representative was unable to secure him a legal aid certificate. Gregory then had to work with counsel, Timothy Baldwin, Barrister at Garden Court Chambers, to formulate a defence in less than 14 days’ time as a result of the switch in legal teams.

On taking instructions, Mr Revill explained that he was in occupation of a plot of land referred to as Unit 16 Holts Field in opposition to Elitestone Ltd, a real estate company who intended to develop the land.

Wales online: Inside Holtsfield, the thriving but hidden community that has emerged on a holiday site which became a wartime refuge

Holts Field is a small patch of land housing some twenty families who have lived there since the 1930s and some of whom had held a licence to occupy prior to Elitestone’s acquisition. Mr Revill explained that he had been in occupation of the land for 35 years, since 1991, and that he had been active in campaigns to defend the people who lived there, including himself, from eviction for the entire period of his occupation.

He directed Hodge Jones & Allen to a national campaign by the people of Holts Field which had resulted in a case which escalated to the House of Lords in 1997 from which a number of the occupiers of the field had won secure Rent Act tenancies. Mr Revill explained that his occupation began when he paid the person previously in occupation £6,000 for the right to the chalet. It later transpired that this was the wrong person to pay as they had never had permission form the licence holder to live in the chalet themselves.

Swansea council: Conservation area – Holt’s Field

Mr Revill was unfortunately the victim of a fire in March 2024 which destroyed his chalet on Holts Field, destroyed all the documentation which might have lent credibility to his claims, and caused Mr Revill such severe injury that he was medically declared dead and had no heartbeat for 15 minutes. He was eventually resuscitated and it was at that point that possession proceedings began.

Gregory assisted in preparing a defence which argued firstly that he was a licensee, having bought a licence when he took up occupation, and in the alternative that he was in adverse possession and had been since 1991 meaning that he was entitled to a declaration that the property was held on trust for him beneficially.

At a three day trial last week, Gregory and Timothy Baldwin were both able to successfully persuade the judge that despite the deficiencies in documentary evidence, there was sufficient credible evidence, primarily in the form of the live testimony evidence of those who were also involved in the struggle for the field in 1991, that Mr Revill had begun his occupation in the summer of 1991 and was therefore entitled to the declaration sought.

The Land Is Ours 1997 Action: 1997: action in the Gower, Holtsfield homepage

At that trial, HHJ Beard gave an oral judgement making findings of fact on the evidence that the Defendant had been in uninterrupted possession of Unit 16 from August 1991 and that breaks in possession in 2019 and as a result of the fire did not amount to abandonment and he had sought secure and improve the land. Therefore, the elements of demonstrating adverse possession were made out as he has factual possession of the land, had the necessary intention to possession the land and this was without the Claimants consent. Further as the possession had been at least 12 years prior to the 13 October 2003 before the Land Registration Act 2003 came into force he was entitled to the declaration and registration as proprietor. Thus, the claim for possession was dismissed and the counterclaim for adverse possession allowed with declarations and costs.

The case demonstrated the strength of the community and showed solidarity in action amongst those who have lived and fought for their right to remain for all those years.

As a result of this ruling, Mr Revill has already begun construction work on a new chalet on the site and intends to take up occupation and rejoin the community there at the earliest opportunity. Gregory and Mr Baldwin also achieved an order for costs subject to detailed assessment as per legal aid guidance.

Commenting on the successful result, Gregory stated: “I was very pleased to be able to help Mr Revill. It is inspiring to see a community come together to make right such a long running dispute and I am hopeful that this judgement will bring to a close the 35 plus years of conflict between Elitestone and the residents of Holts Field.”

 

Read more elsewhere here on The Land Is Ours website: Holtsfield – The Story so Far

Royal Mint, National Debt: The Shocking Truth About The Royal Finances
by Norman Baker, Biteback, £22
Ref: https://www.bitebackpublishing.com/books/royal-mint-national-debt

In his irreverent and uncompromising bestseller … And What Do You Do?, former Minister of State and Privy Counsellor Norman Baker laid bare what the British royal family didn’t want us to know, namely its extravagant use of public money and general bad behaviour.

This sensational sequel goes even deeper in its analysis of royal finances, examining where the money comes from, how it is used and what has changed with the arrival of a new king.

Amongst many other things, it reveals how a family that was effectively bankrupt in 1760 is now one of the richest in the country; how they lobby governments and the media to maximise their profits from the public purse; and how they take advantage of a uniquely beneficial tax and legislative regime.

Packed with details on the acceptance of dodgy donations; the appropriation of official gifts for personal use; and the exploitation of public bodies including the NHS, churches and charities, who are charged punitive rates for the use of Duchy-controlled land, this eye-opening exposé also includes a chapter on Andrew Mountbatten Windsor and his money-making endeavours, including his friendships with convicted fraudsters, paedophiles and spies.

Pulling no punches, this is the book the royal family really don’t want you to read.
*****************************************
 

YouTube interview with Norman Baker about his new book here: King Charles and Prince William’s Secret Billions: Norman Baker on Royal Finances
****************************************
 

Morning Star Book Review
Exposure of the Royal rip-off
23 December 2025
JAMIE BRITTON reaches for the sick bucket as he is forced to engorge detail after detail of the Royal Family’s wealth

Ref: https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/exposure-royal-rip

Royal Mint, National Debt: The Shocking Truth About The Royal Finances
Norman Baker, Biteback, £22

IF ever a book should come with a public health warning this is it! Either that or the reader should prepare to have a sick bucket nearby and a large quantity of Rennies to be consumed after they have finished it.

Baker follows up to his forensic study of the royal finances, And What Do You Do?, by going even deeper into where the money comes from, how it is used, and how the royals lobby governments and the media for maximum profit. It is all here in sordid detail. How the NHS and charities pay them to use Duchy-controlled land, and how they increase their profits by mixing with crooks and other dubious individuals.

Yes, Andrew Mountbatten Windsor and Sarah Ferguson are here. By the time you have finished Chapter 8, Andrew’s Unsavoury Circle, you might find a Rennie will come in handy to quell the rising heartburn and flux you will undoubtably feel.

What I found most interesting in this book was the chapter on the Sovereign Wealth Fund. It shows clearly how monarchs go about reducing parliamentary and public scrutiny of their financial dealings. In 2025 the royal settlement for the year ahead was a 53 per cent increase in funding for the royals. This bitter pill was sugared by the decision to axe the royal train. “King cuts back on bills” screamed the headlines! In fact, as Baker points out this was not a saving at all as the royals were to benefit from two new “carbon-busting” helicopters that vary in price between £150,000 and £500,000. As Baker states: “Expect the royals to plump for something at the top end as they are not paying.”

In Chapter 9, Upstairs, Downstairs, Baker lists the ludicrous lifestyle hidden from the public. The fact that Queen Elizabeth II needed ten servants to serve her afternoon tea; the sandwiches having to be cut in certain ways so that they had no corners on them; that King Charles must have several eggs boiled for his breakfast so that he can have the perfect one to suit his preference at the time; the unspeakable Andrew calling a maid up four flights of stairs to open his curtains. Curtains he was sitting right next to.

But wait! I hear you ask. Isn’t William going to slim down the monarchy? All this is made clear in Chapter 3, Mercenary Duchies, and Chapter 12, A New Beginning, where Baker shows that things have got worse “in terms of the vast sums of public money now being directed to this, one of the richest families in the country.”

So the next time the media deems fit to present a future king, with family, in a field of daffodils, or the king raising a glass of stout towards us: remember, they are not smiling. They are laughing at us. Laughing all the way to the bank.

Pippa Middleton ready for a rumble with The Ramblers’ Association after shutting footpath at her £15million mansion

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15706723/Pippa-Middleton-Ramblers-Association-shutting-footpath-15million-mansion.html

When Pippa Middleton and James Matthews paid £15 million for a 32-room red-brick Georgian mansion set in 145 acres of Berkshire countryside, they surely thought they had found the perfect sanctuary to raise their young family in privacy.

But the Princess of Wales’s younger sister and her hedge-fund tycoon husband now find themselves in a battle with furious locals, after they barred dog walkers and ramblers from going through their grounds.

The couple will now have to persuade a government-appointed planning inspector next month that they are within their rights to withdraw long-standing access to the track.

Grade I-listed Barton Court, which sits on the River Kennet near the village of Kintbury, was previously owned by the late retail tycoon Sir Terence Conran, who allowed locals to use Mill Lane, which winds through the estate.

But when the couple arrived in 2022 with their three children – Arthur, seven, Grace, five, and Rose, three – they wasted little time in closing off the lane with an electric gate.

Signs warning ‘Private: No Public Access’ and ‘No Trespassing’ appeared around the perimeter.

Thirty-five residents, backed by The Ramblers Association, applied to West Berkshire Council to have Mill Lane declared a public right of way.

The council sided with the villagers, but Mr Matthews, through his land agent, then objected.

Do YOU think that access to this footpath should be made public?

No, it’s on private property
Yes, people have used this lane for a long time

Next month a planning inspector will hear representations from both sides before making a legally binding ruling.

Eugene Futcher, chairman of West Berkshire Ramblers, told The Mail on Sunday: ‘The public have had  for a very long time – certainly before the 1960s.’

‘Taking it away will be inconvenient, especially when walking is so important. It will force people on to the main road, which is very dangerous.

‘There is no footpath or verge.

‘The paths were never closed under Conran – he actively encouraged people to use them.’

Rob Brown, 68, a Kintbury resident since 1985, said: 1 don’t think they give a damn about what anyone in the village thinks.

‘They’re not very popular in the area. They think they’re better than everyone else. They re not even the proper Royal Family

‘Closing the path is a nuisance. Conran was better for the area.’

Peter Clegg, 68, said: I don’t know who they think they are. They think they can decide who can walk where and when.

‘It’s not on. It’s not like people are trampling on arable fields. People have been walking there for a long time. It shows a lack of respect.’

A resident of 20 years added: ‘I understand their need for privacy, but you can’t move into a village and demand that people change their ways.’

The footpath dispute is not the only source of friction since the couple arrived in Kintbury.

Plans to renovate the mansion stalled after archaeologists warned that work could disturb prehistoric remains on the site.

And last year a party to mark Mr Matthews’ 50th birthday drew complaints over late-night music.

On Thursday April 1st, protesters in London occupied the exclusive Mayfair antiquarian bookshop belonging to the absentee landlord at the centre of the rent dispute hitting hill farmers in the Knockmealdowns in Waterford, Eire. A proposed 900% increase in rent by Peregrine Cavendish, 12th Duke of Devonshire
will drive these traditional farmers off the land their families have tended to for centuries.

   

Sheep farmers 900% rent increase issue raised in Dáil
The Munster Express, 28th Mar 2026

Ref: https://www.munster-express.ie/sheep-farmers-900-rent-increase-issue-raised-in-dil/

The issue of a proposed 900% rent increase for sheep farmers leasing land in the Knockmealdown Mountains was raised in the Dáil last week.
A group of farmers, who lease the almost 8,000 acres of land on the mountains from Lismore Estate, which manages Lismore Castle on behalf of the Duke of Devonshire and his son the Earl of Burlington, recently spoke out after they were told that the rent they pay will increase up to €50 per hectare in 2029.

The farmers on the commonage told media that they had previously been paying €5 per hectare for over 20 years. The figure increased to €15 in 2024, and €17.50 in 2025. They were recently told by Lismore Estate that it will now increase every year up to 2029.
One sheep farmer, Thomas Fitzgerald said there are concerns they will be ‘hunted’ off the land by the increase, and he has refused to pay the increased rent until it can be negotiated. In response, Lismore Estate has refused to provide him with a letter of evidence to prove he is leasing the land.
Sinn Féin TD Conor D. McGuinness raised the issue to the Minister for Agriculture, Martin Heydon in the Dáil last week.
“I want to raise the issue of hill farmers on the Knockmealdown Mountains in County Waterford,” Deputy McGuinness said. “They are currently in dispute with a landlord over exorbitant rent increases. I know the Minister will not intervene but the Department has effectively taken a side in an ongoing dispute here in holding these farmers over a barrel because no farm payments are being issued while the dispute goes on because of the requirement to provide a commonage-evidence letter.
“This is effectively the State siding with the landlord. These farmers rely on that farm payment. They farm other lands as well as the ones that are in dispute. This has echoes of darker times in our history when absentee landlords pushed farmers of the land. The Department needs to take a realistic look at this,” he added.
In response, Minister Heydon said: “I am aware of the particular case in Waterford that Deputy McGuinness has raised. It is a bit beyond the scope of this question. The issue of single farm payments comes down to who is the active farmer. That is the position on that question. I hope a resolution can be found in the near future”.
Deputy McGuinness said that the response received by the Minister was “wholly inadequate” and confirms that the Government is “taking a hands off approach.”
He added: “These farmers are facing rent increases of up to 900 percent. At the same time, they are being denied access to their farm payments because they cannot produce a commonage evidence letter while the dispute is ongoing. That leaves them trapped, under pressure, and with their livelihoods at risk”.
“This has echoes of darker times when absentee landlords pushed Irish farmers off the land. That is a comparison that should deeply concern this Government.
“The Minister’s response boiled down to a narrow technical definition of ‘active farmer’ and a hope that the issue resolves itself. That is not good enough. These are real families who rely on those payments to survive and to continue farming.
“This is about the future of hill farming and rural communities in places like the Knockmealdowns. Once this way of life is lost, it cannot simply be restored.
“The Minister must now intervene. He must ensure that no farmer loses their payments because of documentation issues arising from an ongoing dispute, and he must engage to support a fair and sustainable outcome for those farming these lands,” Deputy McGuinness concluded.
A spokesperson for Lismore Estate provided the following statement: “A rent review was conducted in 2023 which informed the proposed rents for tenants of the Knockmealdown Mountains on the Lismore Estate, up to and including 2029”.
“This proposal was endorsed by an independent agricultural consultant, and we are working with tenants on its gradual phased implementation,” the spokesperson for Lismore Estate added.

Duchy of Cornwall tenants ‘enormously stressed’ over Devon estate sell-off
The Herald, Sat 28th March 2026

Ref: https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/national/25976758.duchy-cornwall-tenants-enormously-stressed-devon-estate-sell-off/

Tenants of the Duchy of Cornwall have been left “enormously stressed” following plans to sell off land on an estate in Devon.

The Bradninch estate, near Cullompton, has been part of the duchy for centuries and is owned by the eldest son of the monarch.

As heir to the throne, the Prince of Wales inherited the estate – a portfolio of land, property and investments valued at more than £1 billion – when his father became King.

The duchy provides William, who is the 25th Duke of Cornwall, with a private income of nearly £23 million a year.

The money is used to fund the charitable, private and official lives of William, the Princess of Wales and their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

The duchy said the sales were part of an ongoing review into where it can make the “most social and environmental impact across our existing portfolio” and tenants were being given the chance to buy their farms.

In a letter to The Times newspaper, local resident John Palmer said: “This is unexpected and shocking news, and is enormously stressful for tenants and employees of the duchy estate.

“It is said that the tenants will have first option of buying their farms, some of which have been in the same family for generations.

“It will be difficult or impossible for some duchy tenants to raise the necessary capital in these financially challenging times for British farmers.”

George Dunn, chief executive of the Tenant Farmers Association (TFA), said: “The Tenant Farmers Association is aware of conversations currently live on the duchy’s Bradninch estate involving the duchy informing its tenants that it is selling that bit of its portfolio and giving the tenants first refusal before doing so.

“Obviously, the association is disappointed that the duchy is selling, but it is part of their current plans for rationalisation and, in the world of the second best, the TFA is pleased, at least, to see that sitting tenants are to be given first refusal on purchasing.

“The association has no reports of tenants receiving notices to quit.

“So, whilst unable to confirm or deny those reports, it might be occurring on farm business tenancy agreements where notice is available to the duchy so that it can sell with vacant possession if the sitting tenant is not interested in a purchase.

“Obviously, where the tenant is unable or unwilling to purchase the freehold, there will be a major upheaval in respect of their farm businesses given their expectation to have been tenants on those farms into the long term in light of the long-term nature of Duchy of Cornwall tenancies.”

Will Bax, chief executive of the Duchy of Cornwall, said: “Over the past year, we have been reviewing where we can make the most social and environmental impact across our existing portfolio.

“We will be reinvesting significantly in areas where there is the greatest need and potential.

“To drive this social and environmental impact means making some very tough decisions.

“These decisions are made carefully and with a long-term view.

“With any sale, our priority is to manage the process with compassion and to give our tenants as much time and support as possible.

“Many of our farm tenants are telling us that they see this is an exciting opportunity for their families to buy their own properties for the first time.”

Guardian: finding out who owns land will become simpler under plans to make the best use of green spaces and hit net zero targets

Fiona Harvey Environment editor Wed 18 Mar 2026

Finding out who owns land in England is to become much simpler because a paywall will be lifted from large parts of the Land Registry, the government is to announce.

A small number of landowners control the majority of land but finding out who owns what is difficult to piece together, even for government departments, owing to the way the Land Registry operates. Freeing up access will make it easier to determine ownership of key areas, such as river catchments, grouse moors and peatland.

The change comes as part of a major reform to the way England’s land is managed. The government’s long-awaited land use framework – to be unveiled by Emma Reynolds, the environment secretary, on Wednesday afternoon – marks the first time that government has attempted to assess how best to use farmland, nature reserves and areas of degraded land to help balance competing needs for land for food production, housing, energy and industry.

For the first time, ministers will set out how much land is needed to meet the UK’s net zero target through growing forests and restoring peatland as “carbon sinks” and through energy generation from solar and wind-farms. Only about 1% of land will be needed for renewable energy generation, according to the government’s new estimate, and much of the land required will still be used for food production, for instance through livestock grazing around wind-farms and under solar panels.

New mapping will also make it easier to assess how the restoration of peatlands in upland areas could reduce flooding from rivers, which is expected to worsen as the climate crisis deepens.

Reynolds said: “It is more important than ever that we make the right decisions about our finite land, especially in the face of the dual threat of the climate and nature crises. The land use framework will hardwire climate resilience and nature-based solutions into our decision-making to ensure that we have safe homes for the future.”

Guy Shrubsole, author of Who Owns England?, said: “The bold promise to open up the Land Registry would finally bring to an end a thousand years of secrecy shrouding who owns England, and enable greater scrutiny of what goes on behind the barbed-wire fences that criss-cross the countryside. Given that 1% of the population own half of England, it’s only reasonable that the largest landowners should be held most responsible for restoring nature to these ‘dewilded’ isles. The new land use framework is an ambitious step towards making England a greener, fairer and more pleasant land.”

However, the government will stop well short of directing how land must be used in any area. There will be no attempts to force landowners to give up control and no national scheme to mandate the conversion of land to carbon sinks. The framework will be used to “steer” house-builders away from constructing homes on flood-plains, after concerns about the number of new-build homes at risk from flooding as the climate crisis worsens.

The aim that everyone should be within 15 minutes of a green space or water will also become easier to meet within the new framework, as councils will be given tools to identify where green space is lacking so that they can invest accordingly. About one in five people in England lack such access at present, but this is worst among the most deprived communities.

Farmers have been concerned that food production would be downgraded in favour of turning land to nature protection or use as carbon sinks, for instance through growing forests. But campaigners said there need not be a contradiction between nature protection and farming.

“Wildlife in the UK is in crisis so nature must be given space to recover,” said Brendan Costelloe, policy director at the Soil Association. “But for the land that will remain farmland, it’s vital the government recognises that food production does not have to stop to create space for nature. We can and must make sure the land that’s producing food is doing so in a nature-friendly way.”

The Soil Association wants more support for farmers to grow peas and beans, which fix nitrogen in the soil naturally, and more trees to be planted for forage, human food and wood, as well as a shift away from growing crops that require a high degree of soil disturbance on slopes and flood-plains.