Armitstead Barnett are delighted to announce the appointment of Mark Barrow who joins as Partner to expand and strengthen their professional team in Cumbria, operating principally out of their Kendal office. 

Mark, a qualified Chartered Surveyor and Fellow of the Association of Agricultural Valuers, has over 10 years’ experience in rural property and estate matters having previously headed a team of rural surveyors within the South Lakes and Cumbria.  Mark, who originally practised in Carlisle, moved south to Kendal five years ago to be closer to his Upper Eden Valley client base and to grow his former employer’s business interests across South and West Cumbria.

Speaking on the recent appointment, Partner, Richard Furnival, comments “Mark joins the company at an exciting time, when we are looking to strengthen and grow our presence within Cumbria and North Lancashire.  With his wealth of knowledge in all rural property and estate matters, we are delighted to have him onboard and completes the formidable lineup in our Kendal office alongside John Hughes and Emma Hodkinson.”

Hailing from a farming family, he is perfectly placed to provide sound practical and professional advice to all clients and corporate stakeholders. 

At a time when the agricultural and land-owning sector faces its biggest challenge in decades, Armitstead Barnett strives to be at the forefront of advising land owning clients and businesses across Cumbria and Lancashire. Prior to qualifying as a Chartered Surveyor and fellow of the Association of Agricultural Valuers, Mark was employed as a Farm and Environmental Advisor completing numerous Higher-Level Stewardship, Basic Payment Scheme and grant applications.  His Honours degree in Environmental Land Management and practical farming background put him in an excellent position to advise clients on the transition away from CAP to the new Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS) and Sustainable Farming Scheme.  In the last few years, he has worked closely with farming businesses and Natural England catchment sensitive farming officers to deliver hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of Countryside Stewardship and capital infrastructure grants.

As a qualified RICS registered valuer, Mark brings with him a wealth of experience in producing valuations for probate and secured lending purposes.  He is also a seasoned pro in regards to both land and farm sales and has held numerous management instructions.

As we start 2021, moving away from Europe and hopefully well on our way to seeing the benefits of the new Covid-19 vaccine, things can feel somewhat daunting.  However, Mark and the team have been working hard to prepare themselves to ensure the new year is off to the best of starts.  We will quickly see the latest application round of Countryside Stewardship grant funding, commencement of ELMS trials and potential future funding for slurry stores together with de-linking of BPS payments and the potential effects of these on land and farm sales and much more ahead. 

Armitstead Barnett welcome clients old and new to speak, and register their interest with Mark on any of the issues listed above, or for a broader discussion depending on your individual circumstances for a free face to face (Covid-19 permitting) or phone discussion.