“I enjoy the variety of work and challenges that is encompassed within the rural sphere – whether working with agricultural properties, forestry portfolios, landed estates or in renewables developments of all shapes and sizes.”

Based in our Rural Property and Business team, Stuart advises on all aspects of rural property transactions, including the sale and purchase of farms; forestry matters; and renewable energy projects.

His particular focus is on the sale and purchase of large estate, forestry and agricultural properties, as well as their ongoing management. Stuart is an expert in renewable and green energy matters, including the sale and purchase of carbon units arising from woodland planting and peatland restoration projects. He also has extensive experience in charity and community matters, having acted in a number of high-profile community acquisitions and projects.

He has written a series of carbon agreement templates which have been used in multiple acquisitions throughout Scotland, and is accredited by the Law Society of Scotland as a specialist in agricultural law.

Sector experience includes:

Admitted

2010: Scotland

Relevant experience

Rural Property Matters
•   Advising some of Scotland’s largest private landowners on all property – and estate-related matter, including agricultural tenancies, sale of properties, residential tenancies, commercial developments and related matters.
•   Acting for forestry investors in the acquisition of a number of existing forestry and woodland planting sites across Scotland.
•   Advising both project developers and landowners in carbon sequestration projects by way of woodland and peatland restoration for the sale and purchase of carbon units.

Renewable Energy
•   Acting for a number of landowners in Scotland in completing wind farm Option Agreements and Leases with various developers, including access cabling and habitat management.
•   Acting for landowners in the development of run-of-river hydro schemes, battery storage projects, grid balancing projects and solar farms.
•   Acting for community bodies in agreements for acquiring an income share in renewables projects.

Crofting
•   Advising on the sale of crofting estates and the sale of croft land from estates.
•   Advising renewables developers in entering into options and lease agreements for wind farms on croft land (both in-bye croft land and common grazings). This includes advising on the terms of the option agreements and the tri-partite agreements with the crofters and on any subsequent scheme for development required under the crofting legislation.
•   Advising an estate client entering into a master agreement with a developer for the restoration of peatland on common grazings; and in the subsequent negotiations with the crofters and grazings committee to permit the project to proceed, for the benefit of the estate, the crofters and the developer.

“I am always impressed by his knowledge of the subject. He understands the culture of our business and what we are looking for.”

Chambers (2021)