Felicity Wyatt

Service area(s): Agriculture

Office: Northampton

Position:Principal Solicitor

Telephone:01604 233233

Email:felicitywyatt@hewitsons.com

Overview:

Felicity is a Principal Solicitor in the Agriculture and Rural Business team, based in the Northampton office. She advises farming and rural business clients, as well as landed estates and family trusts, and a few landowning charities, on a wide range of mostly non-contentious matters relating to agricultural land.

Experience:

Felicity acts for agricultural clients in sales, purchases, remortgages and inter-family transfers of land, as well as on rights of way and some boundary issues, has experience of advising in relation to agricultural quotas and subsidies, has a detailed knowledge of the Single Payment Scheme entitlements system, including acting for clients transferring land with or without such entitlements, has advised clients considering entering the Entry Level, and Higher Level, environmental stewardship schemes, as well as those transferring land already within such schemes, or acting for those acquiring land within such schemes. Felicity has a detailed knowledge of the two statutes which govern agricultural lettings, namely the Agricultural Holdings Act 1986 and the Agricultural Tenancies Act 1995, which created the farm business tenancy. She also advises in relation to the terms of grazing and/or mowing licences, of commercial leases of farm buildings, and of residential lettings on agricultural property. She has undertaken several complicated first registrations of large estates, as well as having acted on the granting of easements and wayleaves, whether between individuals for rights of way or the right to take clean water or to drain dirty water or sewage across another landowner's property, or for telecommunications or statutory undertakers, in respect of mobile telephone masts or service conduits. She has increasing experience of acting for agricultural landowners (whether acting individually, or as consortia) in the granting of options by landowners for development, whether for residential or leisure (e.g. golf or marina) development, and for windfarms. She negotiates such options, and the ensuing transfer or lease for the land, with the solicitors acting for the developer or windfarm company. She also regularly negotiates contractual clauses on sale or purchase for development uplift, also known as clawback.

Background:

Felicity is a farmer's daughter, originally from Warwickshire. She undertook her legal training at the College of Law in Chester, and thereafter studied for a Masters in European Law at the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium, and then part-time at De Montfort University for a Masters in Agricultural Law. Having trained with, and then worked for, three very different firms over a ten year period, in Warwickshire, Norfolk and Derbyshire, she moved to Northampton to join Hewitsons' Agriculture and Rural Business Team in January 2007. Felicity attends Women in Property events in the East Midlands, and she is an active member of the Agricultural Law Association, sitting on the Association's Council, as well as being involved in the so-called Next Generation Group of the ALA.

Out of the office, Felicity enjoys competitive running - whether road, cross country, or fell running - as well as sailing, golf and squash. More sedentary activities are being a Saints season ticket holder, and enjoying attending the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra concerts in the Derngate Theatre in Northampton.