Provision of legal advice for Reviving Exmoor's Heartlands Landscape Recovery Project

Description

Reviving Exmoor's Heartlands is part of Defra's Landscape Recovery scheme, aiming to support long-term, large-scale restoration of England's most precious habitats. The Reviving Exmoor's Heartlands (REH) project is a round 2 Landscape Recovery project that has been approved for a two year development phase, which started in April 2024. The project aims to restore Exmoor's central moorlands to a thriving ecological state with good habitat connectivity to the wider landscape, supported by viable farming. The project area spans approximately 12,000 hectares made up of a cluster of over 20 upland farms and moorland landholdings including large areas of common land, supporting mainly extensive beef and sheep enterprises. The provision of this contract is for: Advise on Legal Structure and Governance - Evaluate and compare options for suitable legal entity structures aligned with the project goals (e.g. CIC, CIO, LLP, BenCom). - Present clear and actionable advice to the project steering group and participants via an evening workshop to make a final decision on the legal form and governance arrangements. - Draft a fit-for-purpose governance structure and plan for the selected SLE model compliant with HM Treasury's Managing Public Money principles. Draft and Review Legal Agreements - Draft and advise on: - Agreements between the SLE and land managers/commoners associations. - Implementation agreement with Natural England. - Contracts with private investors and partners. - Identify and evaluate legal tools to safeguard environmental outcomes (e.g. conservation covenants, land trusts). - Ensure agreements: - Provide long-term environmental and legal security. - Address enforcement, flexibility, and succession planning for land ownership. Conduct Land & Title Due Diligence - Review land ownership titles for risks, rights, or restrictions. - Complete due diligence letters to be submitted to Natural England before contract signing. - Identify and propose resolutions for any legal impediments to delivery. Statutory Consents and Risk Management - Identify required statutory consents, permits, or licenses. - Highlight legal risks and develop mitigation strategies.