New Basingstoke MP visits the Manydown Rural Estate

(L-R) Simon Browne, David Neal-Smith, Directors of The Manydown Rural Estate, Luke Murphy MP, Ian Monks, Director of The Manydown Rural Estate and Tim Bamford, CLA Regional Director.

The recently elected MP for Basingstoke, Labour’s Luke Murphy, has visited The Manydown Rural Estate to learn more about their approach to developing a thriving and sustainable rural business, engaged in farming, conservation and the provision of commercial and residential property.

As part of his efforts to discover more about the rural parts of his constituency, Mr Murphy joined regional CLA Director Tim Bamford for a tour, led by Estate Directors Simon Browne, Ian Monks and David Neal-Smith.

Mr Murphy saw work underway at Whitedown Farm, where redundant buildings are being sympathetically converted to provide modern, rural office space for up to seven businesses.

He was shown plans and visited the site of the new Cobbs farm shop and café at Woodgarston. Planning permission was granted in May 2024 to redevelop the former farmyard, enabling Cobbs to relocate the shop from its former site at Manydown. 

The MP also visited the Estate’s vineyard, which is expected to produce the first grapes for wine this autumn and had a chance to view the arable land and grain store from one of the highest points on the Estate.

Farm Manager Olly Stratford, from EC Drummond Ltd explained the need to balance traditional food production with the environment – taking less productive land out of farming and entering it into the Government’s Environmental Land Management Schemes (ELMS) like Countryside Stewardship (CS).

Mr Murphy – the first Labour politician to represent Basingstoke in the history of the constituency – was also shown the proposed site for four new family homes at Manor Farm, in Wootton St Lawrence.

The MP was joined on the visit by Tim Bamford, South East Regional Director of the Country Land and Business Association (CLA). Mr Bamford said: “It was a pleasure to meet Luke at Manydown to discuss a range of issues including sustainable farming, planning, housing and crime.

“We thank Luke for his time and interest, and the Manydown team for hosting us. It was a productive and wide-ranging session, and very useful to see some of the estate’s projects on the ground demonstrating how it is growing food, looking after the environment, supporting jobs and helping to grow the rural economy.

“The new Labour government has identified economic growth as the key mission of this Parliament, and we urge it to help unlock the vast potential of the rural economy.”

During the visit, The Manydown Rural Estate Directors Ian Monks, Simon Browne and David Neal-Smith outlined key issues for the Estate. Mr Browne said the MP was particularly interested in the Estate’s diverse business structure with its range of income streams – and shared the widely held view that the planning system needs more resources to speed up decision-making.

Mr Browne said: “It was extremely useful to be able to introduce our new MP to the Estate and share with him our plans and proposals to maintain the sustainability of the land here, for the benefit of food production, the local community and the environment. It was an extremely positive meeting.”

Mr Murphy took the Basingstoke seat from the Conservatives in July’s General Election, turning a majority of more than 14,000 for the Tories into a majority of more than 6,000 for Labour. The MP is a former adviser to politicians and trade union leaders and most recently worked for the Institute for Policy Research.