1838
is the year when a group of
interested individuals set up
the Royal Agricultural Society of England
On the right track
At the heart of the UK rural economy lies Stoneleigh Park,
a national hub for agricultural innovation and research
T
Colin Hooper
Estates Director,
Stoneleigh Park
Colin Hooper is Estates
Director at Stoneleigh Park,
which is being transformed
into a leading centre for rural
sciences and sustainability
by LaSalle Investment
Management
he success of Stoneleigh Park
– situated in more than
1,000 acres of Warwickshire
countryside and at the heart of
the nation’s rural economy – is
built upon its rich agricultural heritage.
La Salle Investment Management,
under a 150-year lease from the Royal
Agricultural Society of England (RASE),
is using its high-technology and
management expertise to enhance the
reputation of the estate as a national hub
for rural innovation and research.
LaSalle’s commitment to invest
£50 million to revitalise the park into
a leading centre for rural sciences,
sustainability, innovation and business
is set out in a 15-year masterplan, and
builds on a firm collaboration with
R e a d o n l i n e at: u k s pa . o r g . u k / b r e a k t h r o u g h
RASE, who remain a tenant onsite.
Working with tenants, partners and
stakeholders to create the right
environment for organisations to
prosper is fundamental to that plan.
C l u s t e r o f i n f l u e n ce
An early and significant step was
LaSalle’s creation of a new £5m
bespoke headquarters building for
leasing to the Agriculture and
Horticulture Development Board
(AHDB), the statutory levy body,
funded by farmers, growers and others
in the supply chain, which focuses on
improving the efficiency, sustainability
and competitiveness of the agriculture
and horticulture sectors. The AHDB
recognised that Stoneleigh Park was
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