John Coates
Partner, Private Estates
With an active interest in his family farm, John understands the value of creative thinking, sensible advice and reliable service.

With an active interest in his family farm, John understands the value of creative thinking, sensible advice and reliable service.

John is understood to be the first agent to successfully use permitted development rights for an agricultural to residential conversion in England. He makes his clients aware of relevant opportunities they should exploit and is always seeking those little things that can be done better.
John believes long-term relationships, built on trust, are the key to success. He takes pleasure formulating plans to improve clients’ property and delivering consistent improvements which everyone can be proud of. As his clients’ “go to man” John is always ready and willing to act.
John’s wide-ranging experience, coupled with his position within a dedicated multi-disciplinary office of experts, allows him to call on a range of specialisms in order to quickly provide clients with a level of detailed advice that sets him apart from his peers.
His favourite part of the job is its variety – be it securing planning permission for employees’ cottages; erecting grain stores; negotiating all manner of tenancies; buying and selling farms, woodland, houses and development sites or; helping clients get the most out of infrastructure projects.

What impact does the Brexit trade agreement have on agriculture?
As the 12-month transition period for Brexit passed on 31 December, and the UK managed to avoid a ‘no deal’ Brexit scenario, what does a new trade agreement look like for the farming business? Ian Ashbridge, Partner in Agriculture and Environment explains what impact the new deal has on the agriculture industry.

A path to sustainable farming? The Agricultural Transition Plan 2021-24
The biggest surprises in the Government’s Path to Sustainable Farming were the scale and speed of cuts to the Basic Payment Scheme, or Direct Payments as they are commonly referred to in the Agricultural Transition Plan (ATP). Ian Ashbridge, Agriculture and Environment Partner at Bidwells, shares his insight on what these cuts mean for farming businesses and sustainability.
