Meet the Team
GUY FRENCH: Founder
You know what your farm needs. The hard part is getting a planning officer to see it the same way.
Guy grew up farming and still runs his own diversified farms, so he has been where you are. He knows what it costs when a refusal holds up a building you need, or an idea that would keep the farm going. For 20 years he has been finding routes through the planning system for farmers: new agricultural buildings, farm tracks, reservoirs, commercial developments and residential conversions.
You understand your farm. Guy helps you make the council understand it too.
EMILY FRENCH: Founder
Running a farm business leaves little time for chasing paperwork. When you work with Foxes Rural, you should never have to wonder what is happening with your case.
Emily makes sure you don't. She runs the systems that keep every client's case on track, from the diary and deadlines to the accounts. She also brings 20 years of hands on farm diversification experience, so when you talk to her about your plans, you are talking to someone who has done it.
You stay focused on the farm. Emily keeps everything else moving.
MELANIE BINGHAM-WALLIS: Planning Director
Nobody wants to spend money on an application only to see it refused on a point that could have been spotted at the start.
Mel makes sure that doesn't happen to you. Every case that leaves Foxes Rural goes through her. She tests every argument and deals with the questions a planning officer is likely to raise before they are asked.
That means you submit knowing your case is as strong as it can be.
MORWENNA SAUNDERS: Farm Planning Consultant
Planning can feel like a world that was not built for farmers. Too many feel like they are interrupting when they ask for help.
Morwenna is often the first person you will speak to at Foxes Rural, and her job is to make sure you understand exactly where you stand. She won't soften the message, but she will make it clear. When you know where you stand, you make better decisions, ask better questions and build a stronger case.
You leave that first conversation knowing your options and your next step.
PARISHA PATEL: Office Manager
When you are waiting on a planning decision, delays cost you. A missed deadline or notification can set your plans back by months.
Parisha makes sure that doesn't happen. She runs the back office at Foxes Rural, managing applications and keeping every case moving so nothing sits in a queue longer than it should. She moves fast and thinks ahead.
You may never see her work, but you will notice how smoothly your case runs.
CHERYSE CABA: Accounts Manager
When you trust a firm with your farm's future, you want to know the business behind it is run properly.
Cheryse makes sure it is. She handles the accounts, tax and corporate finance at Foxes Rural, and she has spent her career doing this at the highest level. Most firms outsource this. We brought it in house.
So while the planning team focuses on your application, you can be confident everything behind it is in safe hands.
