Mr Davie-Thornhill, a response

Mr Davie-Thornhill, states (letters 12.04.11) that the cost of maintenance of the landscape of the estate, which he owns in a National Park, is considerably more than the potential income.Thus the imputed rent to which Prof Sandilands refers in his letter of 6th April, and which he believes should be paid to the community, must be negative. If this were true then far from estate owners having to pay for the privilege of beneficial ownership of large swathes of our countryside, we should be paying them.

I wonder if we could set up a few ‘test’ auctions of these estates to see if they have any value at all.

Carol Wilcox
Labour Land Campaign