Provision of Legal Advice for Restoring Exmoor’s Heartlands Landscape Recovery Project

Reviving Exmoor’s Heartlands is part of Defra’s Landscape Recovery scheme, aiming to support long-term, large-scale restoration of England’s most precious habitats. The Reviving Exmoor’s Heartlands (REH) project is a round 2 Landscape Recovery project that has been approved for a two year development phase, which started in April 2024. The project aims to restore Exmoor’s central moorlands to a thriving ecological state with good habitat connectivity to the wider landscape, supported by viable farming. The project area spans approximately 12,000 hectares made up of a cluster of over 20 upland farms and moorland landholdings including large areas of common land, supporting mainly extensive beef and sheep enterprises. ENPA are inviting bids from suitably qualified legal professionals or firms with experience in business law and contracts, governance, blended finance structures, and public sector project delivery to assist in the legal structuring and governance planning of our SLE, and negotiation of critical legal documentation to enable effective, long-term delivery. Experience of working with Commoners Associations would be an advantage.

The appointed legal supplier will: Advise on Legal Structure and Governance

• Evaluate and compare options for suitable legal entity structures aligned with the project goals (e.g. CIC, CIO, LLP, BenCom).
• Present clear and actionable advice to the project steering group and participants via an evening workshop to make a final decision on the legal form and governance arrangements.
• Draft a fit-for-purpose governance structure and plan for the selected SLE model compliant with HM Treasury's Managing Public Money principles.

Draft and Review Legal Agreements

• Draft and advise on: - Agreements between the SLE and land managers/commoners associations.
• Implementation agreement with Natural England.
• Contracts with private investors and partners. - Identify and evaluate legal tools to safeguard environmental outcomes (e.g. conservation covenants, land trusts).

Ensure agreements:

• Provide long-term environmental and legal security.
• Address enforcement, flexibility, and succession planning for land ownership.

Conduct Land & Title Due Diligence

• Review land ownership titles for risks, rights, or restrictions.
• Complete due diligence letters to be submitted to Natural England before contract signing.
• Identify and propose resolutions for any legal impediments to delivery.

Statutory Consents and Risk Management

• Identify required statutory consents, permits, or licenses.
• Highlight legal risks and develop mitigation strategies.