Carter Jonas has been awarded the five-year management contract for approximately 7,600 acres of agricultural land in the North and South of England on behalf of the Homes & Communities Agency (HCA).

Carter Jonas, which already manages over 900,000 acres on behalf of some of the UK’s largest landowners, including The Crown Estate, will take over the management of the HCA’s North & South of England portfolios with effect from 1 January 2010.

In the South of England, the portfolio extends to some 3,700 acres in total. In the North of England, it extends to about 3,900 acres of land, stretching from Redditch to Morpeth, consisting of a wide range of properties including agricultural land with Farm Business Tenancies and Agricultural Holdings Act Tenancies.

Mark Laws, a Partner in the firm’s Rural Division commented: "With a network of 31 offices across the UK, we are now well-placed to manage large and diverse agricultural portfolios across England & Wales. Our appointment by the Homes & Communities Agency reflects the fact that we are one of the largest firms of property consultants operating in the UK today, employing some of the brightest and best rural asset managers."