Hugh Garratt, our senior surveyor, is from a farming family and studied at the Royal Agricultural College before becoming a chartered surveyor. Twenty years a land agent - at Marston St Lawrence then Merevale & Blyth Estates in England, followed by Cawdor Castle and Luss Estates in Scotland - Hugh found most enjoyment in overcoming technical challenges. When aged 40 he decided to take a law degree in his spare time, after which he saw the opportunity to create a firm specialising in his three special interests - planning and development, heritage buildings, and private client advisory work. Smith & Garratt was created in 2000 and has gone from strength to strength. A company director and trustee, Hugh sits on the RICS Dispute Resolution Panel, the Forestry Commission Review Panel, is a Fellow of the RICS, a Fellow and examiner for the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers, is RICS - Accredited in Building Conservation, and an assessor for the Heritage Lottery Fund.
