Urban estate
The urban estate consists principally of major commercial holdings concentrated in London’s West End and major towns and cities around the country, as well as a number of residential ownerships around London.
The Fabric of Britain Understanding The Crown Estate
Who we are and what we do:
- The Crown Estate is the organisation established by Parliament to manage the hereditary estates of the Crown on behalf of the nation
- The Crown Estate manages a diverse property portfolio which includes office, retail and industrial premises; housing; farmland, forestry and minerals; parkland; and over half the foreshore and almost all the seabed around the UK
- the responsibilities of The Crown Estate are to maintain and enhance the value of the estate and its income over the long term and to do this having regard to good management
- the profit earned by The Crown Estate is paid to the Treasury for the benefit of the nation
- the responsibilities of the Board members of The Crown Estate are therefore similar to the responsibilities of trustees of a trust fund
- over the last ten years, the capital value of The Crown Estate has increased by £2.6 billion and The Crown Estate has paid a total of £1.9 billion to the Treasury
- we work constructively with the grain of government at every level
- in summary, The Crown Estate is a successful business organisation guided by our core values – commercialism, integrity, stewardship
Revenue by estate 2010 £million (excluding service charges)
- Urban estate – 221.4
- Marine estate – 46.6
- Rural estate – 25.1
- Windsor estate – 6.6
Property valuation including indirect investments£million
- Urban estate – 4,639
- Marine estate – 444
- Rural estate – 972
- Windsor estate – 177
Marine estate
The marine estate includes around half of the UK’s foreshore, the beds of tidal rivers and estuaries and almost all of the seabed out to the 12 nautical-mile territorial limit around the UK. It also includes the rights to explore and utilise the natural resource (excluding hydrocarbons) of the UK continental shelf.
Rural estate
The rural estate is one of the largest in the UK with almost 146,000 hectares (360,000 acres) of agricultural land, forests, minerals and residential and commercial property in England, Scotland and Wales (excluding the Windsor estate).
Windsor estate
The Windsor estate covers around 6,300 hectares (15,600 acres) and includes Windsor Great Park, Home Park, The Royal Landscape, forestry, residential properties and some commercial properties including Berkshire and Swinley Forest golf clubs and Ascot Racecourse.