BN5: Hedgerow laying

Find out about eligibility and requirements for the hedgerow laying item.

From:
Rural Payments Agency and Natural England
Published
2 April 2015
Last updated
6 November 2023 — See all updates
Grant type:
Capital item
Land use:
Biodiversity, Boundaries, Priority habitats, Uplands
Tiers or standalone items:
Higher Tier, Mid Tier, Standalone capital items
Funding (per unit per year):
Up to £100

How much will be paid

£13.52 per metre (m). The payment rate is for the total length of boundary under the option (not for each side of the boundary).

Where to use this item

Available for Countryside Stewardship Mid Tier, Higher Tier and Capital Grants on planted boundary lines of shrubs that are:

  • over 20m long
  • less than 5m wide between major woody stems at the base
  • formed of at least 80% native shrubs
  • can only be used when the applicant has “management control” of both sides of the boundary.

Where this option cannot be used

In Mid Tier agreements, lengths of hedge managed under this option are not eligible for the revenue option BE3 – Management of hedgerows, or capital items BN6 – Hedgerow coppicing and BN7 - Hedgerow gapping-up but may be eligible for other capital item payments

How this item will benefit the environment

Lengths of hedgerow will rejuvenate with new growth to form a continuous hedge.

Requirement

You must:

  • carry out work between 30 September and 31 March when the hedge is still dormant
  • remove old fencing and wire
  • cut and pull out bramble, clematis or other scrambling plants
  • cut out elder plants and prevent re-growth of stumps
  • partially cut through stems near ground level, laying the pleachers (cut stems) over at an angle from horizontal to form a stock-proof barrier
  • remove the uncut heel from each pleacher
  • keep pleachers in position by crooking, staking, or staking and binding
  • keep all existing hedgerow trees
  • remove all cut material from the immediate site after completion of the work
  • control weeds during the first growing season after laying
  • prevent livestock and grazing animals from damaging the hedge by setting fencing at least 1.2m from the centre of the hedge or, if there is a bank, as close to the base of the bank as possible
  • trim the hedge for 3 years after laying, allowing the hedge to become taller and wider at each cut

If you need to fell trees, check if you need a felling licence from the Forestry Commission. If you do, make sure it is in place before you start to fell, otherwise you may be prosecuted.

Do not:

Keeping records

You must send the following with your application:

  • a map showing the location of existing hedgerow trees in each length of hedge (this can be the Farm Environment Record (FER)

You must keep the following records and supply them with your payment claim:

  • photographs of the completed work

You must keep the following records and supply them on request:

  • any consents or permissions connected with the work
  • receipted invoices or bank statements where a receipted invoice is unavailable
  • photographs of each length of hedge entered into the item before work starts
  • the date, location and method of any weed control undertaken
  • the dates of preparation works and laying
  • the dates of post-laying trimming

Please see the record keeping and inspection requirements as set out in the relevant Mid Tier, Higher Tier or Capital Grants guidance for more detail. You can find the latest guidance at Countryside Stewardship: get funding to protect and improve the land you manage.

You can use this item on the same length as the following items and supplements:

Advice and suggestions for how to carry out this item

The following advice is helpful, but they are not requirements for this item.

Pick the right hedge

Use the hedgerow management cycle to help decide what management is needed.

Choose a hedge which:

  • has few gaps and enough stems to lay to achieve a continuous length of hedge
  • has stems between 5 centimetres (cm) to 15cm in diameter - however, it is possible to cut larger stems with a chainsaw
  • is tall enough to lay (at least 2.5m, and ideally 4m)

Hedge laying

To undertake hedge laying successfully:

  • only cut using hand-tools (including chainsaws)
  • lay the hedge in the regional style
  • cut each stem as low as possible (no more than 10cm from the ground)
  • choose stems which when laid do not leave large gaps
  • protect the newly laid hedge from damage by grazing animals - rabbit fencing may be needed if local populations are high
  • leave as much side growth on the branches as possible
  • lay stems at an angle of about 35 to 45 degrees from horizontal
  • keep any existing trees and leave the occasional ‘standard’ hawthorn or other species if this fits in with the local landscape
  • keep deadwood where possible
  • plant up gaps using native species to improve the continuity of the hedge

Fencing may only need to be temporary and in place for as long as it takes the hedge to grow sufficiently.

Hedge management

Control competitive weeds (including brambles, nettles and grasses) during the first growing season. These weeds reduce the re-growth rate of the laid stems by competing for soil moisture, nutrients and light.

Encourage dense bushy growth of the newly laid hedge by:

  • trimming lightly for 3 years
  • never cutting back to the same point, but allowing the hedge to gradually increase in height and width by several centimetres at each cut

In following years you can leave the hedge to grow unchecked until it requires laying or coppicing, or be managed by trimming.  

Biodiversity

This item has been identified as being beneficial for biodiversity. All Countryside Stewardship habitat creation, restoration and management options are of great significance for biodiversity recovery, as are the wide range of arable options in the scheme. Capital items and supplements can support this habitat work depending on the holding’s situation and potential.

The connectivity of habitats is also very important and habitat options should be linked wherever possible. Better connectivity will allow wildlife to move/colonise freely to access water, food, shelter and breeding habitat, and will allow natural communities of both animals and plants to adapt in response to environmental and climate change.

Further information

Read Countryside Stewardship: get funding to protect and improve the land you manage to find out more information about Mid Tier, Higher Tier and Capital Grants including how to apply.

Published 2 April 2015
Last updated 6 November 2023 + show all updates

  1. Removal of text confirming Hedgerow laying availability under Countryside Stewardship Capital Grants (SFI pilot), as the SFI Capital offer is no longer available.

  2. 'Where to use this item' section updated to include detail on SFI pilot Hedgerows standard.

  3. Updated Where to use this item and how much will be paid.

  4. Added in links to Capital Grants manual as this option is now available for Capital Grants

  5. Where this option cannot be used - the reference to BE3: Management of hedgerows has been corrected

  6. The Requirements and Keeping records sections of this page have been updated.

  7. Information updated for applications in 2016.

  8. First published.

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