FG15: Water gates

Find out about eligibility and requirements for the water gates item.

From:
Rural Payments Agency and Natural England
Published
2 April 2015
Last updated
9 February 2021 — See all updates
Grant type:
Capital item
Land use:
Biodiversity, Livestock management, Uplands, Water quality, Woodland
Tiers or standalone items:
Higher Tier, Mid Tier, Standalone capital items
Funding (per unit per year):
More than £500

How much will be paid

£532.80 per gate.

Where to use this item

It is available for Countryside Stewardship Mid Tier, Higher Tier and Capital Grants but only:

  • in areas targeted for the reduction of water pollution caused by farming
  • on fence lines across streams in conjunction with other stock control items

How this item will benefit the environment

This item prevents livestock from entering watercourse channels. It also stops livestock from trampling waterside banks and leaves bankside vegetation lush and unbroken by livestock paths.

Requirements

You must:

  • fit a gate across the river or stream, and make sure that the gate:

    • is framed and made of wood
    • fits the profile of the river or stream
    • matches the height of the fence next to it
    • uses timber that is fully peeled and tanalised or treated with an approved preservative
    • can float up and down as the water levels rise and fall
    • has an approach fence that is either post-and-rail or fixed netting
    • is separate (along with the approach fencing) from the main fence line
    • meets the relevant British Standards - see copies of the most up-to-date standards

  • make sure the gate consists of a series of wooden droppers attached to a length of wire cable, or a round wooden rail suspended horizontally between straining posts. The droppers must be:

    • at least 50 millimeters (mm) square in cross section
    • made from sawn, untreated timber that has been drilled and then threaded on to the cable or rail
    • separated by 150mm lengths of plastic pipe

If the stream gully is more than 1.5 metres (m) deep, the gate can be constructed in several sections. The droppers must be:

  • made of untreated timber
  • at least 70mm square
  • hung on round wooden poles using loops of fencing wire

Keeping records

You must contact the Environment Agency before applying for this item for advice and get any consents or permissions required.

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

  • photographs of the completed work
  • any consents and permissions from the Environment Agency

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

  • any consents or permissions connected with the work (in addition to the ones stated above)
  • receipted invoices, or bank statements where a receipted invoice is unavailable
  • photographs of the existing site before work starts

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 area as the following items:

Advice and suggestions for how to carry out this item

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

You may need a Flood defence consent (FDC) to use this item near a watercourse or within 10m (this varies with some local byelaws) of the top of a riverbank.

The Environment Agency issue FDCs for main rivers and local flood authorities issue FDCs for ordinary watercourses.

If you think you need a FDC contact the Environment Agency first.

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 9 February 2021 + show all updates

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

  2. Page updated to show latest record keeping

  3. Capital item now includes woodland.

  4. Update to 'keeping records' section.

  5. First published.

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