Apply for a capital grants plan

Question 1

Accepted Answer

Read this guidance to help you complete the following capital grants plans and supporting maps:

PA1: Implementation plan
PA2: Feasibility study
PA4: Agroforestry plan
PA5: Moorland mapping plan
PA7: Species management plan

To apply for PA3: Woodland management plan, you must read the Woodland Management Plan grant guidance.

If you are applying for PA1: Implementation plan or PA2: Feasibility study, you must discuss your application with an adviser from:

When to apply

You can apply for PA1, PA2, PA4, PA5 or PA7 capital grants plan throughout the year.

Question 2

Before you start your application

Accepted Answer

You must have completed the following 4 steps before you can start your application.

You must be registered in the Rural Payments service to receive payments. To find out how to do this, read Rural Payments service: registering and updating your details on GOV.UK.

2. Check and change

Check that your personal details, business details, and digital maps are up to date, and update them if needed.

You must register all the land on your application in the Rural Payments service.

To find out how to do this read the Make changes to your rural land maps guidance.

3. Check your permissions

To submit an application, you must have a ‘Submit’ permission level. You can find more information on the permission levels screen in the Rural Payments service. This sets out what is permitted at each level.

You can authorise an agent to fill in and submit your application for you. For an agent to act for you, you must give them the appropriate permission level in the Rural Payments service. This applies even if you have previously authorised the agent using the paper agent authorisation form.

Read Give someone else permission to act on your behalf for more information on the different levels of permission.

4. Read the grant plan requirements

To find out the requirements for each grant plan, check their details on CS grant finder:

If you need a paper copy of the grant plan guidance, call the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) helpline on 03000 200 301.

It’s your responsibility to make sure that:

you meet the scheme rules
all the eligible land included in your application is correct, to the best of your knowledge

Question 3

Complete and submit your application form and maps

Accepted Answer

You must fill in a separate form for each capital grants plan you apply for.

Fill in sections 1, 2 and 4 if you’re applying for:

PA1: Implementation plan
PA4: Agroforestry plan
PA5: Moorland mapping plan
PA7: Species management plan

If you are applying for PA2: Feasibility study, fill in sections 1 and 2 to ask for support from Natural England, Historic England or the Forestry Commission (whichever is relevant).

If your request is approved, the respective adviser will work with you to fill in section 3.

If you want to carry on with your application, fill in section 4 and send your final application form to RPA.

Follow the steps below to fill in the form.

1. Section 1 - Applicant details

Fill in the details of the applicant for the proposed agreement. These details must be up to date in the Rural Payments service.

Question 4: if you do not have management control for the duration of the proposed agreement, you may still be able to apply. You must complete the Land Ownership and Control form to allow your landlord to countersign your application.

2. Section 2 - Proposed agreement details

Choose which plan you are applying for.

Question 10: if you tick ‘Yes’ for information on ‘Other funding’ you must read:

Question 11: describe in simple terms how your application aligns to one or more of the expected funding categories:

parkland restoration
building restoration
historic feature protection
habitat restoration (define type of habitat)
habitat creation (define type of habitat)
protection of rare or declining species
agroforestry planting
moorland mapping
grip blocking
section 38 approvals on commons
water resources plan – including non-Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) linked flood management projects
water management plans for capital items RP7-RP12 – including CSF-commissioned water-holding structure action plan (to address water pollution and runoff issues) and water holding feature management plans (constructed wetlands and sustainable rural drainage features)
scrub management
tree works
other

3. Section 3 - PA2: Feasibility study costings

Your adviser will fill in the ‘For Adviser Use only’ tables in this section and will include what contribution rate we will make to your proposal based on an assessment of your application in section 2.

4. Section 4 - Declaration and undertakings

fill in section 4 to confirm that you have read and understood the requirements of the grant scheme and the undertakings that you are making in submitting your application
if you are applying for a plan or study grant by post, you need to sign your application and any supporting forms
if you are applying by email, you do not need to sign the application or any supporting forms

5. Complete your application maps for PA1 and PA2 only

Complete your maps to record the extent of your work and the location of any relevant features or works.

You must provide a map with your application to show details of your proposed Implementation plan or Feasibility study on the ground. If your application is successful and we offer you an agreement, the map you supply will become your ‘Agreement Map’. It needs to be legible and meet certain standards.

You can source the map from a variety of places, for example Rural Payments Land Viewer or the MAGIC website. If you use MAGIC, please use the ‘export map tool’ - this adds the required licence information.

All maps must have the copyright licence for this use.

The map must:

be A3 or A4 in size (either is acceptable)
be at a scale of 1:2,500 or 1:10,000 (Rural Payments Land Viewer will automatically scale your map to fit A4, which is acceptable)
show all the land parcels included in the plan
include the whole land parcel on the map if the plan only covers a part parcel or feature within a parcel

The map must have a key and include:

map number – including the unique map number and total number of maps, for example 1 of 3
scale of the map
single business identifier (SBI) – consisting of 9 digits, application year, and agreement title (as detailed on the application form)
name of business or applicant – this should be the name (beneficiary) that is registered with the RPA for the SBI
if there are no numbered OS grid lines, a 6 figure OS grid reference for the centre of the map, (format AB 123 456)

Circle the land parcel reference number for all parcels included in your application. For example, SK 1234 5678.

Use black ink for all annotations on the map. If you make a mistake do not use correction fluid – put a line through the mistake.

6. Check your application form

Make sure that:

you have completed all relevant parts of the application form, including signing and dating section – you do not need to sign the declaration if you are submitting your application online
all your land and business details are up to date and correct in the Rural Payments service
you have arranged for ‘Submit’ permissions in the Rural Payments service, if you’re acting as an agent
you have completed map(s) showing the land parcels in this application (for PA1 or PA2 applications only)
you have included a copy of the plan brief or specification (for all PA1 applications and PA2 final applications only)
you have attached any applicable supporting documents or evidence (only for PA1 and PA2 applications)
you have attached any continuation sheets you’ve used in your application

Check CS grant finder to find out:

what evidence you need to provide for each capital grant plan
which records you need to keep and supply if RPA ask to see them

7. Submit your application

By email

Send all parts of the completed form, together with maps and other supporting documents, if applicable, to ruralpayments@defra.gov.uk. A signature is not needed by email.

Include the correct subject line in your email to help RPA process your application :

‘Capital grants plan PA1 Implementation plan application, [current scheme year], [your SBI]’ for PA1 applications
‘Capital grants plan PA2 Feasibility study application, [current scheme year], [your SBI]’ for PA2 applications
‘Capital grants plan PA4 Agroforestry grant application, [current scheme year], [your SBI]’ for PA4 applications
‘Capital grants plan PA5 Moorland mapping plan grant application, [current scheme year], [your SBI]’ for PA5 applications
‘Capital grants plan PA7 Species management plan grant application, [current scheme year], [your SBI]’ for PA7 applications

You must also put your SBI in your email and check it’s on everything you send.

You’ll receive an automated email to confirm RPA has received your application. Check your spam mailbox if you don’t receive this.

By post

You can send your application by post to:

Rural Payments Agency
PO Box 324
Worksop
S95 1DF

Put your SBI on everything you send. You must sign your application and any supporting forms.

It is recommended that you get proof of postage and keep a copy of your completed application form and any maps.

Question 4

What happens next

Accepted Answer

Once we receive your application, RPA will check that you:

meet the eligibility requirements
have entered all the necessary details on your application form
have sent all the necessary evidence including maps, photographs and consents, if applicable

If your application fails any of these checks, RPA will contact you to explain what is wrong.

RPA will then assess your application and make a decision on funding.

You should not undertake works or incur costs until you have accepted an agreement offer.

If your application is successful, RPA will offer you an agreement. RPA will send you a letter with your agreement offer that will explain what you need to do and how to claim for your grant.

When you have an agreement

For PA4, you must complete an agroforestry plan template. Contact your local Forestry Commission operational delivery team hub to get your templates approved by the Forestry Commission or Natural England. You must include proof of approval when you submit your claim to the RPA for payment.

For PA5, you must complete a moorland mapping record which includes producing a detailed map. You must include the moorland mapping record and map when you submit your claim to the RPA for payment.

For PA7, you must complete a species management plan to create a 10-year management plan for the species that needs controlling. Contact:

When sending your template, please include the name of the species in the subject line of your email.

You must include proof of approval when you submit your claim to RPA for payment.

If your application is not successful

If you want it to be considered again, you can write to RPA at:

Rural Payments Agency
PO Box 324
Worksop
S95 1DF

Please include as much detail as possible and tell us why you think the decision should be reviewed.

Apply for a capital grants plan

Applies to England