Guidance

Applicant’s guide: Capital Grants (from 8 February 2022)

Published 17 January 2024

Applies to England

1 Introduction

This manual explains the rules and application process for the Capital Grants scheme which is part of Countryside Stewardship.

Countryside Stewardship is administered by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). Natural England (NE) and the Forestry Commission (FC) provides technical advice in support of the scheme.

Applications for Countryside Stewardship Capital Grants open on 8 February 2022. This manual explains what you need to do to apply for a grant. If you are a Sustainable Farming Incentive pilot (SFI pilot) participant, you also need to read the Countryside Stewardship Capital Grants manual (SFI pilot) supplement.

The Countryside Stewardship scheme overview

The main priority for Countryside Stewardship is to protect and enhance the natural environment, in particular:

• increased biodiversity, improved habitat and expanded woodland areas

• improved air quality

• improved water quality.

Countryside Stewardship (CS) supports Defra’s Strategic Objective of ‘a cleaner, healthier environment, benefiting people and the economy’. It also supports Defra’s 25 year environment plan ‘for our country to be the healthiest, most beautiful place in the world to live, work and bring up a family’.

Countryside Stewardship gives incentives for land managers to look after their environment and is made up of the following elements:

• Higher Tier agreements for land that requires more complex management tailored to the individual site, and now includes woodland maintenance

• Mid Tier agreements that provide a range of options and capital items that together help to deliver a broad range of environmental benefits

• the 4 Wildlife Offers provide a simpler set of options to help improve the wildlife on farms

• the Capital Grant offer provides grants for boundaries, trees and orchards, water quality and air quality

• the Countryside Stewardship Protection and Infrastructure offer provides grants for woodland infrastructure

• the Woodland Management Plan grant to help create a UK Forestry Standard (UKFS) compliant 10 year woodland management plan

• the Woodland Tree Health grant to help restore and improve tree health

• the Facilitation Fund supports individuals who bring together groups of farmers, foresters, and land managers in collaboration, to improve the environmental outcomes in their area

Woodland Tree Health and Woodland Management Plan grants are not competitive.

If you are eligible for the grant and there is sufficient budget, RPA (supported by a Forestry Commission Woodland Officer) will approve your application.

More information

Read more about the different elements of Countryside Stewardship and use Countryside Stewardship forms on GOV.UK to help with your application.

This manual explains what you need to do to apply for a Capital Grant and any additional requirements and processes which you must follow.

If you are a farmer or other land manager, you can apply for Countryside Stewardship Capital Grants and access a range of capital items. There are capital items designed to help restore existing farm boundaries and those that aim to improve water and air quality, either directly or indirectly.

Choosing the right capital items to reduce losses of key water pollutants and ammonia from your farm will help you to improve the quality of water and air on your farm. This manual explains what you need to do to apply for the CS Capital Grants element of Countryside Stewardship (’the Scheme’). It also explains the additional requirements and processes that you must follow if your application is successful.

Agricultural Transition

We will continue to offer Countryside Stewardship agreements starting in 2023 and 2024. This includes capital grants.

Countryside Stewardship will eventually be replaced with three new schemes that reward the delivery of environmental benefits: The Sustainable Farming Incentive, Local Nature Recovery and Landscape Recovery. This will follow piloting involving farmers and land managers. By 2025, we will have fully introduced our three new environmental land management schemes.

Signing up to a Countryside Stewardship agreement now will put you in the best possible position to join future schemes. What’s more, it will give you a viable, long-term source of income for providing environmental benefits as Basic Payment Scheme payments are reduced. Anyone in a multi annual Countryside Stewardship agreement that started on or after 1 January 2021 will be able to end their agreement early, at agreed points, where they have secured an agreement in one of our environmental land management schemes.

For more information see section 3.3 which explains about land receiving other funding, or under other agreements or obligations.

Important information and changes to the scheme

• Scheme application period - the CS capital offer will not have a closing date unless the budget allocation is exceeded. We will publicise this date giving you 6 weeks’ notice on GOV.UK.

• RP6 specification change to allow alternatives to concrete for use in woodlands.

• TE4 specification update to allow the use of plastic tree spirals to be optional where other measures to prevent damage are in place (for example fencing).

• FG1 and FG2 specification change to upgrade wood preservative requirements and fence posts.

Accessibility improvements

We have made a number of changes to improve accessibility as part of our ongoing aim to provide a high quality service to all our customers. You will see some small changes in the Countryside Stewardship application annexes and forms as a result, but the way they work, and the data required remain the same.

Countryside Stewardship Agreement

A Countryside Stewardship agreement comprises of:

1. the scheme Terms and Conditions

2. an Agreement Document (which sets out Agreement Holder specific details)

3. the supplementary documents referred to in the Agreement Document.

The Terms and Conditions refer to the mandatory elements of this manual that Agreement Holders must comply with and can be found at Annex 1.

Countryside Stewardship Capital Grants are for a maximum of 2 years. The Agreement will usually start from the first day of the following calendar month after you have accepted the agreement offer. The exact start date of the agreement will be set out in the Agreement Document.

Mandatory parts of the CS Capital Grants manual

The mandatory elements of this manual are:

• Section 2: How the Capital Grants work

• Section 3: Who can apply and what land is eligible

• Section 6: Scheme requirements and procedures

• Section 7: Agreement Management.

Be aware of fraud

How to avoid fraud and what to do if you suspect an attempted fraud.

Fraudsters may target farmers who receive subsidy payments and we’re aware that in the past some customers have received emails, texts and telephone calls claiming to be from the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) or the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). Links to a fake website designed to look like an authentic RPA or Defra online service are sometimes included in the message.

We do not send emails or text messages with links to websites asking you to confirm your personal details or payment information. We strongly advise anyone who receives such a request not to open the link and delete the item.

As fraudsters may target farmers who receive subsidy payments, remember:

• never discuss your bank account details with someone you do not know

• we will not ask you to make a payment over the phone

• delete any emails or texts you do not believe are genuine, and do not open any links – our main email addresses are:

• ruralpayments@defra.gov.uk

• rpa@notifications.service.gov.uk

• FETFEnquiries@rpa.gov.uk

• FETFClaims@rpa.gov.uk

• FTF@rpa.gov.uk

• be cautious about what information you share externally, particularly on social media.

If you suspect an attempted fraud or feel you have been the subject of fraud, you can contact:

• RPA’s Fraud Referral Team on 0800 347 347 or FraudInConfidence@rpa.gov.uk

• Action Fraud (the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cyber-crime) on 0300 123 2040.

2 How the Capital Grants work

This section provides information about the main elements of CS Capital Grants.

You must read and meet the requirements detailed in this section as these are mandatory for CS Capital Grants agreement holders.

These grants are stand alone capital grants available under Countryside Stewardship which can be used to support and complement the Wildlife Offers. They are split into three groups - Boundaries, Trees and Orchards (including the former Hedgerows and Boundaries Grant items), Water Quality, and Air Quality.

You can submit an application from 8 February 2022. Applications will remain open until the funding is allocated. If we are oversubscribed, we will publicise this, including on GOV.UK, giving you 6 weeks’ notice. You can submit an application for each Single Business Identifier (SBI) that you manage. Please note, new agreements cannot contain parcels that already have capital works which are incomplete or have not received their final payment.

The maximum grant available for any application is £60,000. However, there is a limit of £20,000 within each item grouping as shown below.

Group	Limit
Boundaries, Trees and Orchards	£20,000 maximum
Water Quality	£20,000 maximum
Air Quality	£20,000 maximum

If your application is successful, we will make an agreement offer to you. If you accept the offer, you will enter into an agreement with RPA.

2.1 Capital items available

There are 67 capital items available which are listed in section 5. They are split into three groups: Boundaries, Trees and Orchards; Water Quality; and Air Quality.

Use the Countryside Stewardship online grant finder which gives a description and essential requirements for each capital item. This includes eligibility and evidence requirements.

You can find the payment rates and details about using supplements in Section 5.

Some capital items require Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) approval. These are

listed in Annex 2. If you apply for these and do not have approval, we will remove them from your application.

For more information about CSF approval go to Annex 1.

2.2 Agreement period

Agreements are for a maximum of 2 years. Agreements will start from the first of the month after we’ve completed our checks. The exact start date of the agreement will be set out in the Agreement Document.

You must keep all capital items funded through this scheme in the condition and to the specification set out in your agreement for 5 years from the start date of your agreement.

Section 7.3 explains this ‘durability requirement’. You can make one (or more) claims for payment during the 2 years of the agreement and can make a final claim within 3 months of the end of the agreement (read section 7.3 for more information).

Once you have completed your original capital works in your Mid Tier agreement, and you have submitted your final claim for these works, you will be able to apply for a separate Capital Grant application, before waiting for your Mid Tier agreement to end. You can apply for one Capital Grant agreement per calendar year, per SBI agreement.

2.3 How applications are assessed

The scheme is competitive and your application could be subject to assessment of its environmental value. If the scheme is oversubscribed, we will prioritise applications based on their environmental benefits.

2.4 What the grant does not cover

The CS Capital Grants do not cover:

• any capital works done (or materials ordered) before the agreement starts

• planning application fees or other transactional fees

• agent fees or other advisory fees

• meeting legal requirements, including planning conditions and tenancy agreements

• any works on a Site of Special Scientific Interest or Scheduled Monument (including any works on the boundary of these sites)

• any works on common land

• any works undertaken as part of another grant or obligation (read section 3.3).

3 Who can apply

You must read and meet the requirements detailed in this section as these are mandatory for all CS Capital Grants Agreement Holders.

3.1 Eligible land

3.1.1 What land you can enter into the scheme:

• land parcels must be entirely within England

• land parcels that are already in a Countryside Stewardship, Mid Tier or Higher Tier agreement, Environmental Stewardship agreement and land parcels subject to an English Woodland Grant Scheme (EWGS) agreement may be eligible for the scheme, however read section 3.3 for some exceptions

• you must have management control of the relevant parcels for 5 years from the agreement start date or have your application countersigned by the landlord (read section 3.2.1)

• land parcels included in a Countryside Stewardship Implementation Plan agreement (PA1), Feasibility Study Agreement (PA2), Woodland Management Plan (PA3) or Woodland Tree Health grant agreement may be eligible (provided all other eligibility criteria are met).

3.1.2 Land parcels and boundaries which are not eligible

The following are not eligible for the scheme:

• common land and shared grazing

• land not entirely within England

• land where you do not have management control for 5 years from the agreement start date and are not able to have your application countersigned by the landlord (read section 3.2.1)

• land that is already included in certain other schemes or under obligation (read section 3.3)

• land in a Site of Special Scientific Interest or Scheduled Monument (including the boundaries of these sites).

• land parcels already in an existing Countryside Stewardship agreement where there would be conflict in the aims and requirements, are also not eligible for the scheme.

3.2 Management Control: eligibility and scheme rules

You must have management control of all the land and all the activities, needed to meet the requirements of the capital items you select, for 5 years from the Countryside Stewardship agreement start date, including the durability requirement (read section 2.2).

If you do not have full control of the land and all such activities, you must get the written consent of all other parties who have management control of the land and activities, for 5 years from the start of the agreement. Read below for more details on how to do this.

3.2.1 Tenants

If you occupy land under a tenancy, including the Agricultural Holdings Act 1986, the Agricultural Tenancies Act 1995 (a Farm Business Tenancy) or equivalent, and you are applying for an agreement in your own name, this land is eligible if you have:

• security of tenure for at least 2 years from the start of the CS Capital Grants agreement. The land is not eligible if you do not have this minimum period of tenure

• management control of the land for 5 years from the start of the CS Capital Grants agreement. If you do not have management control for 5 years from the start date of the agreement, you must get the counter signature of your landlord as part of your application

• control of all the activities over the land to meet the scheme requirements for the chosen capital items

• the agreement of your landlord before you apply.

It is your responsibility to check that by joining Countryside Stewardship you do not breach the terms of your tenancy agreement. If the landlord takes over a Countryside Stewardship agreement from you once your tenancy has ended, they must be eligible to do so. For example, they must not be an ineligible public body.

3.2.2 Landlords

If you are a landlord and can show that you have enough management control over the land and activities, you can apply for an agreement on land that has been let to a tenant.

As the Agreement Holder, you must give your tenant a copy of the Countryside Stewardship agreement. You may need to provide evidence, if requested, that you have given your tenant a copy of the agreement. It is your responsibility to make sure that your tenant does not breach the terms of the agreement.

3.2.3 Partnerships

If you are in a business partnership, you can apply for Countryside Stewardship. The person signing the application must have the appropriate permission levels in the Rural Payments service.

3.2.4 Licensors

If you are a licensor, you can apply for a Countryside Stewardship agreement on the land entered into a licence arrangement. It is your responsibility to make sure that the licensee does not breach the terms of the Countryside Stewardship agreement.

3.2.5 Licensees

If you only have access to land under a licence arrangement, that land will not usually be eligible for Countryside Stewardship. This is because a licensee will not have sufficient management control of the land and will be ineligible. However, if in practice, your agreement with the landowner gives you wider land management responsibilities, this may mean you are a tenant not a licensee and you may be eligible. If this is the case, you will need to show that you have sufficient management control of the land and activities to be able to apply.

3.2.6 Land owned by public bodies

Land owned or run by a public body would in general, not be eligible for Countryside Stewardship. If you are a tenant of a public body, you will need to check with your landlord if the land is eligible for Countryside Stewardship.

Countryside Stewardship cannot pay for any environmental management that is already required through:

• payment from Exchequer funds

• grant aid from any other public body

• any other form of legally binding obligation including tenancies.

This means that Crown bodies and Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs) are not eligible for the scheme. This includes those that are Trading Funds or those that do not receive funding direct from the Exchequer. Crown bodies include all government departments and their executive agencies, for example:

• Ministry of Defence

• Forestry Commission.

NDPBs are public bodies that have a role in the processes of national government but are not a government department and are not part of one. These include:

• Environment Agency

• Natural England

• Historic England

• National Forest Company.

Parish councils and former college farms are not considered to be public bodies and so are eligible to apply for Countryside Stewardship.

The following table provides more detailed eligibility criteria for public bodies.

Body/Organisation	Eligibility		Details
Government departments, executive agencies and NDPBs (for example, Ministry of Defence, Forestry Commission)	Ineligible		Not applicable
Other public bodies (for example, local authorities, National Park authorities and public corporations)	Eligible		Provided the work does not form part of their obligations as a public body
Parish Councils and former college farms	Eligible		Not applicable
Tenants of eligible public bodies		Eligible	Ineligible where the work is already a requirement of the tenancy agreement. The public body must countersign the application if the tenant does not have security of tenure
Tenants of ineligible public bodies		Eligible	Ineligible where the work is already a requirement of the tenancy agreement. Tenants must have security of tenure for the full term of the agreement, including the durability requirement, as the public body cannot countersign the application.

3.3 Land receiving other funding or under other agreements or obligations

You cannot use a grant for capital works which you are required to carry out under other legally binding obligations or for which you are receiving or have received funding from other sources. We will carry out checks to make sure that capital works are not funded twice from public money.

You must make sure that any work proposed for this grant does not breach the conditions of any other agreement. The most common examples are listed below.

3.3.1 Applying for Countryside Stewardship where someone else is claiming Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) on the same land (‘dual use’)

In certain circumstances, it is possible for a land parcel to be used by one Single Business Identifier (SBI) to claim BPS and that same land parcel to also be included in a Countryside Stewardship application submitted by someone else under their SBI. This is known as ‘dual use’.

If you are in a dual use situation you must be able to demonstrate that you are meeting the rules and eligibility requirements of the scheme you are claiming for and you must have a written record.

If you are the Countryside Stewardship applicant, you have to meet the Countryside Stewardship eligibility rules, including having ‘management control’ of the land included in your Countryside Stewardship application. The BPS applicant must show that they have the same land ‘at their disposal’ under the BPS rules (and meet BPS eligibility rules). If you have an agreement with another person who uses the land to apply for BPS, this does not mean that person has the land at their disposal. It is the rights and responsibilities held in relation to the land, and how they operate in practice, which determine this.

An example of ‘dual use’ is where a landlord is able to have management control of the land for Countryside Stewardship while the tenant has the same land at their disposal to claim BPS.

If you are the Countryside Stewardship applicant, make sure you have a written record before the BPS application deadline of 16 May 2022 that is signed and dated by both parties. This written record could be a tenancy agreement, a letter, or both, which shows:

• the rights and responsibilities you and the BPS applicant in the ‘dual use’ situation each have for the land

• you have management control of the land and the BPS applicant has the land ‘at their disposal’

• you have given a copy of the Countryside Stewardship Agreement Document and the Terms and Conditions (once you receive them) to the other party and that they must meet the Terms and Conditions (unless you can show that you are carrying out the required activities).

You must also make sure that the ‘dual use’ land parcels are linked to both SBIs in the digital maps in the Rural Payments service. The BPS applicant may need to transfer the land parcels to you using an electronic or paper RLE1 form. Read about how to do this in the RLE1 guidance on GOV.UK

You may want to get independent professional advice, especially if you previously had a verbal agreement (rather than a written agreement) with the other party.

3.3.2 Environmental Stewardship

Land parcels in Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) are eligible, providing there is no conflict in the requirements for each agreement.

3.3.3 Countryside Stewardship

You can enter land parcels in a Countryside Stewardship Mid Tier or Higher Tier agreement into the CS Capital Grants application, once you have completed your original capital works in your Mid Tier agreement, and you have submitted your final claim for these works, you will be able to apply for a separate Capital Grant application, before waiting for your Mid Tier agreement to end.

3.3.4 Environmental Land Management schemes

Sustainable Farming Incentive pilot

You cannot apply for this CS Capital Grants offer on land parcels included in an SFI pilot standards agreement. If you have other land parcels not included in your SFI pilot standards agreement, you can apply for CS Capital Grants offer on those land parcels.

If you are an SFI pilot participant, you can apply for a CS Capital Grants (SFI pilot) agreement to support delivery of SFI pilot standards. Please see the CS Capital Grants manual (SFI pilot) supplement for more information.

Sustainable Farming Incentive early rollout

We will launch the first round of the SFI in 2022. When it opens, farmers who are eligible for the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) will be eligible for SFI. Land parcels already in a CS Capital Grants agreement will be eligible for SFI in 2022 provided they meet the respective scheme eligibility requirements. You can also apply for CS Capital Grants on land entered into SFI in 2022.

Local Nature Recovery

We plan to make an early version of Local Nature Recovery available to a limited number of people in 2023 and expand this as we roll out the scheme more widely by the end of 2024. We will publish more information about the scheme, including how CS agreement holders can take part, later this year.

Landscape Recovery

Customers with a Countryside Stewardship Capital Grants offer can also apply for a Landscape Recovery agreement. Defra will work with Landscape Recovery applicants during the project development phase on how to transition CS agreement holders fully into Landscape Recovery and avoid double funding.

3.3.5 English Woodland Schemes

You can apply for Countryside Stewardship items on land parcels covered by an EWGS Management Planning Grant and certain capital grants (for example, Woodland Improvement Grant - WIG) as long as this does not result in you being paid twice for the same items or activities and the CS items do not conflict with any ongoing EWGS requirements.

You cannot apply for Countryside Stewardship items on land parcels covered by a multi-annual English Woodland Grant Scheme (EWGS) agreement, England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO), Farm Woodland Payment (FWP), Farm Woodland Premium Scheme (FWPS) or Farm Woodland Scheme (FWS).

3.3.6 Farming Recovery Fund

Land parcels covered by the Farming Recovery Fund are not eligible at present.

3.3.7 Inheritance tax or Capital Gains exemption

Countryside Stewardship options and capital items may be available on land designated by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) as conditionally exempt from Inheritance Tax or as the object of a Maintenance Fund, depending on the specific undertakings and proposed options or capital items.

Read Inheritance tax and capital gains exemption: Countryside Stewardship to find out whether capital items available under the CS Capital Grants are always eligible, never eligible, or need checking.

3.3.8 Capital Grants under Countryside Productivity, Growth Programme, LEADER, Water Environment Grant, Farming in Protected Landscapes, Farming Investment Fund, Woodland Carbon Fund and HS2 Woodland Fund.

Countryside Stewardship cannot fund works that form part of these, or similar schemes or grants.

3.4 Business Viability Test

We will check all applicants against an insolvency register. If we assess your application as not financially viable, we may not offer you an agreement.

For applications including capital expenditure of over £50,000 in total, you must submit a statement from a registered accountant (for example, a chartered accountant or certified accountant). This is to confirm that the business or SBI has the resources from trading profits, reserves or loans to undertake the work in the proposed agreement schedule.

Where confirmation from an accountant is needed, the accountant will need to provide a letter on headed paper which confirms at least the following:

• they are a registered accountant

• they act as the accountant for the applicant or have been contracted to act on behalf of the applicant

• they can confirm that you as the applicant have sufficient finances to complete the capital works in your application and how these funds will be sourced (for example, savings, loan etc)

• their understanding of the total value of the capital works in the application.

4 How to apply

This section gives the information you need to apply for CS Capital Grants.

4.1 CS Capital Grants application route: Step by step guide

Step 1 – Before you apply

• Register on the Rural Payments service, if you have not already done so - read section 4.2

• Make sure that you and the land you wish to enter into the grant are eligible – read section 3

• If you prefer to use an agent, you will need to authorise them to act for you – read section 4.3

• Make sure you have Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) approval for the relevant Water and Air Quality capital items. You must contact your CSF at least 10 weeks before you intend to submit your application, or your request will not be considered. Read section 4.6.2.

• For parcels to be included they must be registered on the Rural Payments service. If you need new land parcel numbers, fill in an RLE1 form and send to us with sketch maps.

Step 2 – Start to fill in your application form

• Start your online application (there is guidance available to help you - read section 4.4.1) or

• If you are unable to submit an online application, then you can start an email application by downloading the application form from GOV.UK and read the guidance at section 4.4.2

• If you are unable to email your application, start a postal application by downloading the application form from GOV.UK (there is guidance to help you read section 4.4.2)

• Choose which capital items to apply for – read section 5

• Request approval, consents and permissions (if applicable) – read section 4.6.

Step 3 – Gather your evidence and supporting documents

• Prepare a map to send with your application – read section 4.5

• Get any documents you need to support your application – read sections 4.6 and 6.3

• Keep photographic evidence to support your application as we may ask to see it – read sections 6.3, 6.4 and 6.5

• Make sure you clearly label all photographic evidence – read section 6.6

• We’ll only accept supporting documents such as photos or forms, if they are either printed and sent by post or scanned and attached to an email. The maximum email size that we can accept is 32MB. For security reasons, we cannot accept discs, USB pen drives or other external storage media.

Step 4 – Fill in and submit the application

• Fill in the remaining sections of your application form. Use the guidance to help you and read section 4.7

• Check your application is complete before you submit it – read section 4.7.1

• Submit your application online, or if you are unable to apply online, by email or by post – read section 4.7.2

• If you submit by email please put ‘Application – CS – Capital Grants’ in the email subject heading and send it to us at ruralpayments@defra.gov.uk.

• The maximum email size we can accept is 32MB. You must also put your SBI number in your email and check it is on everything you send to us. You can email your completed application without having signed it. Please make sure that you have the correct permission level and that the email address for your business is registered in the Rural Payments service, or the email will be rejected. If you are unable to email your application and need to return a paper application, please sign your application form and send it with any supporting documents to: Rural Payments Agency (CS), PO Box 324, Worksop S95 1DF

• Please put your SBI number on everything you send to us. If you submit by post, you must submit the original form that was sent to you as we cannot accept a copy.

4.2 Register with Rural Payments

You must be registered on the Rural Payments service before you can apply for this grant. Once you’re registered, you will receive a Customer Registration Number (CRN) and a Single Business Identifier (SBI). You can find more information on How to register and update your details on the Rural Payments service on GOV.UK.

All land parcels listed on your application must be registered on the Rural Payments service.

4.3 Authorise an agent

You can authorise an agent to fill in and submit your application for you. This also applies to payment claim forms for Agreement Holders.

For an agent to act for you, you must give them the appropriate permission levels in the Rural Payments service on GOV.UK. 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’ on GOV.UK for more information on the different levels of permission. You should also read the information in the Permission levels screen in the Rural Payments service. This lists what is permitted at each level. You are responsible for ensuring that permissions assigned on the Rural Payments service are made correctly and that contact details are all correct.

4.4 Application methods

We would encourage you to submit your application online if you can. If you are unable to do so, you can apply by email or by post.

4.4.1 Online

You can apply online using the Rural Payments service. The service includes a ‘Help’ link on many of the screens that will take you through each process step by step.

If you apply online, you do not need to fill in a Countryside Stewardship Capital Grants application form. However, you must send us a map and any supporting documents by email or post.

After you’ve submitted your online application we must receive your supporting documents and any evidence that needs to be submitted within 30 days of the ‘Submit Date’ in the initial Countryside Stewardship applications screen. If you cannot submit them to reach us within the 30 days, you must tell us within the 30 days, why you cannot submit them. If we do not receive either, we’ll need to reject your application. You may need to keep some evidence until you’re asked for it. To check what evidence is needed read Countryside Stewardship grants

4.4.2 By email or post

You can email or post your application using the Countryside Stewardship Capital Grants application form.

To help you fill in the application form read the Countryside Stewardship: How to apply for Capital Grants Guidance

If you submit by email, please put ‘Application – CS – CS Capital Grants’ in the email subject heading. You must also put your SBI number in your email and check it is on everything you send to us. You need to make sure that you have the appropriate permission levels and that the email address for your business is registered in the Rural Payments service.

If you are unable to email your application and need to return a paper application, please sign your application form and send it with any supporting documents to:

Rural Payments Agency (CS)
PO Box 324
Worksop
S95 1DF

Please put your SBI number on everything you send to us.

We recommend that you get proof of postage for any documents you send to us by post. You should keep a copy of your completed application form.

4.5 Prepare a map to accompany your application

You must complete your map to a required standard. Please read the Countryside Stewardship: Capital grants – How to complete maps for your application guide

4.6 Getting consent

You must check each capital item you are applying for to see if any consents are needed.

You are responsible for arranging all relevant consents, permissions, exemptions and written advice needed for your application. You will not be paid for any work undertaken without all the necessary consents and permissions being in place before you begin any work.

In some cases, you will not be offered an agreement if these are not in place.

4.6.1 Planning Consent

Your local planning authority can give you informal advice on whether a proposal needs planning consent. There is also general guidance on planning permission for farms available.

You do not need to provide evidence of whether planning permission or consent is needed with your application. However, if required, you will need to have permission or consent in place before you carry out any work, and you will need to submit this evidence when you make a claim for this work.

4.6.2 Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) approval

If you are intending to apply for certain Water and/or Air Quality capital items you must contact CSF at least 10 weeks before you intend to submit your application, or your request will not be considered. Complete the Request for approval from Catchment Sensitive Farming form and send it to CSF. Contact details can be found on GOV.UK. CSF will only assess a request for approval if it addresses recommendations made by, or on behalf of CSF.

You can find Countryside Stewardship High and Medium Priority Area for Water on GOV.UK.

There is further information on the items that require CSF approval in Annex 2.

4.6.3 Other consents

You may need to apply for other consents or licences even if you do not need planning consent. Examples of areas where a consent or licence is likely to be needed includes where the work affects:

• protected species (as defined by the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981)

• a registered parkland

• a registered battlefield

• a watercourse or highway

• areas subject to a Tree Preservation Order - a licence may be needed for any changes to trees and hedges.

4.6.4 Work on trees and hedges

You may need permission for work on trees that are under a Tree Preservation Order (TPO). If this applies to you, contact your Local Authority or National Park Authority. Read more information on Tree Preservation Orders and trees in conservation areas on GOV.UK.

You may need a Forestry Commission Felling Licence to remove trees or manage hedges. This applies whether they are in woodland or not.

You can fell up to 5m3 and sell up to 2m3 of timber without a felling licence each calendar quarter. If you plan to fell or sell more, you must get a felling licence before your agreement offer can be issued. Read more information about tree felling licences on GOV.UK.

You do not need to provide evidence of any TPO permission or a felling licence with your application. If required, you will need to have the consent before you carry out any work. You will need to submit this when you make a claim for this work.

4.6.5 Other considerations

When you carry out work under the agreement, remember that you must not breach any other rules or laws, such as:

• break byelaws

• obstruct public rights of way

• block or restrict access to ‘open access’ land

• affect oil or gas pipelines

• breach your cross compliance requirements in relation to any other existing commitments you hold, where applicable, for example if you claim BPS payments.

4.7 Complete and submit your application

You can submit your application by following the online application process, or by filling in an application form and sending it to us by email or post.

You also need to send us:

• the application map as at section 4.5

• a Countryside Stewardship land ownership and control form, if applicable

• any other supporting documents we ask for.

You do not need to send the following with your application, but if required, you will need to have permission or consent in place before you carry out any work and you will need to submit this evidence when you make a claim for this work:

• Any relevant consents, permissions, exemptions or any written advice (read section 6.3.2)

• Any evidence you need to support your application (read sections 6.3 to 6.5), including photographs and any other evidence required for each capital item as described on the Countryside Stewardship grant finder.

4.7.1 Before you submit your application

Read this Countryside Stewardship manual and the Terms and Conditions.

If you apply online:

• double check the details in your online application summary are correct

• tick the box to confirm you agree to the terms of the declaration

• press Submit within the ‘Make/Manage your application’ section.

If you apply by email:

• double check the details in your application form are correct

• read the declaration, undertakings and warning carefully

• enter your name in block letters, your capacity (for example, sole trader, company director, agent and so on) and the date.

If you apply by post:

• double check the details in your application form are correct

• read the declaration, undertakings and warning carefully

• sign and enter your name in block letters, your capacity (for example, sole trader, company director, agent and so on) and the date of your signature.

The party/parties who sign the paper application or submit the online application must have the authority to act on behalf of the applicant and have the appropriate permission levels in the Rural Payments service.

Make sure any counter signatories’ (for example, landlords’) declarations, undertakings and signature(s) are provided (if applicable).

4.7.2 Submitting your application

If you apply online, your application is not complete until we have received all the supporting information.

Send your email application to us at ruralpayments@defra.gov.uk

Send your postal applications (and supporting information if you applied online) to:

Rural Payments Agency (CS)
PO Box 324
Worksop
S95 1DF

We recommend that you:

• get proof of postage for these and any other documents you send to us

• keep a copy of your completed application form and map.

4.7.3 After you apply

Once we receive your application, we will check it to confirm that:

• it meets the eligibility requirements in Section 3

• you have filled in all the necessary details on the application form

• you have completed the map.

If you are successful, we will write to you to make you an agreement offer which cannot be amended. If you want to accept the agreement offer you must sign and return the declaration by post within 20 working days. If you do not accept your offer in time, it will be withdrawn.

If your application is unsuccessful, we will let you know why it was rejected. You will then have the right to appeal to us, as set out in section 7.7.

You can withdraw an application at any point after submission, prior to an agreement offer being made. Once an agreement offer has been made, you cannot withdraw your application, but you can reject your agreement offer.

You can find more information about entering into an agreement at section 6.1.

5 Choosing capital items

A description and brief requirements for the capital items under the CS Capital Grants are provided in this section.

More detailed information on (and the specific requirements for) these items are available on the Countryside Stewardship online grant finder.

You can select multiple items from the three different groups. The maximum grant available is £60,000. However, there is a limit of £20,000 within each item group.

Boundaries, Trees and Orchards item group

Code	Item	Payment Rate	Item Group classification	Supplement?	CSF approval required?
BN1	Stone-faced bank repair	£31/m	Boundaries Trees and Orchards	N/A	N
BN2	Stone-faced bank restoration	£86/m	Boundaries Trees and Orchards	N/A	N
BN3	Earth bank creation	£13.50/m	Boundaries Trees and Orchards	N/A	N
BN4	Earth bank restoration	£7/m	Boundaries Trees and Orchards	N/A	N
BN5	Hedgerow laying	£9.40/m	Boundaries Trees and Orchards	N/A	N
BN6	Hedgerow coppicing	£4/m	Boundaries Trees and Orchards	N/A	N
BN7	Hedgerow gapping-up	£9.50/m	Boundaries Trees and Orchards	N/A	N
BN8	Hedgerow supplement - casting up	£3/m	Boundaries Trees and Orchards	Yes, only use with BN5 and BN6	N
BN10	Hedgerow supplement - top binding and staking	£3.40/m	Boundaries Trees and Orchards	Yes, only use with BN5	N
BN11	Planting new hedges	£11.60/m	Boundaries Trees and Orchards	N/A	N
BN12	Stone wall restoration	£25/m	Boundaries Trees and Orchards	N/A	N
BN13	Top wiring - stone wall	£3.60/m	Boundaries Trees and Orchards	Yes, only use with BN12	N
BN14	Stone wall supplement - stone from quarry	£44/m	Boundaries Trees and Orchards	Yes, only use with BN12	N
FG12	Wooden field gate	£390/gate	Boundaries Trees and Orchards	N/A	N
FG14	Badger gate	£135/gate	Boundaries Trees and Orchards	N/A	N
TE1	Planting standard hedgerow tree	£8.80/tree	Boundaries Trees and Orchards	N/A	N
TE10	Coppicing bankside trees	£52/tree	Boundaries Trees and Orchards	N/A	N
TE11	Tree surgery	£96.50/tree when cutting limbs up to and incl. 20cm diameter £200/tree when cutting limbs over 20cm diameter	Boundaries Trees and Orchards	N/A	N
WB1	Small wildlife box	£28.50/box	Boundaries Trees and Orchards	N/A	N
WB2	Medium wildlife box	£39/box	Boundaries Trees and Orchards	N/A	N
WB3	Large wildlife box	£100/box	Boundaries Trees and Orchards	N/A	N

You can only apply for a supplement with its associated capital item, as follows:

• BN8 – can only be used on BN5 and BN6

• BN10 – can only be used with BN5

• BN13 – can only be used with BN12

• BN14 – can only be used with BN12.

• Both BN13 and BN14 can be used with BN12

Water quality items

Code	Item	Payment Rate	Item Group classification	Supplement?	CSF approval required?
FG1	Fencing	£4/m	Water Quality	N/A	N
FG2	Sheep netting	£4.90/m	Water Quality	N/A	N
FG3	Permanent electric fencing	£4.90/m	Water Quality	N/A	N
FG4	Rabbit fencing supplement	£2.50/m	Water Quality	Yes (only use with FG1, FG2, FG3)	N
FG15	Water gates	£240/gate	Water Quality	N/A	N
LV3	Hard bases for livestock drinkers	£110/base	Water Quality	N/A	N
LV4	Hard bases for livestock feeders	£170/base	Water Quality	N/A	N
LV5	Pasture pumps and associated pipework	£220/pump	Water Quality	N/A	N
LV6	Ram pumps and associated pipework	£1,480/pump	Water Quality	N/A	N
LV7	Livestock troughs	£110/trough	Water Quality	N/A	N
LV8	Pipework associated with livestock troughs	£2.65/m	Water Quality	N/A	N
RP1	Resurfacing of gateways	£92/gateway	Water Quality	N/A	N
RP2	Gateway relocation	£340/gateway	Water Quality	N/A	N
RP3	Watercourse crossings	£300/crossing	Water Quality	N/A	N
RP4	Livestock and machinery hardcore tracks	£33/m	Water Quality	N/A	Y
RP5	Cross drains	£245/drain	Water Quality	N/A	N
RP6	Installation of piped culverts in ditches	£340/culvert	Water Quality	N/A	N
RP7	Sediment ponds and traps	£10/m2	Water Quality	N/A	N
RP9	Earth banks and soil bunds	£155/unit	Water Quality	N/A	N
RP10	Silt filtration dams or seepage barriers	£75/unit	Water Quality	N/A	N
RP11	Swales	£5.95/m2	Water Quality	N/A	N
RP12	Check dams	£42 for each dam	Water Quality	N/A	N
RP13	Yard - underground drainage pipework	£5.50/m	Water Quality	N/A	Y
RP14	Yard inspection pit	£200/unit	Water Quality	N/A	Y
RP15	Concrete Yard Renewal	£27.14/m2	Water Quality	N/A	Y
RP16	Rainwater goods	£11.40/m	Water Quality	N/A	N
RP17	Storage tanks underground	£350/m3	Water Quality	N/A	Y
RP18	Above ground tanks	£100/m3	Water Quality	N/A	Y
RP19	First flush rainwater diverters and downpipe filters	£125/unit	Water Quality	N/A	Y
RP20	Relocation of sheep dips and pens	£3,675/unit	Water Quality	N/A	Y
RP21	Relocation of sheep pens only	£1,830/unit	Water Quality	N/A	Y
RP22	Sheep dip drainage aprons and sumps	£18.25/m2	Water Quality	N/A	Y
RP23	Installation of livestock drinking troughs (in draining pens for freshly dipped sheep)	£68/unit	Water Quality	N/A	Y
RP24	Lined biobed plus pesticide loading and washdown area	£118/m2	Water Quality	N/A	Y
RP25	Lined biobed with existing washdown area	£77/m2	Water Quality	N/A	Y
RP26	Biofilters	£990/unit	Water Quality	N/A	N
RP27	Sprayer or applicator load and washdown area	£40/m2	Water Quality	N/A	Y
RP28	Roofing (sprayer washdown area, manure storage area, livestock gathering area, slurry stores, silage stores)	£62/m2	Water Quality	N/A	Y
WN5	Pond management (100 square metres or less)	£270/pond	Water Quality	N/A	N
WN6	Pond management (more than 100 square metres)	£170/100m2	Water Quality	N/A	N

Air quality items

Code	Items	Payment Rate	Item Group classification	Supplement?		CSF approval required?
AQ1	Automatic slurry scraper	£2,760 per passageway/ channel	Air Quality	N/A		Y
AQ2	Low ammonia emission flooring for livestock buildings	£72/m2	Air Quality	N/A		Y
RP29	Self-supporting covers for slurry and anaerobic digestate stores	£30.50/m2	Water Quality		N/A	Y
RP30	Floating covers for slurry and anaerobic digestate stores and lagoons	£5.60/m2	Water Quality		N/A	Y
TE4	Supply and plant a tree	£1.28/tree	Air Quality	N/A		Y
TE5	Supplement for use of individual tree-shelters	£1.60/unit	Air Quality	Yes, only use with TE4		Y

For further information on Water and Air Quality items that require Catchment Sensitive Farming approval, go to Annex 2.

For parcels to be included they must be registered on the Rural Payments service. If you need to register new land parcels, fill in an RLE1 form and send to us with sketch maps.