eAlert: 23 July 2020 - Countryside Stewardship capital work extension
Published 29 July 2020
Applies to England
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You now have more time to complete your Countryside Stewardship capital works and the updated forms for Countryside Stewardship Woodland Creation and Tree Health grant are available on GOV.UK.
1. Countryside Stewardship – more time to complete your capital works
In response to the coronavirus pandemic, the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) have confirmed that they will be offering all Countryside Stewardship customers, whose agreements started between 1 April 2018 and 31 December 2019, an additional 12 months to complete and claim for any capital works that remain to be finished. This includes the Woodland Creation, Woodland Tree health and Woodland Management Planning Grants.
We would encourage applicants to undertake and claim for work as soon as possible, and within the timescale of their agreements. If this is not possible the agreement holder/agent should raise this with the RPA as soon as possible through force majeure. For example, the Forestry Commission was recently referred a case from the RPA where prolonged and heavy rainfall meant that new woodland creation was not possible as the ground was inundated; continuing the planting would have resulted in ground damage and sub-standard installation of fencing. We provided a technical assessment on this case, the RPA accepted our recommendation and the agreement holder promptly received permission to defer the capital works for 12 months.
We appreciate that 2020 agreement holders could be affected by the longer term impacts of coronavirus, but at present the claim period remains the same and is being kept under review. However, if there are issues that are adversely affecting the delivery of agreements, we would encourage holders to raise this with the RPA as soon as possible.
Contact the RPA Rural Payments service by email: ruralpayments@defra.gov.uk
2. New Countryside Stewardship Woodland Creation and Tree Health grant application forms
The Countryside Stewardship Woodland Creation Grant and Woodland Tree Health Grant domestic (UK) application forms are now available on GOV.UK. These have been updated as all new agreements starting after 1 January 2021 will be made under domestic, rather than EU, regulations. If applicants wish to apply now under the domestic regulations, applications can be applied for before 1 January 2021, but the agreement cannot start until after this date. It usually takes around 5-6 months for a woodland creation scheme to be prepared and formally approved.
The transition from EU to domestic regulations will have no impact on existing Countryside Stewardship woodland creation, woodland tree health and woodland management planning agreements starting before 1 January 2021.
The Woodland Management Planning Grant will not be transitioned from EU to domestic regulations until the Autumn and application forms remain available on GOV.UK. You can apply for this grant all year round.