Guidance

Apply for the Water Restoration Fund

Published 9 April 2024

Applies to England

If your project is eligible, you can apply for a Water Restoration Fund (WRF) grant to fund projects that restore, improve and prevent further deterioration of:

• rivers and their headwaters (including chalk streams)
• canals
• lakes
• ponds
• wetlands - both freshwater and saltwater
• estuarine waters

Funding is not available for projects in open coastal waters. This means that investment is prioritised where it is most needed: only 14% of rivers and lakes are at good ecological status, compared to 45% of coastal waters. You should read about the fund before you apply.

When you can apply

Applications for all grants are open until 11.59pm on Friday 7 June 2024.

Projects with:

• development awards must be completed within 12 months of their grant start date
• delivery awards must be completed by 31 March 2027

How to apply

If you’re not registered, you must get a single business identifier (SBI) number before you apply. You must have this number to apply for a grant. 

Read the Rural Payments service: registering and updating your details.

You must use the same email address to register that you plan to use to apply for a grant. 

Prepare supporting information and evidence

You must include:

• financial accounts from the most recent 3 years of trading or most recent tax return for new businesses
• a detailed breakdown of all project costs, including 3 like-for-like quotes, catalogue listings or reasonable evidence for each project activity costing over £5000, and one quote for activities under £5,000 in value
• a statement of income and expenses from your accountant if you’re self-employed or a new business
• a written statement of your VAT status from an independent chartered accountant
• written approval to apply if needed (for example, for projects on tenanted land)

You should include evidence of:

• permissions or licenses you have in place, in principle agreements, or pre-application discussions
• agreed or outline designs
• project plans
• contractor arrangements
• other related investment in the local environment
• wider benefits that your project will bring

You must supply copies (not originals) of all supporting information and evidence as they will not be returned to you.

Write your name, SBI number and project name on each document.

Find your water project area

You will need to identify the area you are planning your project in. You can do this by using:

• a grid reference to show the project area or to identify the centre point of the project
• what3words to show the project area or to identify the centre point of the project
• the operational catchment area to identify the area the project will be set within

What to include in your application

It’s important to fill in your application accurately and include supporting documents or we may need to request further information. This will delay your application decision and it could be rejected. The details you provide will form part of your grant agreement if you’re successful.

Show value for money

You must include accurate project costs or estimates in your application. You must show that costs are reasonable by including evidence.

We will assess your project costs and will consider the value for money, along with the environmental benefits that your project aims to achieve.

If you’re applying for a development award

You should describe:

• what permissions, consents, designs, and other plans or agreements you may need to obtain
• what other permissions or licences you’ll need before your project can begin

You should include evidence within your application of:

• permissions or consents you may be required to obtain
• discussions and supporting evidence on why restoration is required
• potential designs
• a list of suitable contractors that will be contacted
• a list of quotes and estimates of planned or anticipated activities - if the value is over £5,000 we would expect 3 quotes and one quote for activities under £5,000 in value

Applications should include evidence to justify why the costs give value for money.

If you’re applying for a delivery award

You should describe:

• how ready you are to start work
• what permissions, consents, designs, and other plans or agreements you have in place
• what permissions you’ll need before your project can begin or when they be in place

Please include the following evidence within your application:

• permissions or consents that are in place
• permissions or consents you may be required to obtain
• pre-application discussions supporting evidence on why restoration is required
• agreed designs
• a list of contractors
• a list of quotes or estimates of planned activities - if the value is over £5,000 we would expect 3 quotes and one quote for activities under £5,000 in value

Applications should include evidence to justify why the costs give value for money, for example, consideration based on professional experience and a comparison of costs of similar projects in the same geographical region.

You will need to show how you will monitor and evaluate your delivery project. These plans will be assessed and scored.

Read about how we will assess your application and how to meet the assessment criteria

Complete and submit your application

Complete the WRF application form and costs form.

1. Open the form in a PDF reader, such as Acrobat Reader
2. Download and save the form to your computer
3. Fill in the form and save it again
4. Attach your completed form and any supporting evidence and send to grants@rpa.gov.uk

After you apply

We will send an automated email to the address you provided to say your submission has been received.

We will contact you or your agent by email if information is missing. You’ll have 10 working days from the date of the email to send missing information, or your application will be rejected.

Your application will be assessed and scored in order of how well your project meets the scheme’s priorities. You’ll find out if you’re successful by email.

If your application is successful

If your application is successful, we will send you:

• a grant offer letter
• your terms and conditions
• any relevant updates relating to your application
• a Grant Funding Agreement (GFA)

You should read your GFA carefully. It sets out the terms and conditions of your grant offer and any specific conditions that apply, including:

• the start and end date of your agreement
• the amount of your grant
• your payment schedule
• expected timeframes, milestones and outputs
• the evidence you must provide to support payment claims, such as photos of work completed, timesheets, invoices or designs and reports
• what will happen if you don’t meet the terms and conditions of your grant

You, or an authorised person, must accept or reject the offer and sign the agreement in pen and return it to grants@rpa.gov.uk within 30 calendar days.

If your project changes or costs increase, we may need to withdraw or reduce your grant offer.

If your application is unsuccessful

If your application is unsuccessful, we will write to you to tell you why.   

You have the right to appeal. You must send your appeal in writing within 60 days of the decision letter. You should email the WRF team at grants@rpa.gov.uk saying why you disagree with our decision. We will only consider the following reasons:

• the decision was based on an error of fact
• the decision was wrong in law
• the delivery body made a procedural error

We will investigate your appeal, please read Complaints procedure guidance for more information.

Contact RPA

You can contact RPA by email, phone or post.

You must send all questions about the Water Restoration Fund to us by 11.59pm on 31 May 2024.

Rural Payments Agency
PO Box 69
Reading
RG1 3YD

Email: grants@rpa.gov.uk.

Telephone: 03000 200 301 - listen for Grant Schemes and select the Water Restoration Fund option.

Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm, except bank holidays
Find out about call charges.

Please quote your single business identifier (SBI) in all enquiries.