Countryside Stewardship Scheme Update

The new Countryside Stewardship Scheme (CSS) is about to be formally launched by Natural England (NE) with applications invited for the Mid and Higher Tiers between the 1st July and 30th September with agreements starting from 1st January 2016. The scheme boosts some 130 management options and 110 capital items to chose from many of which […]

Posted on June 23rd, 2015 by

Conversions of agricultural buildings – is the permitted development clearer?

Barn conversion

It has been a year of uncertainty and frustration for farmers, planners and agents alike, as all tried to steer a course through the new Permitted Development Rights legislation that allowed the conversion of qualifying barns into dwellings. Written legislation was very brief and differed from consultation documents, making life difficult for developers and decision […]

Posted on April 21st, 2015 by

BASIC PAYMENT SCHEME (BPS) UPDATE

Following the announcement that the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) will now be done using paper forms rather than the Rural Payments System and that the deadline is now the 15th June, we now have a different timeline of actions that need to be taken. We have summarised the key issues and when they need to be […]

Posted on March 23rd, 2015 by

Countryside Productivity Scheme Open!

The new £5m Countryside Productivity Scheme was launched on the 9th March 2015.   The scheme offers funding for up to 40% of the capital costs of a variety of equipment and applications must be for between £2,500 – £35,000 (Small Grant) or £35,000 – £100,000 (Large Grant) of grant funding depending on the equipment […]

Posted on March 9th, 2015 by

Environmental Grants Update

Whilst the main Countryside Stewardship Scheme will not begin until 1st January 2016, some more targeted grants are currently in the process of being released. Applications are now invited for the following: Woodland Capital Grants – Application Window: NOW until 30th June Applications are currently invited for: Woodland Creation Woodland Management Plans (in preparation for other […]

Posted on February 26th, 2015 by