Farming in Protected Landscapes
Farming in Protected Landscapes is a Defra-funded programme for farmers and land managers in England’s Protected Landscapes (National Landscapes and National Parks) for projects which are:
• Helping nature recovery
• Tackling the impacts of climate change
• Providing opportunities for people to discover, enjoy and understand the landscape and its cultural heritage
• Supporting nature-friendly, sustainable farm businesses
Projects on Cannock Chase and case studies
68 projects have been funded through the Programme in Cannock Chase National Landscape during the four years it has been running, providing grants to farmers and land managers totalling just under £1 million.
Click on the
Map here to see the locations of supported projects and
read more about some of those that have been funded.
The kinds of activities that have been supported on Cannock Chase include:
• Hedgerow planting and laying
• Tree planting in hedgerows, copses, parklands and orchards
• Wetland restoration and creation, including scrapes
• Heathland restoration and meadow creation
• Conserving historic features on a farm
• Access improvements to paths, stiles and kissing gates
• Interpretation of farming and natural and historic features
• Development of educational resources and outreach projects involving schools and conservation volunteers
• Protection of wildlife, including surveys for priority species, and the installation of bird and bat boxes, insect and reptile refugia
• Workshops for landowners and other interested parties
Programme Overview
Who can apply?
The programme is open to all farmers and land managers (including from the private, public and charity sector) with land in the Cannock Chase National Landscape. Other organisations and individuals can apply, as long as they do this in collaboration with a farmer or land manager, or in support of a farmer or group of farmers.
Projects on land outside the National Landscape boundary up to approximately one kilometre can be supported where a benefit to the designated area or the CCNL objectives or partnership initiatives can be demonstrated.
You can check if your land is within the boundaries of a protected landscape on the
MAGIC mapping website. Choose the Map Layers tab on the top left, then follow these steps:
1. select ‘Magic’ and in each case, click the arrow on the left to open the menu.
2. select Designations (open the menu)
3. select Land-Based Designations
4. select Statutory
5. select Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (England) and National Parks (England) and zoom in to, or search for ‘Cannock’ within the search bar at the top of the page.
What the programme can pay for
The programme will pay for projects that provide value for money and meet at least one of the outcomes listed below, under four themes.
Climate
• More carbon is stored and/or sequestered
• Flood risk is reduced
• Farmers, land managers and the public better understand what different habitats and land uses can store carbon and reduce carbon emissions
• The landscape is more resilient to climate change
Nature
• There is a greater area of wildlife rich habitat
• There is greater connectivity between habitats
• Existing habitat is better managed for biodiversity
• There is an increase in biodiversity
People
• There are more opportunities for people to explore, enjoy and understand the landscape
• There are more opportunities for more diverse audiences to explore, enjoy and understand the landscape
• There is greater public engagement in land management, such as through volunteering
Place
• The quality and character of the landscape is reinforced or enhanced
• Historic structures and features are conserved, enhanced or interpreted more effectively
• There is an increase in the resilience of nature-friendly, sustainable farm businesses, which in turn contributes to a more thriving local economy
Projects must also help deliver local priorities in Cannock Chase set out in our
Management Plan, summarised on pages 8 and 9.
Payment rates
If an applicant will not make a commercial gain through a project, they could receive up to 100% of the costs. Where the project supports a clear commercial gain to you then you can be paid up to 40% of eligible costs, and if the project generates some commercial benefit to you but is primarily delivering public goods, then this will be paid up to 80% of eligible costs.
The programme will work alongside – not in competition with – Defra’s existing and new schemes, adding value where it is most needed. If a potential project can be rewarded through those schemes instead, you will be made aware of them.
If an activity is equivalent to one under Countryside Stewardship (CS), the programme payment rate will be the same as the Stewardship rate. You can search for the CS grants available, the codes, the rates and the grant requirements at https://www.gov.uk/countryside-stewardship-grants
Application Assessment
Applications are scored against the following categories:
• Delivery of programme outcomes (40%) – how closely does the project support outcomes under the four themes of Climate, Nature, People and Place, and fit with our local Cannock Chase priorities?
• Value for Money (20%) – does the project demonstrate an efficient use of resources, the use of additional funding resources where appropriate and cost-efficiency if FiPL funding is approved?
• Sustainability / legacy of projects (20%) – will the outcome of the project be maintained and have a lasting positive impact for Cannock Chase? This may include the likelihood of behaviour change and increased capacity, as well as more tangible measures.
• Ability to deliver (20%) – does the application demonstrate the capability to deliver project outcomes to a good standard in the timelines required?
A Local Assessment Panel, comprising of representatives from the local farming and land management community and other specialists, meets every 8 weeks to review applications and award grants.
• Applications over £10,000 are reviewed by the Local Assessment Panel.
• Applications below £10,000 are reviewed by a senior member of the National Landscape team, but at the discretion of the FiPL team, may be referred for assessment by the Local Assessment Panel. Where more than two applications have been received by the same applicant / organisation over the course of the programme (2021-25), these will be reviewed by the Local Assessment Panel.
Agreements
Successful applicants will sign an ‘onward agreement’ before they start works, confirming their commitment to carry out and maintain their funded activities.
Capital infrastructure assets (including, but not limited to, fences, gates, building restoration), must be maintained for 5 years from the date of completion.
Machinery assets (to deliver conservation work, for example a brush harvester for grassland restoration) must be maintained for 5 years from the date of purchase.
What the programme doesn’t support
This list is illustrative only and not comprehensive:
• Work on domestic property
• Solar panels
• Renewable energy (except where it is provided solely for the purpose of contributing to a wider Farming in Protected Landscapes project)
• The purchase of farm animals and farm vehicles e.g. tractors, quad bikes
• Purchase of second-hand machinery
• Electric vehicle charging points
• Work which is a statutory requirement
Please check with your FiPL officer on eligibility in the first instance.
How to apply
Please read the programme documentation for full details about the programme.
Please contact us if you have a project idea you would like to explore, or email or telephone one of our Farming in Protected Landscapes Officers using the details below. Our officers will arrange to visit you on your farm / land, listen to your ideas, provide advice and help you to complete your application.
Cannock Chase FiPL Officer contact details:
