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Unlocking Countryside Stewardship (CS) for Hedgerows: Comprehensive Funding Options for Planting and Management

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Learn how Countryside Stewardship grants can help you plant, restore, and maintain hedgerows while maximizing financial support and enhancing your land's productivity and biodiversity.

Imagine a countryside without hedgerows. The patchwork of fields would lose its definition, wildlife would struggle to find shelter, and the timeless character of the landscape would fade. Hedgerows are as much a part of England’s identity as rolling hills and winding country lanes. They mark boundaries, break the wind, and provide food and shelter for wildlife, all while lending a certain charm to the land.

But behind every well-kept hedge is a farmer or landowner investing time and effort to maintain it. That’s where the Countryside Stewardship (CS) scheme comes in. With grants to cover everything from planting new hedges to restoring neglected ones, CS helps ensure these vital features remain part of our rural landscape—for both their practical benefits and their aesthetic value.

Whether you’re looking to replant a boundary, fill gaps in an older hedge, or maintain hedgerows that have stood for generations, this guide will walk you through how Countryside Stewardship grants can help make it happen.

What Countryside Stewardship Can Fund

Countryside Stewardship supports hedgerow projects of all sizes, offering grants to help with planting, restoration, and ongoing management.

Capital Grants for Planting and Structural Work

Capital grants are ideal for establishing new hedgerows or giving older ones a much-needed makeover.

  • Hedgerow Planting and Gapping-Up:
    • For creating new boundaries or filling gaps in existing hedges.
    • Rates: £9.50 per metre for planting and £22.97 per metre for fencing to protect young hedges from grazing animals.
  • Hedge-Laying and Coppicing:
    • Traditional techniques that rejuvenate overgrown hedgerows, encourage dense growth, and restore their functionality as boundaries or wildlife corridors.
    • Payments depend on project specifics but often include support for associated costs like stakes and tools.

Mid-Tier and Higher-Tier Agreements

For those with larger-scale projects, mid-tier and higher-tier agreements offer funding to integrate hedgerows into broader biodiversity or landscape restoration plans.

  • Mid-Tier Agreements:
    • Designed for individual farms, these agreements help landowners fund planting and maintenance as part of their land’s overall environmental goals.
  • Higher-Tier Agreements:
    • Support more complex projects, such as creating hedgerow networks to connect wildlife habitats or improving flood resilience in vulnerable areas.

Annual Maintenance Payments

Countryside Stewardship also provides ongoing funding for traditional hedgerow maintenance, ensuring these features remain healthy and beneficial to the landscape.

  • What’s Covered:
    • Rotational cutting, trimming, and other activities to maintain the structure and density of hedgerows.
    • Rates: £42 per hectare annually, depending on the agreement.

Making the Most of Countryside Stewardship Grants

To take full advantage of what CS has to offer, it’s important to align your hedgerow projects with the scheme’s priorities. Start by assessing your current hedgerows: Are there sections that could benefit from traditional management techniques like laying or coppicing? Do you have areas where planting new hedgerows could enhance field boundaries or create wildlife corridors?

The application process requires a clear plan, so be prepared to submit maps, proposed activities, and an outline of how your project will benefit biodiversity or landscape character. Applications are typically open once a year, and funding decisions are based on how well your project aligns with CS objectives.

Combining CS with Other Funding Schemes

One of the strengths of Countryside Stewardship is how well it complements other grant schemes.

  • Pairing CS with the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI):
    Use CS grants to establish new hedgerows or carry out structural work like laying, then apply for SFI payments to monitor and manage them over time.
    Example: A landowner could plant a new hedgerow using CS funding and then receive annual SFI payments for assessing its condition and maintaining its structure.
  • Combining CS with the Tree Health Pilot Scheme (THP):
    If your hedgerow trees are affected by pests or diseases, the Tree Health Pilot Scheme can cover the costs of felling and replanting. CS grants can then be used to restore the hedgerow’s overall biodiversity and structural value.

Reporting and Compliance

Participants in Countryside Stewardship must keep detailed records of their activities. This includes maintaining logs of planting, cutting, or laying work, as well as submitting photographs and maps as evidence of progress. Compliance checks may involve site visits to ensure the work aligns with the grant agreement.

Why Countryside Stewardship Is Worth It

For farmers and landowners, hedgerows aren’t just part of the scenery—they’re practical tools and assets. They keep soil in place, slow water runoff, and provide habitats for pollinators and other wildlife that directly benefit farming. Countryside Stewardship helps offset the costs of maintaining and improving these essential features, making it easier to invest in the long-term health of your land.

Get the Most Out of Your Grants with GrantAdvisor

Navigating the paperwork and understanding how to combine funding schemes can feel like a full-time job. That’s where GrantAdvisor comes in. This free digital tool simplifies the process, helping you identify which grants you qualify for and guiding you through the application process.

Whether you’re planting a new hedgerow, restoring an older one, or maintaining the health of trees within your hedges, GrantAdvisor ensures you don’t miss out on valuable funding. It even helps you align grants like CS, SFI, and the Tree Health Pilot Scheme to maximize support for your land management goals.

Stop wasting time on complicated applications—let GrantAdvisor do the heavy lifting while you focus on improving your land. Start today, and see how easy it is to secure funding for hedgerow projects that will keep your farm productive and your countryside looking its best.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Learn how Countryside Stewardship grants can help you plant, restore, and maintain hedgerows while maximizing financial support and enhancing your land's productivity and biodiversity.

Imagine a countryside without hedgerows. The patchwork of fields would lose its definition, wildlife would struggle to find shelter, and the timeless character of the landscape would fade. Hedgerows are as much a part of England’s identity as rolling hills and winding country lanes. They mark boundaries, break the wind, and provide food and shelter for wildlife, all while lending a certain charm to the land.

But behind every well-kept hedge is a farmer or landowner investing time and effort to maintain it. That’s where the Countryside Stewardship (CS) scheme comes in. With grants to cover everything from planting new hedges to restoring neglected ones, CS helps ensure these vital features remain part of our rural landscape—for both their practical benefits and their aesthetic value.

Whether you’re looking to replant a boundary, fill gaps in an older hedge, or maintain hedgerows that have stood for generations, this guide will walk you through how Countryside Stewardship grants can help make it happen.

What Countryside Stewardship Can Fund

Countryside Stewardship supports hedgerow projects of all sizes, offering grants to help with planting, restoration, and ongoing management.

Capital Grants for Planting and Structural Work

Capital grants are ideal for establishing new hedgerows or giving older ones a much-needed makeover.

  • Hedgerow Planting and Gapping-Up:
    • For creating new boundaries or filling gaps in existing hedges.
    • Rates: £9.50 per metre for planting and £22.97 per metre for fencing to protect young hedges from grazing animals.
  • Hedge-Laying and Coppicing:
    • Traditional techniques that rejuvenate overgrown hedgerows, encourage dense growth, and restore their functionality as boundaries or wildlife corridors.
    • Payments depend on project specifics but often include support for associated costs like stakes and tools.

Mid-Tier and Higher-Tier Agreements

For those with larger-scale projects, mid-tier and higher-tier agreements offer funding to integrate hedgerows into broader biodiversity or landscape restoration plans.

  • Mid-Tier Agreements:
    • Designed for individual farms, these agreements help landowners fund planting and maintenance as part of their land’s overall environmental goals.
  • Higher-Tier Agreements:
    • Support more complex projects, such as creating hedgerow networks to connect wildlife habitats or improving flood resilience in vulnerable areas.

Annual Maintenance Payments

Countryside Stewardship also provides ongoing funding for traditional hedgerow maintenance, ensuring these features remain healthy and beneficial to the landscape.

  • What’s Covered:
    • Rotational cutting, trimming, and other activities to maintain the structure and density of hedgerows.
    • Rates: £42 per hectare annually, depending on the agreement.

Making the Most of Countryside Stewardship Grants

To take full advantage of what CS has to offer, it’s important to align your hedgerow projects with the scheme’s priorities. Start by assessing your current hedgerows: Are there sections that could benefit from traditional management techniques like laying or coppicing? Do you have areas where planting new hedgerows could enhance field boundaries or create wildlife corridors?

The application process requires a clear plan, so be prepared to submit maps, proposed activities, and an outline of how your project will benefit biodiversity or landscape character. Applications are typically open once a year, and funding decisions are based on how well your project aligns with CS objectives.

Combining CS with Other Funding Schemes

One of the strengths of Countryside Stewardship is how well it complements other grant schemes.

  • Pairing CS with the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI):
    Use CS grants to establish new hedgerows or carry out structural work like laying, then apply for SFI payments to monitor and manage them over time.
    Example: A landowner could plant a new hedgerow using CS funding and then receive annual SFI payments for assessing its condition and maintaining its structure.
  • Combining CS with the Tree Health Pilot Scheme (THP):
    If your hedgerow trees are affected by pests or diseases, the Tree Health Pilot Scheme can cover the costs of felling and replanting. CS grants can then be used to restore the hedgerow’s overall biodiversity and structural value.

Reporting and Compliance

Participants in Countryside Stewardship must keep detailed records of their activities. This includes maintaining logs of planting, cutting, or laying work, as well as submitting photographs and maps as evidence of progress. Compliance checks may involve site visits to ensure the work aligns with the grant agreement.

Why Countryside Stewardship Is Worth It

For farmers and landowners, hedgerows aren’t just part of the scenery—they’re practical tools and assets. They keep soil in place, slow water runoff, and provide habitats for pollinators and other wildlife that directly benefit farming. Countryside Stewardship helps offset the costs of maintaining and improving these essential features, making it easier to invest in the long-term health of your land.

Get the Most Out of Your Grants with GrantAdvisor

Navigating the paperwork and understanding how to combine funding schemes can feel like a full-time job. That’s where GrantAdvisor comes in. This free digital tool simplifies the process, helping you identify which grants you qualify for and guiding you through the application process.

Whether you’re planting a new hedgerow, restoring an older one, or maintaining the health of trees within your hedges, GrantAdvisor ensures you don’t miss out on valuable funding. It even helps you align grants like CS, SFI, and the Tree Health Pilot Scheme to maximize support for your land management goals.

Stop wasting time on complicated applications—let GrantAdvisor do the heavy lifting while you focus on improving your land. Start today, and see how easy it is to secure funding for hedgerow projects that will keep your farm productive and your countryside looking its best.