Farming in Protected Landscapes

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Overview
Eligibility
What the Programme Will Pay For
Payment Rates
Case Studies
Maintenance Agreements
How to Apply
Application Assessment
Further Information

Overview

Through the FiPL Programme, farmers and land managers can be supported to carry out projects that support nature recovery, mitigate the impacts of climate change, provide opportunities for people to discover, enjoy and understand the landscape and cultural heritage, or support nature-friendly, sustainable farm businesses. This is a Programme of funding for one-off projects covering these areas of work, not an agri-environment scheme.

The Programme is part of Defra’s Agricultural Transition Plan. It has been developed by Defra with support from a group of AONB and National Park staff from across the country.

Northumberland National Park had £270,000 in Year 1 and £350,000 in Year 2 to award for FiPL projects. Year 3 will see £400,000 available to fund FiPL projects and £669,000 in Year 4

• A downloadable version of Successful Year One Applications in Excel format be found here.
• A downloadable version of Successful Year Two Applications in Excel format be found here.

Year three of the Programme started on 01 April 2023, and the FiPL team are now accepting year three and four expressions of interest and applications.

The Programme’s Guidance for Applicants document sets out the purpose and operation of the Programme in more detail, and this can be found here.

Eligibility

The Farming in Protected Landscapes Programme is open to all farmers and land managers (including from the private, public and charity sector) in a National Park, AONB or the Norfolk Broads – or where activity on the ground can bring benefit to one or more of those areas.

Applicants must manage all the land included in the application and have control of all the activities requested to undertake, or you must have written consent from all parties who have this management and control. 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.

Common land is also eligible for support through the Programme; applications can be accepted from landowners with sole rights, or as a group of commoners acting together.

The Programme supports activity on any land within the Northumberland National Park boundary, or other land outside of the boundary where projects can demonstrate benefit to Northumberland National Park, or the Northumberland National Park Authority’s objectives or partnership initiatives. Most of the funding will likely be awarded to projects within the National Park boundary.

You can see the boundary by visiting the MAGIC mapping website. Click on ‘designations’, ‘land-based designations’, expand ‘statutory’ and then select ‘Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty England’ and ‘National Parks England’. More details on eligibility can be found in the guidance.

A link to Northumberland National Park’s boundary map can be found here.

What the Programme will pay for?

The Farming in Protected Landscapes Programme will pay for projects that, in the opinion of the Local Assessment Panel, provide value for money and meet at least one of the outcomes listed below, under four themes.

Climate outcomes

• 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 outcomes

• There is a greater area of habitat improved for biodiversity
• There is an increase in biodiversity
• There is greater connectivity between habitats
• Existing habitat is better managed

People outcomes

• 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
• Farmers and land managers feel increasingly comfortable with providing public goods

Place outcomes

• 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 farm business resilience

Your project must also help to deliver at least one of the objectives of the Northumberland National Park Authority Management Plan. Details of these objectives can be found here.

For example, the Programme might support:

• Planting new hedgerows for increased biodiversity enhancement
• Creating wader scrapes, or creating ponds to support a variety of wildlife
• Promoting connectivity between habitats
• Restoring or creating priority habitats, including flower rich meadows and wading bird habitat
• Creating and promoting a series of farm walks across a cluster of farms, providing new access opportunities, links to the rights of way network and interpretation of farming and of the natural and historic features on the land
• Conserving historic features on a farm, such as lime kilns or traditional buildings
• Supporting a locally-branded food initiative which promotes the links between the product and the landscape in which it is produced
• Action to reduce carbon emissions on a farm
• Whole farm planning for conservation, energy efficiency and economic resilience, including in farmer clusters
• Gathering data and evidence to help inform conservation and farming practice
• Working with new audiences to enable them to experience the Protected Landscape

To see some examples of projects we have funded so far please click here.

Our Traditional Buildings are a really important part of Northumberland National Park however, due to the timescale and grant allocation constraints, the Northumberland National Park FiPL programme will not be funding any more Feasibility Studies for restoration of traditional buildings.

Farming in Protected Landscapes and other funding sources

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 another Defra scheme instead, you will be made aware of them.

If you are looking for support for boundary works, including dry stone walling and hedging, please look at the Capital Only Scheme.

If you are looking for support with Catchment Sensitive Farming (yard) works you will need to seek advice from the NE’s Catchment Sensitive Farming team. Information on how to seek that advice can be found here.

Large scale tree planting may be best delivered through Forestry Commission funding including the England Woodland Creation Offer. If you would like to discuss farm woodland creation within Northumberland National Park then please contact the farming team for some advice on next steps for your project.

Payment Rates

The FiPL 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, applicants will be made aware of these alternatives.

Where there is an equivalent Countryside Stewardship rate or Farming Investment Fund rate for the work or activity requested to be carried out, that rate will also be used in the Farming in Protected Landscapes Programme. If not, the Programme funding offers will be based on the projected costs of an activity (three quotations for each item must be obtained).

If commercial gain is not made through a project, applications could receive up to 100% of the costs.

Where an applicant would benefit commercially from a project, they could receive between 40% and 80% of the costs through the Programme, depending on how much commercial benefit the project will give them.

Case Studies

You can find details of successfully funded projects by clicking here.

Maintenance Agreements

Capital infrastructure assets (including, but not limited to, fences, gates, building restoration), should be maintained for five years from the date of completion.

Machinery assets (for example a brush harvester for grassland restoration) should be maintained for five years from the date of purchase.

The requirement to maintain natural, cultural and access activities (for example, management of grassland or payments for permissive access) delivered as part of the Programme will cease no later than 01 April 2025.

How to apply

To apply, please get in touch with the Northumberland National Park Authority Farming in Protected Landscapes team to discuss your ideas and find out more about how to apply. Guidance and the application form can be found below.

We are now taking year two and year three expressions of interest and applications.

Multi-year awards are possible for longer projects. Please contact the team to discuss.

Application Assessment

Applications for £10,000 and over will be judged by a Local Assessment Panel.  This kind of system has been used locally before the LEADER programme.

The Local Assessment Panel is made up of eight people from bodies including: Forest of Northumberland National Park Authority, Natural England, RPA, as well as members from the local farming and land management sector.

The panel is expected to meet every six to eight weeks to make decisions.

Applications for less than £10,000 will be decided upon by a senior member of the Northumberland National Park Authority team (who has no prior knowledge of the project).

Further Information

If you have a question about the Farming in Protected Landscapes Programme, please email FiPL@nnpa.org.uk or call Sally on 07795834953.

If you missed the Northumberland National Park Authority Farming in Protected Landscapes online information session, which explained more about the programme and how to apply, you can watch it again here.