CSS Applications Fall Short October 19, 2015 12:00 am Natural England received just 2,314 Mid Tier Countryside Stewardship Scheme applications, in total 5,640 application forms were sent out. Natural England had been expecting around 8,000 applications and to grant around 4,000 agreements. There are a number of reasons to explain why the schemes first application window has not seen the success Natural England had expected. From our experience the following have been key; The timing of the application window fell at the busiest period for many farms and coming after the longer BPS process, perhaps many had just had enough of form filling The lack of information and clear guidance proved frustrating for many. New information and clarifications were being released right up to and beyond the application deadline Some of the scheme requirements such as additional record keeping and the hedge trimming rules put off a number of applicants The complexities of the application process, competitiveness and scoring process have also had an impact. A number of applicants and advisers have also noted the lower average payments seen under the scheme. Although it should be remember that the payment for options remains on an income forgone basis. Those in the uplands are, perhaps, seeing the biggest impact with many suggesting many of the options are not suitable for the area. There are six uplands specific options however just one of these is available for those wanting to apply for Mid Tier. Applications for the Higher Tier close at the end of October and final application numbers should be released soon afterwards. With around 11,000 ELS agreements ending this year and at most 2,314 Mid Tier agreements to be granted much land is likely to be lost out of an environmental scheme. Now more is known about the scheme and an online application process should be available for next year more applications could be seen next Autumn.
