Upstream Thinking Update: Funding Boost for Farmers

06 August 2020

Upstream Thinking for Cleaner Water

A significant funding boost is available to farmers in the South West Peak to help deliver improved water quality. If your holding is a farm on the Upper River Dove/River Hamps/River Churnet/Meerbrook then you may be eligible for a funded farm water and soil plan, and a range of capital works to improve water quality.

Funding from The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development has been awarded to the South West Peak Landscape Partnership to support the project Upstream Thinking and will complement funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. This is available until September 2021.

The Upstream Thinking project aims to improve water quality by increasing understanding, capital investment and natural flood management in the South West Peak. The project will include a range of work, such as producing farm water and soil plans to help reduce diffuse pollution, removing invasive non-native species, and creating new habitats.

The farm water and soil plans are specific to the holding and are written in conjunction with the farmer / landowner. These can then be used to target capital works and steer towards grant-funded management practices.

Capital works for farm water management can include payments for fencing, gates, hard bases for livestock drinkers, pasture pumps, livestock troughs and pipework, resurfacing of gateways, gateway relocation, watercourse crossings, cross drains, installation of piped culverts in ditches, sediment ponds and traps, earth banks and soil bunds, grip blocking of drainage channels and creation of scrapes and gutters. These could be identified in the farm water and soil plan or funded as separate items.

Natural flood management works also include tree planting, particularly clough woodlands and the creation of various structures to Slow the Flow such as leaky dams and woody debris.

Soil compaction testing may steer towards funded decompaction work on suitable fields, if appropriate. Various funded management packages are available through national schemes as well as bespoke projects covered by Upstream Thinking.

If you are interested or would like to find out more, then please contact us at SWP@peakdistrict.gov.uk or call Andy on 07973 848384 or Dave on 07970 312531

Please be aware that this is a time-limited project and so expressions of interest need to be made as soon as possible.