Tag: FIPL

Farming in Protected Landscapes

FiPL has been extended!! 

We are delighted to announce that the Farming in Protected Landscapes Programme has been extended for another 3 financial years, from April 2026 – March 2029.  

Please contact Sash Warden by email or phone 01905 844686 or 07873 616395 with any questions or project ideas! 

Overview 

The Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) Programme is a UK Government (DEFRA) funded initiative in England that provides grants to farmers and land managers for one-off projects that support nature recovery, mitigate climate change, improve public access and involvement, and restore and enhance landscape character within National Parks and National Landscapes (formerly AONB’s).  

The Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) programme began in 2021 as part of the Government’s Agricultural Transition Plan  and has since received three extensions. It is a nationally funded scheme, delivered and administered at a local level.  

It is important to note that FiPL is for one-off Projects, and not an agri-environmental scheme. Though if you are looking for help and support with the various agri-environmental schemes please contact us for support.  

The following links provide more information on the FiPL process:  

FiPL Examples of Funding

The Malvern Hills National Landscape FiPL Funding 

Between June 2021 – March 2026, the Malvern Hills has helped to support and provide over £1.7m of FiPL funding to 59 different applicants across 109 projects within our landscape. For further information, please see our Transparency of Funding below: 

What we have funded so far 

Hedgerow creation and management        Fencing for habitat protection 

 Support towards conservation / regenerative grazing and livestock       Orchard restoration and management 

Access and education                      Parkland restoration                         Shelter belt planting and woodland management 

Pond creation and management                Machinery for habitat and access management 

Restoring of historic features                      Meadow creation 

National Publications 

Below are DEFRA’s National Publications on the FiPL Scheme. 

For more ideas you can look on other Protected Landscape’s FiPL Pages and look at their Transparency of Funding. A list of all the Protected Landscape Websites in England can be found at the National Landscapes Website: National Landscapes – National Landscapes .

FiPL Funding Rates

Funding and Rates 

FiPL has a few key points to consider when developing your application. Firstly, FiPL should not be covering items or activities that could go into a more suitable scheme, especially when that scheme is open (i.e., SFI[Sustainable Farming Incentive]). The Funding for farmers, growers and land managers – GOV.UK  has further information on the current funding available to farmers.   

FiPL as a programme really lends itself to Capital Purchases, to support a Land managers chain towards a more beneficial management system, rather than a long-term support scheme.  

Countryside Stewardship (CS) or “Standard” rates 

Capital – Where there is an item which is equal to that of a Countryside Stewardship, or other Agri-Environmental Scheme item, then FiPL can and will only support to the same value – for example, in the Malvern Area, FG2 Sheep fencing at £7.47/m or TE3 Fruit Trees at £28.07/Tree are frequently used options. More information about Capital Grant Countryside Stewardship can be found here . 

Revenue – There a few circumstances where FiPL may consider funding a revenue activity at CS or SFI, but very rare and on a case-by-case basis.  

Bespoke Funding 

The FiPL Programme does lend itself to ‘bespoke’ funding, but there are a couple of things to note: 

  1. Firstly, FiPL cannot fund anything which is a legal requirement – i.e., Planning Permission’s or surveys 
  • All elements of the application must show value for money, with comparable quotes. One quote for an item/activity below £5,000, and three quotes for above.  
  • Funding is subject to intervention rates / if there will be and commercial benefit from the application, as displayed in the table below:  
  • The Local Assessment Panel can reduce Intervention rates if they feel this is appropriate.  
  • Finally, FiPL cannot fund Livestock, Self Propelled Vehicles, with various restrictions around other elements too, such as machinery or solar – please get in touch with our FiPL Officer.  
% of Funding Definition Example 
Up to 40% of Actual Costs Funding rate where there will be a clear commercial gain from the project Deer Larder, Electric fencing for Mob grazing, tools for habitat management for commercial use 
Up to 80% of Actual Costs Where there will be some commercial gain from the activity / item, but the driving force is for the delivery of public goods An example would be supporting the infrastructure requirements to facilitate school visits to farms – i.e., hand washing stations 
Up to 100% of Actual Costs Only in exceptional circumstances, where there is no commercial gain, can applications receive 100% of costs This may look like public engagement infrastructure, new permissive access routes 

FiPL Eligibilty

Eligibility  

This programme supports activity on the following areas and features within a protected landscape:  

  • Farmed or managed areas of arable and other crops, grasslands (temporary and permanent); moorland, woodland and scrub; heathland; in-stream and riparian areas and open waterbodies; land which is or is proposed to be the subject of re-wilding  
  • Non-farmed areas of a holding, including hardstanding, farmyards, agricultural buildings, historic structures, tracks.  
  • Protected sites e.g. SSSIs, SACs, SPAs, Ramsar sites or other wildlife rich sites such as wetlands or saltmarsh    

Agricultural land is eligible even if it is not actively farmed. The definition of agricultural land is best defined by reference to Part 6: Exemptions – Part D: Agricultural Premises  of the Valuation Office Agency Rating Manual available on Gov.uk 

The FiPL programme does not support works on domestic property. 

You can receive funding through the programme if you: 

  • Are a farmer or land manager (including individuals, charities and some public bodies [the table below gives further details of land manager types])  
  • An organisation or individual collaborating with an eligible farmer / land manager (or a group of farmers/land managers) to deliver an eligible project  
  • Own, or have management control of, all the land affected by the project, or have the formal consent of the person who does. 

You do not need to be registered with the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) or have a Single Business Identifier (SBI) to apply. However, your Protected Landscape will share the information you provide in your application with the RPA as described at the Declaration. 

Collaborative and group applications are supported, proved there is management control of all land entered into the application, and one individual is happy to be the “Lead Applicant”.  

Further details can be found in the (Annex C) FiPL Guidance for Applicants  or contact our Farming in Protected Landscapes Officer at: Swarden@worcestershire.gov.uk, or FiPL@worcestershire.gov.uk  or 07873 616 395 

Body/Organisation Can I apply? Additional Information   
Government departments, executive agencies and NDPBs (for example, Ministry of Defence, Forestry Commission), with exception of the bodies listed below in this table: No None 
Natural England Yes For work on the National Nature Reserves which goes beyond other legal obligations 
Other public bodies (including National Park Authorities, The Broads Authority, Conservation Boards and National Landscape partnerships through their accountable bodies) Yes Provided the work goes beyond the duty of regard and other legal obligations    
County, Unitary, District, Parish Council and former college farms Yes None 
Tenants of eligible public bodies Yes Ineligible where the work is already a requirement of the tenancy agreement. The public body must countersign the application if the tenant does not have security of tenure for the full term of the agreement. 
Tenants of ineligible public bodies Yes Ineligible where the work is already a requirement of the tenancy agreement. Tenants must have security of tenure for the full term of the agreement, as the public body cannot countersign the application. 
Other organisations and individuals Yes Where the proposed activity or works is in support of programme aims 

FiPL and MHNL Tragets and Outcomes

FiPL Outcomes 

The FiPL programme focuses on 4 main outcomes, which are focused on Climate, Nature, People and Place.  

You do not need to meet all the outcomes below for your FiPL project, but the more outcomes your project supports, the higher your project scoring and likelihood of approval. 

(C) Climate   (N) Nature (Pe) People (Pl) Place 
C1: More carbon is stored and/or sequestered    C2: Flood risk has been reduced    C3: Better understanding among farmers, land managers and the public as to what different habitats and land uses can deliver for carbon storage and reduced carbon emissions    C4: The landscape is more resilient to climate change N1: There is a greater area of wildlife rich habitat    N2: There is greater connectivity between habitats    N3: Existing habitat is better managed for biodiversity    N4: There is an increase in biodiversity Pe1: There are more opportunities for people to explore, enjoy and understand the landscape    Pe2: There are increased opportunities for more diverse audiences to explore, enjoy and understand the landscape    Pe3: There is greater public engagement in land management, for example through volunteering Pl1: The quality and character of the landscape is reinforced or enhanced    Pl2: Historic structures and features are conserved, enhanced or interpreted more effectively.     Pl3: There is an increase in the resilience of nature friendly sustainable farm businesses, which in turn contributes to a more thriving local economy. 

Malvern Hills National Landscape – Management Plan 2025-2030 Outcomes 

The Malvern Hills National Landscape have our own Management plan, which can be accessed online ; the management plan also focuses on the themes of Nature, Climate, People and Place.  

Local and National Nature Recovery Targets 

  • The Malvern Hills National Landscape have our own Nature Recovery Plan, which can be found here. 
  • DEFRA have also created the Protected Landscapes Targets and Outcomes framework; more information can be found at this Link:  The Malvern Hills National Landscape Targets as are follows: 
  • National Target 1: Restore or create a range of wildlife rich habitats within the national landscape – 42.11 Ha per year 
  • National Target 8: Increase tree canopy and woodland cover in the national landscape – 11.43 Ha per year.  
  • The Malvern Hills Protected Landscape sits across 3 Counties, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire; Currently, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire have got live Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS’s), whilst Herefordshire’s is currently undergoing consultation and will be added which it goes live. Links for the Gloucestershire and Worcestershire LNRS’s can be found here:  
  • Worcestershire LNRS 
  • Gloucestershire LNRS 

FIPL Application and Assessment

Application 

Once you have spoken to our FiPL Officer and had a site visit – you will be guided on how to proceed with your application, including any relevant quotes, consents or permissions that may need to be obtained prior to application.  

The following documents are download links to the application forms: (9) 

These documents, along with the Malvern Hills Management Plan 2025 – 2030 and relevant Nature Recovery Plans can help to support and guide your application. The landscape will support and advise you throughout the process.   

Assessment 

The cost of your project will impact on how it is assessed.  

For projects with a total fund request of over £10,000   For projects with a total fund request of under £10,000    
Your application will be assessed by a Local Assessment Panel made up of experts from across your Protected Landscape, including from the farming and land management community, where you project will be given a score using a common scoring system.    Your application will be assessed by a senior member from your Protected Landscape team who has not been involved in providing advice or guidance to your application. They will assess and score your application using the common scoring system.     If you submit more than five applications for projects under £10,000 over the course of the programme (from 2021) the sixth and any further applications will be scrutinised at the Local Assessment Panels, whatever their value. 

All projects will be assessed and scored using a common scoring system. You will be scored against the following categories which will be weighted differently for your final score:  

  • Project outcomes – (40%) 
  • Value for Money – (20%)  
  • Sustainability / legacy of project – (20%)  
  • Ability to deliver – (20%)  

The scoring criteria can be found at the end of this guidance document.  

There are several requirements you must meet for your application to progress, and these are made clear in the application template. Your Protected Landscape will consider whether you meet the essential criteria for the programme (see under ‘who can apply’). If you do not meet the essential criteria, your Protected Landscape will not assess your application further. 

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