The areas eligible to apply for funding are those where the Farming Recovery Fund was available in the aftermath of the floods. This includes:
- Cumbria
- Lancashire
- Greater Manchester
- Northumberland
- County Durham
- Yorkshire
The Facilitation Fund is competitive and priority will be given to those applications which seek to maximise potential for natural flood management (NFM) and hydrological processes causing flooding. Grants are available for three years of funding.
Projects must involve at least four holdings and cover at least 2,000ha. In exceptional circumstances smaller areas may be considered, for example, sub-catchments which are smaller than 2,000ha may be considered if they deliver CS priories.
The deadline for applications is 15 February 2017. The scheme guidance, including definitions of the facilitation fund, can be found here.
NFU Comment
Undertaking NFM activities on farm, e.g. woody debris dams, requires technical advice and permits consents from the relevant authorities. They are complex to deliver and guidance is required to ensure they are effective and raise awareness of the long-term considerations of scheme involvement. The facilitation fund will allow groups of farmers considering natural flood management options to work through these issues together.
Countryside Stewardship has a number of natural flood management options available, with three new options currently under development. CS provides funding for implementation plans and feasibility studies. These can be used to develop a NFM response.