Natural England has created a checklist to help applicants avoid making errors that could lead to options/applications being deemed ineligible or being rejected.
More than half of Mid Tier applications received by Natural England contain an error that requires the form to be returned to applicants. You can avoid this by checking your form for the following common errors:
- Number of signatures/permissions not compatible with trading statuses (e.g. two signatures given for a business indicated as a sole trader)
- Corrections to the form not initialled by the applicant
- RLE1 form outstanding
- Rotational options/capital items listed on annexes as a total length/area, rather than the individual quantities to be applied to individual parcels being detailed separately
- Farm Environment Record (FER) being left blank when applicants must confirm that there are no features to record if this is the case (this error is common for water only capital applications)
You should also check your supporting evidence is complete. Common errors include:
- Failure to supply all evidence required, for example:
- Planning permission/Environment Agency approval not requested or pending where relevant
- A copy of advice and consents from the flood defence consenting authority not provided or confirmation that it is not required, where relevant
- Soil erosion and run off risk recorded inconsistently on the application form, annexes and maps (guidance available here)
- Sketch map not provided for water quality options
Where an option requires supporting evidence and that evidence is not available, for whatever reason, it is important you let Natural England know in your application otherwise it will hold up the processing of your application.