What the action involves
This action’s aim is to protect historic water meadows and landscape character by maintaining:
- ‘bedwork’ and ‘catch’ water meadows using traditional irrigation systems
- habitat and water quality
The purpose of this is to:
- keep historic water meadows in a stable condition
- maintain a working water meadow system with structurally sound water control features
- conserve the character of the farm and historic land use patterns
What you must do
Your Natural England adviser will assess your land. They’ll work with you to adapt and agree the activities you must do to achieve this action’s aim. All mandatory activities will be set out in your agreement document.
To get paid for this action, you must:
- float or drown the meadow for an agreed period of time each year
- manage an agreed percentage of scrub and species
- maintain the gutters, carriers or channels to encourage an even film of water approximately 25mm deep to flow over the sward
- maintain and repair the water control structures on a like for like basis, such as sluices, weirs and hatches, and keep a record of the work
- manage the meadow by grazing or hay cutting once the land has dried out
- only allow vehicular access on routes agreed with your Natural England adviser
The advice you’re given from Natural England is specific to your land which means (where relevant) you may also need to complete a structures maintenance record on the water control structures and associated leats drains and gutters at least once a year to record any repair and maintenance work.
You must not:
- apply any fertilisers or manures
- apply pesticides – you may be able to use herbicides to spot-treat or weed-wipe for the control of injurious weeds, invasive non-native plant species, nettles or other plants if this has been agreed with your Natural England adviser
- use supplementary feed for grazing livestock, unless it’s during periods of extreme weather
- create new tracks for vehicular access
- harrow or roll
- work on the gutters, carriers or channels during late spring and summer
- plough, cultivate or re-seed
- remove, replace or relocate historic structures
When to do it
You must do this action each year of its duration.
Evidence to keep
You must keep evidence to show what you have done to complete this action. If it’s not clear that you have done this action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve its aim, the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) may ask for this evidence.
You must supply the evidence if they ask for it, including:
- a map showing existing tracks and routes
- photographs of the state of the water meadow and its structural, historic and archaeological features before works start and after the work is complete
- before and after photographs of all maintenance works and minor repairs
- stock grazing records
- receipted invoices or bank statements where a receipted invoice is unavailable
- consents or permissions connected with the work records of management activity on the action area for each parcel
- structural maintenance plan
Where you can do it
You can do this action on eligible land located below the moorland line that’s a traditional water meadow. This is where land is irrigated through a system of inlet and outlet channels.
You cannot use this action on meadows:
- that flood naturally and do not have control structures, such as sluices and hatches to regulate water levels
- where water cannot be controlled – water needs to flow evenly across the meadow at up to 25 millimetres (mm) in depth when drowned
Eligible land
You can do this action on land that’s:
- an eligible land type
- registered with an eligible land cover on your digital maps
- declared with a land use code which is compatible with the eligible land cover
Available area
Total or part of the available area in the land parcel.
Rotational or static
This action is static. This means you must do it on the same location each year of the action’s duration.
Consents and permissions
To apply for this action, you’ll need:
- consent from Natural England for any activity on land designated as a site of special scientific interest (SSSI)
- consent from the Environment Agency or other responsible bodies for works on hydrological structures
You may need to:
- get listed building consent from your local authority to work on a listed structure
- agree an implementation plan or feasibility study with your Natural England adviser
- get advice from your Historic England, Natural England adviser or local authority if you have other historic or archaeological features on your agreement land
- get Scheduled Monument Consent from Historic England for any work on scheduled monuments
- get a wildlife licence from Natural England if your activities affect a protected species or their habitat
All historic and archaeological features (including scheduled monuments) are identified in your Historic Environment Farm Environment Record (HEFER).
If you’re a tenant, it’s your responsibility to check whether your tenancy agreement allows you to complete what’s required in the actions you choose. You may need your landlord’s consent.
Capital grants that support it
If you need to complete an implementation plan or a feasibility study before you apply, you can apply for capital grants plans funding.
You can also apply for capital items to help you achieve the action’s aims. Your Natural England adviser will discuss eligible capital items with you.
