RP9: Earth banks and soil bunds
Find out about eligibility and requirements for the earth banks and soil bunds item.
How much will be paid
£195.61 for each unit (100m of bund).
Where to use this item
Available for Countryside Stewardship Mid Tier, Higher Tier and Capital Grants.
Only:
- in areas targeted for the reduction of water pollution from agriculture or to help address flood risk
- on sites identified in either a Feasibility Study, an Implementation Plan or a CSF commissioned design plan
Where this item cannot be used
- on historic or archaeological features or areas of wildlife value as identified on the Farm Environment Record (FER), the Environmental Information Map or the HEFER
- without relevant advice or consents from the Environment Agency (EA), or Local Planning Authority, or Internal Drainage Board
How this item will benefit the environment
An earth bank or soil bund can be used to:
- slow the movement of water, protecting streams and rivers from pollutants
- slow flows during high rainfall and reduce downstream flooding
- control water levels to aid raised water levels for habitat creation and restoration
Requirements
- complete the construction as set out in the Feasibility Study, Implementation Plan or CSF design plan (Water-Holding Feature Management Plan)
Keeping records
Agreement holders will need to keep the following records and supply them on request:
- any consents or permissions connected with the work
- receipted invoices, or bank statements where a receipted invoice is unavailable
- photographs of site before works start
- a copy of the Feasibility Study or CSF design plan (Water-Holding Feature Management Plan)
Please see the record keeping and inspection requirements as set out in the relevant Mid Tier, Higher Tier or Capital Grants guidance for more detail. You can find the latest guidance at Countryside Stewardship: get funding to protect and improve the land you manage.
Agreement holders will need to keep the following records and supply them with the claim:
- photographs of the site during the different stages of construction or contracts, invoices or other documents confirming the technical specification for the completed works
- photographs of the completed works in place and installed
Before applying, applicants must seek advice from the Environment Agency, and where relevant the Internal Drainage Board to check if consent is required to carry out the planned work. you do not need to provide this consent with your application, but you will need to submit this consent with your payment claim.
Related Mid Tier and Capital Grants items
This item can be used on the same area as the following options and items:
- RP7 - Sediment ponds and traps
- RP11 - Swales
- SW1 - 4m to 6m buffer strip on cultivated land
- SW2 - 4m to 6m buffer strip on intensive grassland
- SW3 - In-field grass strips
- SW7 - Arable reversion to grassland with low fertiliser input
Advice and suggestions for how to carry out this item
The following section gives advice on carrying out this item successfully but does not form part of the requirements for this item.
Pick a location
Position bunds or banks on land that can support damp, vegetated habitat. Ideally on:
- tracks
- small, lightly contaminated yards
- hard standing
- the bottom of slopes
This item also works on grassland and arable fields, as single entities or to support buffer strips.
Design and construction
Details of the design and construction of the earth bank or soil bund will be in the management plan. Agreement holders are likely to need to:
- form infiltration basins into ‘V’, ‘U’ or ‘C’ shapes
- measure bunds in a continuous length of 100m per unit with up to a 250m2 runoff store
- dig down 0.8m in depth
- grade side slopes to no more than 1 in 3
- ensure half the stored water can empty within 24 hours
- flatten the soil when damp to strengthen the structure
- plant grass species in banks that can withstand wet and dry conditions
- establish vegetation on the basin floor to reduce clogging
- build bay silt traps where soil erosion is high to stop the basin from clogging
- regularly remove excess sediment from banks and bunds, reapplying it back to the field (contact the Environment Agency to check if a waste exemption is required)
To enhance buffer strips
- place soil bunds at the field edge of buffer strips, to slow runoff
- build bunds 300mm to 500mm high by 600mm to 1000mm wide
- place larger bunds where complex field slopes divert runoff to pinch points
Establishing soil bunds
Compact down soil bunds and then sow a seed mixture at a rate of 24g/m2. Form the seed mix from grass, legumes and wildflowers, e.g.:
- creeping red fescue (70%)
- smooth meadow-grass (20%)
- creeping bent (10%)
Building weirs and outlets
Weirs and outlets can be built into the design as they can discharge more water than pipes and are less likely to block up.
The water should be directed on to stones or boulders to slow flow for piped overflows, or weirs in ditches and ponds.
Biodiversity
This item has been identified as being beneficial for biodiversity. All Countryside Stewardship habitat creation, restoration and management options are of great significance for biodiversity recovery, as are the wide range of arable options in the scheme. Capital items and supplements can support this habitat work depending on the holding’s situation and potential.
The connectivity of habitats is also very important and habitat options should be linked wherever possible. Better connectivity will allow wildlife to move/colonise freely to access water, food, shelter and breeding habitat, and will allow natural communities of both animals and plants to adapt in response to environmental and climate change.
Further information
Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) operates in parts of the country where there are water quality issues linked to farming. The scheme provides farmers with free advice and training. See guidance for further information on CSF support.
Read Countryside Stewardship: get funding to protect and improve the land you manage to find out more information about Mid Tier, Higher Tier and Capital Grants including how to apply.
Updates to this page
Last updated 9 February 2021 + show all updates
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Added in links to Capital Grants manual as this option is now available for Capital Grants
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Information updated for applications in 2016
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First published.