FG15: Water gates
Find out about eligibility and requirements for the water gates item.
This item is part of Capital Grants. You must read the Capital items: guidance for applicants and agreement holders to understand the rules and how to apply.
How much you’ll be paid
£532.80 per gate.
How this item benefits the environment
Preventing livestock from entering watercourse channels and stopping livestock from trampling waterside banks leaves bankside vegetation lush and unbroken by livestock paths.
This item can help you protect, recover and improve biodiversity on your land.
Where you can use this item
You can use this item either:
- in areas targeted for the reduction of water pollution caused by farming
- on fence lines across streams alongside other stock control items
- as part of a Woodland Tree Health grant
What you must do to use this item
You must fit a gate across the river or stream. Make sure the gate:
- is framed and made of wood
- fits the profile of the river or stream
- matches the height of the fence next to it
- uses timber that’s fully peeled and tanalised or treated with an approved preservative
- can float up and down as the water levels rise and fall
- has an approach fence that’s either post-and-rail or fixed netting
- is separate (along with the approach fencing) from the main fence line
You must also make sure the gate consists of either a:
- series of wooden droppers attached to a length of wire cable
- round wooden rail suspended horizontally between straining posts
The droppers must be:
- at least 50 millimetres (mm) square in cross section
- made from sawn and untreated timber that has been drilled and then threaded on to the cable or rail
- separated by at least 150mm lengths of plastic pipe
If the stream gully is more than 1.5 metres (m) deep, you can construct the gate in several sections. The droppers must be:
- made of untreated timber
- at least 70mm square
- hung on round wooden poles using loops of fencing wire
Evidence you must keep
You must keep and provide with your claim:
- photographs of the completed work
- any consents and permissions from the Environment Agency
You must also keep and provide on request:
- any consents or permissions connected with the work (in addition to the ones stated above)
- receipted invoices or bank statements where a receipted invoice is unavailable
- photographs of the existing site before work starts
Read the record keeping and site visit requirements in the Agreement holder’s guide: Capital Grants, Higher Tier capital grants and Protection and Infrastructure grants for more information.
Other capital items you can use with this item
You can use this item with these items:
BN13: Top wiring – stone walls
BN14: Stone wall supplement – stone from quarry
Advice to help you use this item
The following advice may help you to use this item, but you do not have to follow it to get paid. It’s not part of this item’s requirements.
How to get an environmental permit
You may need an environmental permit (formerly flood defence consent) to use this item near a watercourse or within 10m of the top of a riverbank (this varies with some local byelaws).
The Environment Agency issue environmental permits for main rivers. You do not need flood risk permits to work on ‘ordinary watercourses’ – usually small rivers, streams and ditches. Contact your lead local flood authority or internal drainage board to check if you need land drainage consent on all other watercourses.
If you think you need an environmental permit, contact the Environment Agency for advice.
British Standards
Check to make sure the work meets relevant British Standards.
Updates to this page
Published 2 April 2015Last updated 3 February 2025 + show all updates
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General improvement for clarity.
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Added in links to Capital Grants manual as this option is now available for Capital Grants
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Page updated to show latest record keeping
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Capital item now includes woodland.
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Update to 'keeping records' section.
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First published.