AC3: Install and maintain signage

This item is part of Capital Grants 2025. You must read the Capital Grants 2025 guidance to understand the rules and how to apply.

If you’re applying for this item as part of a Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) application, you must read the CSHT applicant’s guide to understand the rules and how to apply.

How much you’ll be paid

£55.65 per sign

How this item benefits the environment

Encouraging positive visitor behaviour helps manage, protect and enhance environmental features.

Where you can use this item

You can use this item on sites with public access to:

• discourage damaging activity
• encourage positive visitor behaviour
• explain the environmental features of the site

You can also use it alongside:

• Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) action WBD1: Manage Ponds
• in a Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier application alongside management actions (with the agreement of your Natural England adviser)

You can also use it with these capital items:

• WN7: Restoration of large water bodies
• WN12: Create or restore ponds up to 2 hectares

You cannot use this item on any historic or archaeological features identified on your Historic Environment Farm Environment Record (HEFER) without written approval from Historic England on:

• scheduled monuments
• registered parks and gardens
• registered battlefields

You must not use this item on Selected Heritage Inventory for Natural England (SHINE) sites without written approval from your local authority historic environment adviser.

What you must do to use this item

Near ponds and lakes, you must put up signs which discourage people from feeding wildfowl and are appropriate for the site, for example in areas with high visitor footfall or public access.

In all areas, you must put up signs that encourage positive visitor behaviour such as:

• not feeding wildfowl
• keeping to paths
• keeping dogs under control

You cannot use this item on land in a Sustainable Farming Incentive or Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier permissive access action.

Evidence you must keep

You must keep photographs of the completed works and provide them with your claim.

You must also keep and provide on request:

• receipted invoices or a bank statement where receipted invoices are not available
• photographs of the completed works
• a map showing the proposed location of the signs

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.

If you’re applying for this item as part of a Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) application, read the record keeping and site visit requirements in the CSHT agreement holder’s guide.

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.

You can use standard wording for the signage such as:

• ‘Please do not feed the ducks’
• ‘Please keep to the path (sensitive habitat)’
• ‘Please keep dogs under control (nesting birds)’

[CSHT]: Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier [SFI]: Sustainable Farming Incentive [HEFER]: Historic Environment Farm Environment Record [SHINE]: Selected Heritage Inventory for Natural England