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BN5

BN5: Hedgerow laying

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£13.52

per metre · one-off

info Summary

This Capital Grant item, BN5 Hedgerow laying, rejuvenates hedgerows by laying new lengths to form continuous boundaries, providing new habitat and food sources for wildlife, capturing carbon, and improving biodiversity. It involves specific techniques for cutting and laying stems, followed by weed control and trimming for three years, with payment at £13.52 per metre.

format_list_bulleted What to do

  • Carry out hedgerow laying when the hedge is dormant (30 September to 31 March).
  • Prepare the hedgerow by removing fencing, wire, bramble, clematis, and elder plants.
  • Partially cut stems (pleachers) near ground level (max 10cm), lay them at 35-45 degrees, and secure with crooking/staking/binding.
  • Retain all existing hedgerow trees and remove all cut material from the site.
  • Control weeds during the first growing season and prevent livestock damage with fencing at least 1.2m from the hedge centre.
  • Trim the hedge for 3 years after laying, allowing it to grow taller and wider with each cut.
  • Do not lay downhill, obstruct open access, or disturb breeding birds. Check for a felling licence if felling trees.

schedule When to do

  • Carry out hedgerow laying when the hedge is dormant (usually between 30 September and 31 March).

checklist How to do and evidence required

  • You must keep a map showing the location of existing hedgerow trees in each length of hedgerow and provide with your application – this can be your Farm Environment Record
  • photographs of the completed work and provide them with your claim

You must also keep and provide on request:

  • all consents or permissions connected with the work
  • receipted invoices or bank statements where a receipted invoice is unavailable
  • photographs of each length of hedge entered into the item before work starts
  • the date, location and method of any weed control carried out
  • the date of preparation works and laying
  • the dates of post-laying trimming

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, you must read the record keeping and site visit requirements in the CSHT agreement holder’s guide.

tips_and_updates Additional Advice

  • Choose suitable hedgerows with few gaps, 5-15cm stem diameter, and 2.5-4m height, considering the Hedgerow Regulations 2024.
  • Lay the hedge using hand tools in the local style, cutting stems low (max 10cm) and at a 35-45 degree angle, ensuring to protect from grazing animals.
  • Control competitive weeds during the first growing season to aid establishment.
  • Trim lightly for 3 years after laying, allowing the hedge to gradually increase in height and width.

View Official Guidelines

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info Additional Information

BN5: Hedgerow laying

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

£13.52 per metre (m). The payment rate is for the total length of boundary hedgerow being laid, not for each side of the boundary.

How this item benefits the environment

Laying new lengths of hedgerow will rejuvenate with new growth to form a continuous hedgerow boundary. This will:

  • provide new habitat and food sources for bees, pollinators and birds
  • help capture carbon

This item can help you protect, recover and improve biodiversity on your land.

Where you can use this item

You can use this item where you have management control of both sides of the hedgerow with planted boundary lines of shrubs which are:

  • at least 20m long
  • less than 5m wide between the major woody stems at the base of the boundary
  • made up of at least 80% native shrubs

You cannot use this item on:

What you must do to use this item

You must:

  • carry out work when the hedge is dormant (usually between 30 September and 31 March)
  • remove all fencing and wire that could get tangled in hedge plants to be laid
  • remove bramble, clematis and other scrambling plants
  • cut out all elder plants and prevent re-growth of stumps
  • partially cut through stems of existing shrubs near ground level (no more than 10 centimetres), lay the cut stems (‘pleachers’) at an angle approximately 35 to 45 degrees from the horizontal to close the gap and create a stock-proof barrier
  • remove the uncut heel from each pleacher
  • keep pleachers in position by bending (‘crooking’) and staking or staking and binding
  • keep all existing hedgerow trees
  • remove all cut material from the immediate site when you have finished hedgerow laying
  • control weeds during the first growing season after laying
  • prevent livestock and grazing animals from damaging the hedge by setting fencing at least 1.2m from the centre of the hedge or as close to the base of the bank as possible (if there’s a bank)
  • trim the hedge for 3 years after laying and allow the hedge to become taller and wider at each cut

If you need to fell trees, check if you need a felling licence from the Forestry Commission. You must have this in place before you start cutting down trees or you could be prosecuted.

You must not:

Evidence you must keep

  • You must keep a map showing the location of existing hedgerow trees in each length of hedgerow and provide with your application – this can be your Farm Environment Record
  • photographs of the completed work and provide them with your claim

You must also keep and provide on request:

  • all consents or permissions connected with the work
  • receipted invoices or bank statements where a receipted invoice is unavailable
  • photographs of each length of hedge entered into the item before work starts
  • the date, location and method of any weed control carried out
  • the date of preparation works and laying
  • the dates of post-laying trimming

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, you must read the record keeping and site visit requirements in the CSHT agreement holder’s guide.

Supplements and actions you can use with this item

You can use this item with these supplements:

BN4:Earth bank restoration

BN8: Hedgerow supplement-casting up

BN9: Hedgerow supplement-substantial pre-work

BN10: Hedgerow supplement - top binding and staking

Sustainable Farming Incentive actions

You can use this item with these actions:

CHRW1: Assess and record hedgerow condition

CHRW2: Manage hedgerows

CHRW3: Maintain or establish hedgerow trees

Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier actions

You can use this item with CHRW4: Manage hedgerows

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.

Choosing the right hedgerow

Understand the requirements of the Hedgerow Regulations 2024 to help you decide what management is needed.

Choose a hedgerow that:

  • has few gaps and enough stems to lay to achieve a continuous length of hedgerow
  • has stems between 5 centimetres (cm) to 15cm in diameter – however, it’s possible to cut larger stems with a chainsaw
  • is tall enough to lay (at least 2.5m and ideally 4m high)

How to lay a successful hedgerow

To lay a successful hedgerow:

  • only cut using hand tools (including chainsaws)
  • lay the hedge in the local style
  • cut each stem as low as possible but no more than 10cm from the ground
  • choose stems that do not leave large gaps when they’re laid
  • protect the newly laid hedge from damage by grazing animals – you may need rabbit fencing if local populations are high
  • leave as much side growth on the cut stems as possible
  • lay stems at an angle of about 35 to 45 degrees from the horizontal
  • keep any existing trees and leave the occasional ‘standard’ hawthorn or other species if this fits in with the local landscape character
  • keep deadwood where possible
  • plant up gaps using native species to improve the continuity of the hedgerow

You may only need temporary fencing in place until the hedgerow has grown enough to form a barrier.

Controlling weeds and managing a newly laid hedgerow

You should control competitive weeds (including brambles, nettles and grasses) during the first growing season. This will reduce the weeds competing with:

laid stem-establishment and regrowth

soil moisture, nutrients and light

You can encourage dense bushy growth of the newly laid hedge by:

  • trimming lightly for 3 years
  • never cutting back to the same point to allow the hedge to gradually increase in height and width by several centimetres at each cut

After 3 years, you can leave the hedgerow to grow unchecked until it needs managing again by laying, coppicing or trimming. [CSHT]: Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier [m]: metres *[cm]: centimetres

Questions about BN5?

Ask Tom anything about this subsidy, eligibility, evidence requirements, or compatibility with other actions.