HEF2: Maintain weatherproof traditional farm or forestry buildings in remote areas

This is an action in the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme: expanded offer for 2024. You must read the SFI scheme information to understand the scheme rules and how to apply.

Duration

3 years

How much you’ll be paid

£8 per square metre (m2) per year – you must only include the area of the building’s ground floor, not any area from other floors or areas outside the building.

You’ll enter the hectarage equivalent of the building’s ground floor m2 in your SFI application. Divide the m2 area by 10,000 to convert it into hectares.

Action’s aim

This action’s aim is that there are:

• traditional farm or forestry buildings maintained in good condition
• where relevant, preserved and accessible features used by bats, owls and kestrels

The purpose of this is to:

• enhance the local landscape
• preserve places for wildlife

Where you can do this action

To be eligible for this action, the traditional farm or forestry building, or parts of a building, must:

• be at least 400m from the main farmstead
• by the shortest practicable route, be at least 200m from a metalled public road – this means it’s got a hard surface, such as asphalt, concrete, paving stones, bricks or cobbles
• have been built using traditional methods, such as timber, brick, stone, tile or slate
• have been built before 1940 for agricultural or forestry use, such as housing machinery or animals, or storing crops or processing crops, food or forest products
• still be in agricultural or forestry use on your farm or land holding, whether or not this was the original use
• be in good condition – this means the fabric of the building is intact, so it’s weatherproof

You must have management control of the eligible farm or forestry building for the 3-year duration of this action.

You cannot do this action if the building:

• is a metal-framed Dutch barn
• was constructed as a dwelling
• is a farmhouse, residential or domestic building

Eligibility of protected land

Available area you can enter into this action

Not applicable, as you’ll enter the area in m2.

Rotational or static action

This action is static. This means you must do it at the same location each year of this action’s duration.

What to do

To maintain the traditional farm or forestry building in good condition, you must:

• complete a visual building maintenance assessment to check the building’s condition and identify any areas that need routine maintenance work or minor repairs to keep it weatherproof
• carry out any necessary routine maintenance work and minor repairs on a ‘like for like’ basis using traditional materials and methods (unless non-traditional material has previously been used)
• maintain any existing areas where a non-traditional material has previously been used to repair or re-clad the building, such as corrugated iron sheeting to cover roofs

This includes fixtures, fittings and features such as mounting blocks and stack or stook bases.

To make sure there are preserved and accessible features for bats, owls and kestrels, you must:

• complete a visual building wildlife assessment to identify any existing use of the building by these species
• retain any existing features used by these species that you’ve identified in the building wildlife assessment
• install an owl, bat or kestrel box if you’ve identified they’re required in the building wildlife assessment – you can apply for funding for wildlife boxes in Capital Grants

If you identify bat activity, you must:

• get advice from a licensed ecological consultant before you carry out routine maintenance work or minor repairs on the building
• follow any advice from the ecological consultant about when work can be undertaken on the building’s fabric
• comply with the relevant legal requirements for advice and licences – read section 10 ‘Get all necessary regulatory consents, permissions and licences in place’ in the SFI scheme information for more information

You must produce:

• a photographic record of the condition of the building as at this action’s start date
• a written or photographic record of each visual building maintenance assessment you complete, including details of any areas of the building that need routine maintenance work or minor repairs to keep it weatherproof and the date you identify this need
• a written or photographic record of the routine maintenance work or minor repairs completed, including when the work was done
• a written record of the building wildlife assessment

You must not sell the building, or convert it to non-agricultural or forestry use during this action’s 3-year duration.

When to do it

You must:

• complete the visual building maintenance assessment and building wildlife assessment at least once each year of this action’s 3-year duration
• carry out any necessary routine maintenance work or minor repairs within 12 months of identification, or by this action’s end date if the need for maintenance work or minor repairs is identified during the final year of this action’s duration – unless bat activity has been identified and the ecologist’s advice is to carry out works later
• install owl, bat or kestrel boxes, as relevant, within 12 months of this action’s start date, if you’ve identified they’re required in the building wildlife assessment

How to do it

It’s up to you how you do this action, as long as you:

• follow this action’s requirements – these are identified by a ‘must’
• do the action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim

You may find it helpful to read the ‘advice to help you do this action’, but it’s not part of this action’s requirements.

Evidence to keep

You must keep:

• the required records identified in ‘what to do’
• any receipted invoices (or bank statements where a receipted invoice is unavailable), consents or permissions connected with the work on the traditional farm or forestry building
• a record of advice you’ve received from a licensed ecological consultant and any required wildlife licence, if you’ve identified bat activity in the building wildlife assessment

You must supply this evidence if we ask for it.

Other actions or options you can do on the same area as this action

You can do the following actions or options on the same area in a land parcel as this action.

Some actions or options can only be done on the same area if they’re done at a different time of year to this action. For example, winter cover followed by a summer companion crop. Read ‘What to do’ and ‘When to do it’ to find out when this action must be done.

If an action or option cannot be located on the same area, you may be able to do it on a different area in the same land parcel. Read section 6 ‘Eligible land in other funding schemes’ in the SFI scheme information for more details.

Advice to help you do this action

The following advice may help you to do this action, but it’s not part of this action’s requirements.

Completing a visual building maintenance assessment

Completing this action’s visual building maintenance assessment as often as possible each year will help you to keep the building weatherproof.

Areas that may need routine maintenance work or minor repairs may include, for example:

• blocked downpipes and gutters
• broken or slipped slates, tiles or glass
• pointing on walls
• the condition of paintwork
• barriers to wildlife access
• vegetation that needs clearing

You can use the Countryside Stewardship: building maintenance plan and log form to help you complete the assessment, but it’s not part of this SFI action’s requirements.

Carrying out routine maintenance work and minor repairs

Routine maintenance work and minor repairs may include activities such as:

• clearing gutters from debris and leaves
• fixing slipped slate or broken roofing slates and tiles to prevent rainwater penetration
• renewing cast iron gutters and drainpipes
• replacing broken glass
• repainting woodwork and metalwork
• repointing walls
• clearing vegetation

You may find it helpful to read Historic England’s ‘The Maintenance and Repair of Traditional Farm Buildings – a guide to Good Practice’.

Completing a visual building wildlife assessment

You can use the Countryside Stewardship: building wildlife assessment form to help you complete the visual building wildlife assessment, but it’s not part of this SFI action’s requirements. [SFI]: Sustainable Farming Incentive [SSSIs]: sites of special scientific interest [HEFER]: Historic Environment Farm Environment Record [CS]: Countryside Stewardship *[ES]: Environmental Stewardship