RP4: Livestock and machinery hardcore tracks

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

£44.63 per metre (m).

How this item benefits the environment

New farm tracks reduce soil compaction and erosion caused by livestock and machinery. They help reduce channelling of surface runoff and the risk of sediment and other pollutants entering a watercourse.

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

Where you can use this item

You can only use this item either:

• with the support of Catchment Sensitive Farming
• in combination with actions or options for to create, restore or manage habitats or features with the support of a Natural England adviser

Catchment Sensitive Farming provides advice where there are water quality or flood risk issues linked to farming.

You’ll need to get relevant advice or consents from the Highways Authority if the proposed route is a public right of way.

You cannot use this item:

• to repair potholes or upgrade existing constructed tracks and farm drives that have a manufactured surface
• on historic or archaeological features identified in your Historic Environment Farm Environment Record (HEFER)
• on areas of wildlife interest identified on your Farm Environment Record (FER) or on MAGIC

What you must do to use this item

You must complete the works following this advice.

Installing hardcore tracks

You must:

• excavate a trench at least 2.4m wide and at least 150 millimetres (mm) deep, or down to a naturally occurring hard surface
• profile the edge of the track with the excavated soil
• overlay the area with a geotextile membrane if the base of the trench lies on subsoil – a geotextile membrane is not needed if the base is bedrock or chalk
• fill the excavated area with aggregate (hardcore) to a depth of at least 150mm and then compact it
• finish the top of the track with a finer material (of 18mm to dust) to a depth of 25mm to 50mm – compact it into a convex camber (like a dome shape)
• direct any track runoff to a ditch or other stable drainage outlet, or divert it on to grassland

Installing hardcore tracks using concrete sleepers

You must excavate a trench following the instructions above and lay the concrete sleepers:

• inverted and so the top of the sleepers are slightly above ground level
• directly on to a level, firm surface against each other to form a track across the trench (a geotextile membrane is not required)

Installing hardcore tracks on peaty soils

You must:

• excavate a trench 2.4m wide and at least 300mm deep (or 500mm on deep peats)
• dig out soft pockets in the profile, drain them, fill them with well compacted hardcore and cap them with clay
• lay a geotextile membrane to the full width of the track, folding up the sides of the trench
• lay the membrane in the trench on to a surface that will not puncture the material
• allow at least 300mm for any sheets of membrane to overlap
• fill the trench to within 50mm of the top with stone or hardcore (from 40mm to dust)
• profile and compact the track to produce a convex camber
• top off the track with a wearing course (18mm to dust) to a depth of 25mm to 50mm and compact it to produce a convex camber
• make sure the geotextile membrane is fully covered – if necessary, you must use grass turf to prevent exposure of the membrane at the edge of the track

You must not use general, ungraded building rubble.

Evidence you must keep

You must keep written support from your Catchment Sensitive Farming or Natural England adviser and provide it with your application.

You must also keep and provide with your 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 work
• any consents or permissions from the local highways authority

You must also keep and provide on request:

• any consents or permissions connected with the work (in addition to the ones provided with your claim)
• receipted invoices or bank statements where a receipted invoice is unavailable
• photographs of the site before works start

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.

Other items you can use with this item

You can use this item with these items:

RP5: Cross drains

RP6: Installation of piped culverts in ditches

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.

British Standards

Check to make sure the works meet relevant British Standards.

Choosing a location

It’s best to:

• construct the tracks alongside field boundaries rather than across the middle of the field – this will help preserve the appearance of the landscape
• avoid placing the tracks where they’ll cause runoff or lead to erosion
• camber the tracks so there’s no standing water
• use cross drains or bunds if you cannot camber the tracks
• use cross drains (If necessary) on sloping tracks or tracks that lead on to a highway

When to add a geotextile membrane

You do not need to use a geotextile membrane for all types of soil. It’s not usually needed on firm shale and some limestone or chalk soils except on a steep slope. Clay soils and peats will need a greater depth of stone to make up the track layers.

Tracks used by machinery may need a geotextile membrane and base layer of stone depending on the type of soil. Concrete sleepers alone are not adequate for machinery tracks.

Maintaining the tracks

You should replace and compact any material lost to potholes and erosion. You should keep the track dry and firm and deal with any problems as soon as they appear.