BN3: Earth bank creation Grant

About this grant

BN3: Earth bank creation is a capital grant item under Natural England's Countryside Stewardship programme that funds the creation of earth banks where they previously existed. Earth banks provide valuable habitat for wildlife and help conserve traditional landscapes, supporting biodiversity protection, recovery and improvement on qualifying land. Applicants must create earth banks that reflect the style and profile of similar local earth banks in good condition, building up moist soil in consolidated layers with proper settling and stability measures. The earth bank must have sloped faces with a base approximately 0.5m wider than the top, and may be faced with turf if local banks feature this finish, with loose soil or turf finishing the top unless a hedge is being planted. The ends must be finished at gateways with turf or stone facing and protected from livestock and machinery damage.

Eligibility

Applicants must have management control of both sides of the boundary on sites where historic maps or records show evidence of former earth banks existing as a feature. The item is available as part of Capital Grants 2026 or Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier applications. Applicants must provide historic maps or other records (such as a Farm Environment Record) demonstrating that the proposed location either lies on an original footprint of a pre-existing earth bank or is a feature of a specific location or landscape.

How it's scored

This is a prescribed capital item with a fixed payment rate rather than a competitive evaluation. The focus is on meeting technical specifications for earth bank creation including proper construction methods, profile, and finishing, with evidence requirements including historic documentation and photographic records of work completion.

Key requirements

• ✓Eligibility and requirements specific to earth bank creation item (details not provided in source)
• ✓Likely requires land ownership or management rights
• ✓Compliance with Natural England environmental standards and monitoring

Frequently asked questions

Who can apply for BN3: Earth bank creation?

Eligibility covers organisations in GB; nonprofit, charity, local-authority, community-group, social-enterprise. See the eligibility criteria above for the full conditions.

Relevant sectors

About this sector

Biodiversity funding backs habitat restoration, species protection, protected areas and nature-positive business. It comes from environment agencies, multilateral nature funds and conservation philanthropy, often through competitive calls with defined regions. Applicants are usually asked for baseline surveys, local partners and indicators that show ecological change.