Stone wall restoration Grant

About this grant

Stone wall restoration is a capital grant item under Natural England's Countryside Stewardship programme that provides funding to help landowners restore traditional stone walls. The grant supports the rebuilding of stone walls to their original height and profile, helping to control livestock, conserve traditional landscapes, and protect, recover and improve biodiversity on agricultural land. Eligible applicants must rebuild walls by hand using traditional stone wall construction techniques, including stripping loose stone, building proper batters (slopes), adding solid rock fillings between courses, and preserving existing wall-side trees and historical stone features such as sheep creeps and stiles. The work must use original stone where available, and any imported stone must match the type, size and style traditional to the area. Payments are made at £31.91 per metre for the total length of stone wall being restored.

Eligibility

Applicants must have management control of both sides of the boundary and the stone walls must need restoring, defined as requiring at least one third of the original height to be taken down and rebuilt. The item cannot be used on stone walls already managed under Higher Level Stewardship options EB11 or UB11 for stone wall protection and maintenance, walls being maintained under Sustainable Farming Incentive action BND1, sections of walls being restored using BN16 repair grants, or if funding was received in the last 7 years to maintain the same section of stone wall. Applicants must be part of the Countryside Stewardship scheme or applying through Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier. Geographic eligibility appears restricted to England where the scheme operates.

How it's scored

Evaluation criteria are not explicitly stated in this guidance page. The page focuses on technical requirements for wall restoration work rather than application assessment criteria. Applications appear to be assessed on compliance with the detailed technical specifications for wall reconstruction, evidence of eligibility, and appropriate documentation including photographs and consents.

Key requirements

• ✓Eligibility criteria and requirements apply; consult Natural England guidance
• ✓Stone walls must meet conservation or environmental standards
• ✓Likely restricted to England or specific Natural England programme areas

Frequently asked questions

Who can apply for Stone wall restoration?

Eligibility covers organisations in GB; local-authority, nonprofit, community-group, individual. 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.