GrantRadar

Forestry Commission (Defra Trees Programme)

Woodland Creation Planning Grant (WCPG)

The Forestry Commission's Woodland Creation Planning Grant pays for a UK Forestry Standard-compliant woodland creation design plan for new woodland of at least 5 hectares in England, capped at £30,500 per project. It is for landowners, land managers and public bodies, so a charity can apply if it owns or manages suitable land, or has the landowner's written support. Stage 1 pays a fixed £1,500 for a desk-based constraints and opportunities study. Stage 2 pays £150 per hectare (less the Stage 1 payment) to complete the plan, plus possible supplementary payments for specialist surveys. Applications are open all year.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
£1,500 – £30,500
no fixed round
Deadline
Rolling
apply any time
Effort
Heavy
budgets, references, often several stages

Who can apply

  • Landowners, land managers and public bodies (other than Forestry England)
  • Crown bodies and Non-Departmental Public Bodies cannot apply
  • This includes charities that own or manage suitable land
  • You do not need to own or control the land, but you need a letter confirming that the landowner(s) support the application
  • Landscape-scale applications spanning several holdings may be accepted
  • The proposed woodland must be in England and at least 5 hectares in total, with each block meeting the National Forest Inventory definition of woodland (at least 0.5 hectares and 20 metres wide)
  • The work must not already be required under existing obligations
  • You cannot apply if you have already applied for the England Woodland Creation Offer or submitted an EIA enquiry form for the site
  • No income or size limits apply to applicants

What it funds

  • Producing a UK Forestry Standard-compliant woodland creation design plan for a proposed new woodland in England
  • Stage 1: a fixed £1,500 for a desk-based exercise to gather data and identify the constraints and opportunities affecting the proposed planting
  • Stage 2 (offered only if Stage 1 shows woodland creation is possible): £150 per hectare minus the £1,500 Stage 1 payment, with a minimum Stage 2 payment of £500 for applications under ten hectares
  • This completes the Woodland Creation Design Plan, covering biodiversity, landscape, water, the historic environment and engagement with local stakeholders
  • Supplementary payments are available for specialist surveys (for example peat depth, breeding birds, vegetation/habitats, deer impact, archaeology) where a Forestry Commission technical expert identifies the need at Stage 1
  • If the land is under an existing grant agreement, the plan must cover the impact of planting on that agreement
  • The total is capped at £30,500 per project
  • The grant funds planning only, not planting; planting and establishment are funded through separate woodland creation grants

What it will not fund

  • Tree planting or establishment costs - the grant funds the design plan only
  • Proposed woodland smaller than 5 hectares in total, or blocks smaller than 0.5 hectares or narrower than 20 metres
  • Land outside England (for cross-border sites, Stage 2 is paid only on the English land)
  • Designed open space beyond 20% of the gross area (Stage 2 is limited to the net planting area plus 20%)
  • Work already required under existing obligations
  • Sites where you have already applied for the England Woodland Creation Offer or submitted an EIA enquiry form to plant new woodland
  • Crown bodies, Non-Departmental Public Bodies and Forestry England
  • Any work started before a signed agreement is in place

How to apply

  1. Check eligibility against the WCPG guidance and conditions of funding
  2. Contact your local Forestry Commission Woodland Creation Officer to discuss the proposal
  3. Complete the latest WCPG application form (with landowner consent and an agent authority form if using an agent) and email it to WCPG@forestrycommission.gov.uk
  4. Sign and accept the Stage 1 agreement before starting any work
  5. Complete the Stage 1 desk-based exercise (site appraisal and constraints and opportunities) and submit it for approval; Stage 1 is paid at £1,500
  6. If the site has woodland potential you are offered Stage 2; complete the Woodland Creation Design Plan, including any specialist surveys identified, and submit the completed sections
  7. Stage 2 is paid on approval of the relevant completed sections

Share the Forestry Commission's stakeholder input letter when you contact stakeholders for information.

If you plan to seek planting grants later, consider their minimum area requirements when designing the proposal.

Have ready

  • Completed WCPG application form (latest version)
  • Letter or signature confirming landowner support, if you are not the landowner
  • Agent authority form, if using an agent
  • Maps and plans produced through the stages: landscape context plan, site appraisal map, design concept plan and final woodland creation design plan

The plans are produced during Stages 1 and 2, not at the initial application.

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