Guidance

Woodland Creation Planning Grant

Find out how to apply for the Woodland Creation Planning Grant (WCPG) to support your development of a proposal to create woodland.

From:
Forestry Commission
Published
9 July 2018
Last updated
24 December 2024 — See all updates

Applies to England

The Woodland Creation Planning Grant (WCPG) provides funding to prepare a woodland creation design plan. Landowners, land managers and public bodies (other than Forestry England) can apply. 

The grant has 2 stages:

You can apply for £1,500 to complete Stage 1 of the WCPG application. This is for a desk-based exercise to identify the constraints and opportunities affecting the proposed planting.

If the site has potential for woodland creation, you will be offered a Stage 2 payment. Stage 2 payments help cover the costs for preparing:

  • a site appraisal map
  • a design concept plan
  • a draft woodland creation design plan compliant with the UK Forestry Standard (UKFS)

Read our WCPG leaflet (PDF, 1.34 MB, 4 pages) for an overview of the scheme.

Important update: 11 December 2024

The WCPG process now includes consultation and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) screening.

These changes apply to new applications received from 11 December 2024, and will not be applied retrospectively to applications already in progress.  

This change means: 

  • consultation and EIA screening will take place on the final design for all WCPG applications at Stage 2 
  • WCPG applications will be published on the Consultation Public Register for a period of 21 days
  • a County Archaeologist will be engaged on WCPG final proposals  
  • we will not repeat consultation or EIA screening for a subsequent EWCO application, neither will a standalone EIA screening enquiry for afforestation be required, unless there is a significant change to the proposal or our EIA decision expires

You must ensure you use the latest version of the WCPG application and plan, and declaration form before submitting your application.

Find out more in our blog post How we’re improving the woodland creation planning grant.

Find out if you’re eligible

You must plan to create woodland that is: 

  • located in England
  • a minimum of 5 hectares or more in total

If the proposed woodland is split into different blocks, each block must meet the definition of woodland set out by the National Forest Inventory: a minimum area of 0.5 hectares and a minimum width of 20 metres.

If you intend to get funding to plant the woodland, you should consider the minimum areas required to apply for grants for woodland creation when planning your proposal.

You’ll need the landowner’s consent and signature if you don’t own the land. We may ask to see your tenancy agreement to confirm your land management responsibilities.

Landscape-scale applications that span multiple land holdings may be accepted. You do not need to own or control the land, but you will need a letter confirming that the landowner supports the application. If your proposed site spans a border, we will only make a Stage 2 payment of £150 per hectare on the land that is in England.

You are not eligible to apply for a WCPG on the proposed site if you’ve already applied for:

How it works

The funding will help you gather and analyse the information you need to make sure your proposal considers:

  • biodiversity and geology
  • soils and climate
  • landscape 
  • water 
  • historic environment
  • local stakeholders: please use the letter to request stakeholder input (MS Word Document, 95 KB), which explains how their response will be used

You’ll have to develop a UK Forestry Standard-compliant plan for woodland creation that shows any constraints and opportunities, and how these are accounted for. Completing the WCPG application and plan will help you do this.

If your land is already under an existing grant agreement, your woodland creation design plan must cover the impact of tree planting on that agreement. 

Payments

You’ll receive payment in 2 stages as you complete the application process.

Stage 1 (fixed payment)

£1,500 will be paid to assist with desk-based data gathering to identify any constraints on the site. This will determine whether there is a potential scheme eligible for Stage 2.

Stage 2 (standard payment)

Funding will only be offered where the Stage 1 process has confirmed that there is potential for a UKFS-compliant woodland scheme on the site.

Stage 2 offers funding at a rate of £150 per hectare, minus the £1,500 paid at Stage 1, to complete Stage 2 of the WCPG application.

You will never be paid less than £1,500 for approved Stage 1 work, and a minimum of £500 for approved Stage 2 work.

We make the Stage 2 payment on approval of your completed WCPG application and plan and supporting documents. 

The total amount of funding you can receive is capped at £30,500 per project. 

Read more about payments in the .

The parts of the WCPG application and plan that relate to stages 1 and 2 will become available for editing when an offer is made.

You may get supplementary payments for specialist survey work, if a need for them is identified at Stage 1. 

Supplementary payments

If the information you collect during Stage 1 indicates that a more detailed assessment is needed (such as a peat depth survey, or an archaeological survey) you can apply for a supplementary payment.

Where appropriate, the work required under the supplementary payment will need to follow the approach set out in the appropriate standard brief(s).

The current standard brief(s) are:

To request a copy of a ‘standard brief for archaeology’, email WCPG@forestrycommission.gov.uk.

To apply for a supplementary payment, complete the  supplementary payments application form. 

You should submit this with Stage 1 of the WCPG application and plan.

In exceptional circumstances you can apply for supplementary payments before you have been offered Stage 1 funding at our discretion and approval. 

Creating a woodland creation design plan

You need to complete the WCPG application in 2 stages.

Stage 1

Stage 1 requires you to complete a desk-based exercise, identifying constraints and opportunities for your site. You will compile your data in the Stage 1 tabs of the WCPG application and plan and give supporting documents, including at least a site context map.

Do not start work on Stage 1 of the WCPG application and plan until you have a signed agreement from the Forestry Commission. 

If Stage 1 of the WCPG application indicates that there is potential for woodland at the site, you will be offered Stage 2 funding. This includes supplementary payments, where relevant.

If you’re already in receipt of a WCPG Stage 1 agreement offer, you may request the addition of new blocks of proposed woodland over 0.5 hectares. If we agree to these additions, any future Stage 2 offer will include these areas.

To bring new blocks into their agreement, Stage 1 agreement holders need to submit a revised WCPG application and plan with Stage 1 tabs amended to account for the expanded project area. No additional Stage 1 payment will be made.

In most instances we retrospectively add new areas to agreements already subject to an existing Stage 2 offer. This is to ensure new areas are suitably assessed for sensitivities and constraints through the Stage 1 process.

If you are an agreement holder at Stage 2 and would like to extend the project area you will need written agreement from your Woodland Creation Officer to add new areas. The decision to allow this is at our discretion and you might need to submit a new application for the new areas.

Biodiversity, habitats and environment

Existing native, semi-natural habitats are likely to have a high value for biodiversity, and for landscape and visual interest. This will need to be compared with the value of new woodland. We do not support the conversion of priority habitats, such as deep peat or active raised bogs.

Where the proposed planting is in semi-natural habitat, the presumption is that the planting will be restricted to native broadleaved species, or the semi-natural habitat will be retained as open ground within the woodland’s design.  

Find out more about protecting woodland wildlife and the government’s principles for afforestation on or near to priority habitats.

Stage 2

You get a Stage 2 payment for producing a woodland creation design plan by completing the Stage 2 tabs of the application and plan.

See the example WCPG application, maps and plans to understand what we need to complete Stage 1 and 2. These include:

  • a site context map
  • a site appraisal plan
  • a design concept plan and final design plan 

Do not start work on Stage 2 of the WCPG application and plan until you have a Stage 2 offer from the Forestry Commission. 

The WCPG application and plan and supporting documents will show a design process: from a survey of the site’s main features, to analysis of how they will affect the proposed woodland’s design to synthesis. This will create an informed design for the woodland.

You may include more than 20% of designed open space in your plan if the constraints of your site make this necessary, but the total Stage 2 payment will be limited to the net planting area plus 20% (of the gross area). This means that any designed open space in your plan over and above 20% of the total project area will not receive funding.

All elements of your woodland creation design plan should be clearly referred to. This should include:

  • how those elements of survey and analysis were brought together to produce a UK Forestry Standard-compliant plan for your site 
  • any special reports and surveys funded through a supplementary payment

If you submitted your application on or after 11 December 2024, we will provide approval to plant when approving your final woodland creation design plan at Stage 2. It won’t be subject to further EIA or consultation if your project remains the same and is planted within the date specified in the EIA decision letter. If you wish to make changes to the final design or the EIA decision has expired, contact us before planting.  

If you want to plant the woodland, and you submitted your application before 11 December 2024, it will still be subject to the Environmental Impact Assessment (Forestry) (England and Wales) Regulations 1999 (as amended) and consultation. Find out more about EIAs. Forestry Commission approval of your woodland creation design plan does not provide approval to plant.

How to apply for WCPG

  1. Find out if you’re eligible by reading the grant terms and conditions. You can also talk to your Woodland Creation Officer.

  2. Apply using the forms on WCPG forms and guidance.

  3. You can start work on your woodland design plan once your application is approved, and you have accepted a Stage 1 agreement offer.

You can apply all year round.

We aim to respond to your application within 15 working days. It may take longer if your application includes untrialled tree species or is in a sensitive location.

You must have a signed agreement in place before you start work.

Make sure you use the latest WCPG forms and guidance as they are updated regularly.

You can appoint an agent to apply for funding on your behalf. You need to complete a Forestry Commission agent authority form to give your consent. 

Further funding

You can use your approved woodland creation design plan to apply for the England Woodland Creation Offer.

Appeals

Find out how to appeal against a Forestry Commission decision. 

Contact us

Contact the WCPG national team for more information WCPG@forestrycommission.gov.uk or your local Woodland Creation Officer.

Updates to this page

Published 9 July 2018
Last updated 24 December 2024 + show all updates

  1. Added an updated version of the WCPG leaflet.

  2. Updated details on the changes that come into force 11 December 2024. This relates to the need for consultation and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) screening.

  3. Updated the notice around adding consultation and EIA screening to the WCPG process from 11 December 2024, to reflect the updated application and plan, and declaration form are now available.

  4. Added an 'important update' about consultation and EIA screening changes that come into effect December 2024.

  5. Added links to Example Woodland Creation Planning Grant (WCPG) application and plan .

  6. Updated to reflect uplift to Stage 1 payment to £1,500 and application cap to £30,500. Addition of a new Deer Impact Assessment option under the Supplementary Payment and standardised cost option for ecological surveys.

  7. Added: Woodland Creation Planning Grant - terms and conditions.

  8. Woodland Creation Design Plan Template updated

  9. Information added for new Natural environment survey and assessment instructions

  10. Added the Woodland Creation Planning Grant leaflet.

  11. Updated information on supplementary payments.

  12. The 'Archaeology' standard brief has been added to this page.

  13. Updates to the grant rules and eligibility.

  14. First published.

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