CCT9: Manage and restore coastal vegetated shingle

This action is part of Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier ( CSHT ). You must read the CSHT guidance before you apply.

Duration

5 years

How much you’ll be paid

£583 per hectare ( ha ) per year

Action’s aim

This action’s aim is to restore and keep vegetated coastal shingle habitat in a good condition. You can do this by allowing natural coastal processes to function.

The purpose of this is to:

allow natural changes to the coast to occur freely

provide suitable conditions for diverse shingle flora to naturally establish

increase resilience of the habitat and wider coastal system to the impacts of climate change

Where you can do this action

You can do this action on eligible coastal vegetated shingle located below the moorland line, including coastal vegetated shingle that are priority habitats or sites of special scientific interest ( SSSIs ).

You can only do this action if you have an implementation plan or feasibility study agreed with Natural England.

You cannot do this action on:

shingle habitat that’s unvegetated or does not have typical coastal plant species, unless agreed with Natural England

coastal land that historically had shingle features, but the land use has changed over time

Eligible land

You can do this action on land that’s:

an eligible land type

registered with an eligible land cover on your digital maps

declared with a  land use code  which is compatible with the eligible land cover

Eligible land type Eligible land cover Compatible land use code

Permanent grassland Permanent grassland PG01

Vegetated shingle Coastal features CF02

Bracken, heather and heathland Heath land and bracken HE02

Tidal areas Marine wetland MW02

Intertidal habitats Marine wetland MW04

Saline habitats Marine wetland MW05

Scattered water features Notional features NF05

Scattered features – mixed Notional features NF08

Watercourse – river or stream (Rivers and Streams Type 2) Inland water IW02

Sand dunes Coastal features CF03

Fen, marsh and swamp Inland wetland IW06

Pond Water/irrigation features WF03

Salt marsh Marine wetland MW01

Reed bed Marine wetland MW03

Boulders Rock RO03

Rocky outcrop Rock RO04

Scattered rock Notional features NF01

Scattered bracken or heather Notional features NF02

Scattered scrub Notional features NF03

Scrub Natural woodland WO25

Watercourse – river or stream (Rivers and Streams Type 3) Inland water IW03

Watercourse – ditch, drain or dyke Water/irrigation features WF01

Available area you can enter into this action

Total or part of the available area in the land parcel.

Rotational or static action

This action is static. This means you must do it on the same location each year of the action’s duration, but there’s some flexibility due to natural coastal changes.

What to do

Your Natural England adviser will assess your land. They’ll work with you to adapt and agree the activities you must do to achieve this action’s aim. All mandatory activities will be set out in your agreement document.

To get paid for this action, you must:

allow coastal and natural hydrological processes to function freely without obstruction

manage vegetation to maintain areas of bare shingle

only alter the shingle topography with the agreement of your Natural England adviser

manage injurious weeds, invasive non-native species and scrub by methods agreed with your Natural England adviser

only allow vehicle access on agreed routes

only create new access tracks or pathways if agreed with your Natural England adviser

remove and dispose of inorganic waste off-site

protect archaeological or historic features from damage

The advice you’re given from Natural England is specific to your land which means (where relevant) you may also need to:

protect more sensitive areas of shingle

manage vegetation by cutting, mowing or grazing

You must not:

prevent natural processes, such as shingle deposits forming during storms

modify or remove any sea defences or water inlet or outlet systems

modify the natural hydrological properties of the site

bring in new shingle to the site

plough, cultivate, reseed, roll or chain harrow

apply fertilisers, organic manures or waste materials

use supplementary feed for grazing livestock

apply pesticides – you may be able to use herbicides to spot-treat or weed-wipe for the control of injurious weeds, invasive non-native plant species, nettles or other plants if this has been agreed with your Natural England adviser

create bare ground on, or disturb, historic or archaeological features

When to do it

You must do this action each year of its duration.

Evidence to keep

You must keep evidence to show what you have done to complete this action. If it’s not clear that you have done this action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve its aim, the Rural Payments Agency ( RPA ) may ask for this evidence. You must supply the evidence if they ask for it.

Other actions or options you can do on the same area as this action

You can do the following actions or options on the same area in a land parcel as this action.

Some actions or options can only be done on the same area if they’re done at a different time of year to this action.

Scheme Action or option code

SFI 2024 actions CSAM1, CIPM1, CNUM1

SFI 2023 actions SAM1, IPM1, NUM1

CSHT actions CSP13, CSP14, CSP15, CWS1, CWS3, CSP21, CSP20, CPAC1

ES options N/A

You can do the following actions or options on the eligible boundaries of a land parcel entered into this action:

CSHT actions: CWT3, CHRW4

SFI  2024 actions: CHRW1, CHRW2, CHRW3, BND1, BND2, WBD2

SFI  2023 actions: HRW1, HRW2, HRW3

CS  option BE3 (management of hedgerows)

Consents, permissions and licensing requirements

To apply for this action, you’ll need:

to agree an implementation plan or feasibility study with your Natural England adviser

Scheduled Monument Consent from Historic England for any work on scheduled monuments

consent from Natural England for any activity on land designated as a site of special scientific interest ( SSSI )

to obtain any necessary consents from the Environment Agency, Lead Local Flood Authority ( LLFA ) or Internal Drainage Board ( IDB ) before starting any work

You may also need to:

get advice from your Natural England adviser if you have other archaeological or historic features on your agreement land

get a wildlife licence from Natural England if your activities affect a protected species or their habitat

All archaeological and historic features (including scheduled monuments) are identified in your Historic Environment Farm Environment Record ( HEFER ).

If you’re a tenant, it’s your responsibility to check whether your tenancy agreement allows you to complete what’s required in the actions you choose. You may need your landlord’s consent.

Capital grants to support this action

If you need to complete an implementation plan or a feasibility study before you apply, you can apply for capital grants plans funding .

You can also apply for capital items to help you achieve the action’s aims. Your Natural England adviser will discuss eligible capital items with you.

Advice to help you do this action

The following optional advice may help you to do this action. Your agreement document will set out all the activities you must do.

Choosing a site

You can do this action on land parcels that include areas of vegetated shingle habitat.

Coastal vegetated shingle includes both:

dynamic and seasonal habitats near the beach (including drift line vegetation)

more stable landward habitats (such as grasslands and heathlands) that are connected by moving and stable shingle

The habitat is often present with other coastal habitats in a complex mosaic including sand dunes, saltmarsh and saline lagoons. Vegetated shingle is a rare and protected habitat.

You can do this action on areas of vegetated shingle that:

are connected to the beach and inland habitats like grassland and heathland, with minimal man-made structures

require maintenance to keep the habitat in good condition

require restoration work to restore habitat that’s in poor condition

Managing coastal vegetated shingle

The way you manage coastal vegetated shingle will depend on the condition of the habitat.

Often the best management practice for coastal vegetated shingle is to leave it alone and allow the natural processes of wind and waves to maintain it.

Natural forces such as the wind and waves will change how your vegetated shingle looks especially at its seaward edge. Natural changes will happen gradually with time and rapidly on occasions such as during a storm or high tide. These natural changes are critical to the development of the habitat and its resilience to future pressures such as sea level rise.

Allow your vegetated shingle to change naturally as far as possible. You’ll sometimes need to manage the vegetation (for example, scrub or invasive species) to best support biodiversity and protect habitat. The plant communities are slow to establish and can be easily damaged (for example, by trampling).

Restoring shingle habitat

When planning shingle habitat restoration, it’s important to consider the whole habitat function and seek specialist advice at an early stage.

Restoration work can include:

allowing the natural movement of shingle – for example, removing redundant coastal defence structures such as groynes can re-instate the natural supply of shingle to the foreshore, so reducing susceptibility to erosion during storm events

restoring the water table – for example, removal of artificial drains and sluices can relieve potential drought stress on the vegetation and help support the natural storage and movement of water

importing shingle where natural sediment supply and coastal processes have been interrupted

introducing conservation grazing where you can improve biodiversity

Eligible land

You can do this action on land that’s:

an eligible land type

registered with an eligible land cover on your digital maps

declared with a  land use code  which is compatible with the eligible land cover

Eligible land type Eligible land cover Compatible land use code

Permanent grassland Permanent grassland PG01

Vegetated shingle Coastal features CF02

Bracken, heather and heathland Heath land and bracken HE02

Tidal areas Marine wetland MW02

Intertidal habitats Marine wetland MW04

Saline habitats Marine wetland MW05

Scattered water features Notional features NF05

Scattered features – mixed Notional features NF08

Watercourse – river or stream (Rivers and Streams Type 2) Inland water IW02

Sand dunes Coastal features CF03

Fen, marsh and swamp Inland wetland IW06

Pond Water/irrigation features WF03

Salt marsh Marine wetland MW01

Reed bed Marine wetland MW03

Boulders Rock RO03

Rocky outcrop Rock RO04

Scattered rock Notional features NF01

Scattered bracken or heather Notional features NF02

Scattered scrub Notional features NF03

Scrub Natural woodland WO25

Watercourse – river or stream (Rivers and Streams Type 3) Inland water IW03

Watercourse – ditch, drain or dyke Water/irrigation features WF01