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Note: The most up to date specifications are available on the dedicated ACRES / ACRES CP website under Non Productive Investments – Click Link Here
Maintaining traditional field boundaries for their biodiversity, agricultural and landscape value. Helps to manage grazing to improve habitats.
1. This action is for the repair of existing stonewalls, it does not cover normal maintenance.
2. This action is for repair of dry-stone walls, the use of mortar or cement either in construction or for topping off the wall is not allowed.
3. Walls must be repaired in the manner traditional to the area.
4. Walls that form the boundary with another farm are paid at the reduced one side rate.
Implementation Notes
Use local stone and building techniques, retain features such as stone pillars or sheep passes,
Additional guidance
• Stones used to repair walls should be fallen stone from the existing wall. If additional stone is required, it must not be taken from other walls or from within the Zones of Notification around any archaeological sites or monuments.
• The stone used should not be an integral part of a protected habitat type, limestone pavement or earth-fast stone for example should not be used. Fallen and loose scattered stones may be used.
• Where there are mature trees along the wall, these must be retained, though suspended side branches may be cut back to facilitate wall repair.
• Embedded, ‘earth-fast’ stones must not be extracted from underlying archaeological walls if present.
• Stones used to repair walls should not be taken from within the zones of notification around archaeological monuments.
• Stone should not be removed from other stonewalls or built structures. Any old structures within walls – stiles, pickets/ sheep passes, marker stones, should be retained.
• When applying pesticides and fertiliser, a one-metre margin should be left untreated along the selected wall. This is beneficial as it will allow the development of a nature corridor for flora and fauna. If using herbicides to control noxious and invasive weeds, they should be applied by spot treatment only.
Good Locations:
Poor Locations:
The wall is pretty good, can I avail of this NPI to maintain it?
No, this action is for stone wall repair not for basic maintenance.
The gap for a gate is not shown on the map?
The length that was applied for must be delivered. You can repair a little extra at the ends of the planned length to compensate for the length of the gate.
There are sheep passes in the wall, should I keep them?
Yes. Sheep passes and other features like stiles built into the wall would need to be retained.
