NPWS Farm Plan Scheme
July 2010-December 2010
The NPWS Farm Plan Scheme was curtailed in April 2010 due to budgetary constraints. Plans have been approved between April and June, where the plan had been submitted prior to the curtailment date and where the planner submitted the required amendments. We have identified that there is no available funding to proceed with an open selection/screening process for new NPWS farm plans for the months remaining in 2010.
The budget allocation from the exchequer for NPWS farm plans is not yet known for 2011. There may be a call for plan applications via the open selection/screening process for 2011 but this call will not be made until the budget available is known, which could take until March 2011 but no later. If NPWS proceed with new applications in this manner, farm planners will be notified and there will be sufficient time between then and the end of 2011 to process plans in the normal manner once selected to go to full Farm Plan Stage.
If funding becomes available in 2011, planners will be notified that they can submit initial applications on behalf of farmers. This initial list of applications will be screened in order to select applications which can then proceed to farm plan stage. It is proposed that a steering group will screen the initial list of applications.
Any new NPWS farm plans which have been drawn up since 28th April 2010 will not be accepted this year. NPWS reserve the right to approve plans in exceptional circumstances, where there is an established need to do so. When existing plans have run their 5 year term, they will not automatically be selected for continuation in the NPWS Farm Plan Scheme but will also need to go through the selection/screening process.
Planners were recently sent a draft NPWS Farm Plan Terms and Conditions Document. This document outlines new procedures for both planners and applicants. The consultation phase on this document has passed and the final document will shortly be available to planners. Planners will be expected to follow the recommendations outlined in the document. Accordingly it is hoped to organize a refresher training course for planners in the near future
If you have any queries, please contact Maria Collier (01-8883255).
