The £36m grant scheme supports water-management projects on lowland peat farmland in England
Farmers and land managers have just hours left to apply for grants worth up to £2 million for projects improving water management on England’s lowland peat.
The ÂŁ36 million Lowland Peat Water Implementation Grant closes at 11.59pm today, 18 September, with individual awards ranging from ÂŁ100,000 to ÂŁ2 million. Grants can cover up to 100% of eligible project costs.
The Environment Agency scheme is aimed at projects that install infrastructure and water controls to safely raise water tables on drained lowland peat.
Its primary aim is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from peat soils while supporting more sustainable land use and improving resilience to flooding and drought.
Lowland peat includes some of England’s most productive farmland, but decades of drainage have left many areas degraded and releasing stored carbon.
Better management of water tables could help slow soil deterioration while supporting productive agriculture.
The funding is open to land managers, businesses and commercial enterprises, charities and not-for-profit organisations, as well as public bodies including local authorities and internal drainage boards.
Eligible projects must be based in areas of lowland peat in England and take a collaborative approach to managing water across the landscape.
Applicants must already have an implementation plan setting out the preparatory work carried out and how the proposed project will deliver a positive change in water management.
The plan must have progressed to at least outline-design stage before an application can be submitted.
Funding can be used for infrastructure designed to retain and control water, alongside other eligible costs required to put an approved implementation plan into practice.
Projects are also expected to deliver wider benefits where possible, including improved biodiversity, greater flood and drought resilience and more sustainable land management.
The Environment Agency has stressed that applications must arrive before tonight’s deadline.
“We will not consider applications sent after the deadline.”
Successful applicants are expected to receive grant decisions in December 2026, with funded projects required to be completed by 31 March 2030.
A further implementation grant application round is expected in summer 2028.
Completed applications and supporting information must be submitted to the Environment Agency by 23:59 today.