There are grants available for the hard surfacing and renewal of tracks and yards. The money is to create areas of tracks and yards that are easier to clean and keep clean in order to minimise rainwater runoff in these areas. This is part of the catchment sensitive areas operated by Natural England.
In order to qualify for the grant aid, all necessary consents must have been obtained. The main consent required is planning permission. The creation of yards and tracks is something of a grey area.
To clarify this if your yard or track is currently not concreted then planning permission is required as this is considered to be an engineering operation that requires consent. If it is concreted but in poor condition strictly speaking a repair does not need consent, however, grant authorities do not necessarily accept this and to avoid refusal of grant aid it may be best to obtain consent.
New tracks and new yards both need planning consent. For planning advice, help with making an application and more, get in touch with our in-house specialist Greg on 07969994945.