CSW21: 6m to 24m 3-dimensional (3D) buffer strip
Source: gov.uk (2025-09-10)

What you must do to get paid for this CSHT action and advice on how to do it.

This action is part of Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT). You must read the CSHT guidance (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/countryside-stewardship-higher-tier-csht) before you apply.

Duration

5 years

How much you’ll be paid

£1,182 per hectare (ha) per year

Action’s aim

This action’s aim is to create and maintain a 6 to 24 metre-wide buffer with raised ridges covered in vegetation that will intercept surface flows and allow water to infiltrate into the ground.

3D buffer strips are strips of land with a combination of grass (and other plants) and raised ridges, rather than a flat single level grass buffer strip. This is to slow the flow of surface run-off.

The purpose is to:
- improve water quality by stopping pollutants, such as soil and nutrients, from being carried away in surface water runoff
- improve drought resilience
- reduce downstream flood risk
- provide habitat corridors for wildlife
Where you can do this action

You can do this action where eligible land will intercept and slow down surface flows from areas adjacent to land at risk of erosion. This could be, for example, improved permanent grassland next to a:
- waterbody (pond or lake)
- watercourse (ditch, river, or stream)
- field boundary
You can only do this action if you have an implementation plan or feasibility study agreed with Natural England.

You cannot do this action:
- above the moorland line
- on sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs)
- on land with historic or archaeological features (including Scheduled Monuments)
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 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/land-use-codes-rural-payments) which is compatible with the eligible land cover
Available area you can enter into this action

Part of the available area in the land parcel.

Rotational or static action

This action is static. This means you must do it at the same location each year of this action’s duration.

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:
- establish a 6 to 24m-wide vegetated buffer (on average) with tied, raised ridges along its length (as agreed with your adviser) – it can be more than 24m wide, but you’ll only be paid up to this amount
- make sure the grass strip is in addition to any regulatory requirements relating to buffer strips
- maintain the buffer through grazing or cutting to create a varied vegetation structure with deep rooting plants and a rough grass surface
- remove soil compaction
- control invasive non-native species where present
Once a buffer is established, you must not:
- apply fertilisers or manures
- allow livestock grazing the buffer to access the waterbody
- use supplementary feed for grazing livestock
- use the land as access routes for vehicles or 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
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, including:
- field operations at a parcel level
- associated invoices
- photographs relevant to the action
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.

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, WBD10
- 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 (https://historicengland.org.uk/advice/planning/consents/smc/) 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) (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/protected-areas-sites-of-special-scientific-interest#get-consent-to-carry-out-operations-on-your-land)
- 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
- a wildlife licence (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/wildlife-licences) 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 (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/capital-items-guidance-for-applicants-and-agreement-holders#capital-grants-plans).

You can also apply for capital items (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/capital-items-guidance-for-applicants-and-agreement-holders) 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.

How a 3D buffer strip works

A 3D buffer strip works to slow and interrupt surface flow. Construct them by making ridges along the length of the buffer strip and tying them together at regular intervals with small earth dams in the furrows. They can also include a series of bunds and other temporary water storage features.

This action works best as part of a combined approach to water management across a holding. Use it with other actions to improve soil health, increase infiltration and minimise run-off.

You will agree a feasibility study or implementation plan with your Natural England adviser as part of your agreement. This will identify the specific requirements of your site including any environmental or historic features that you need to consider. It will tell you:

where to place your 3D buffer strips

how to construct and maintain the 3D buffer strips
- what additional features (such as grass strips, temporary water storage areas, swales and sediment traps) you should include within the 3D buffer
- whether you need to change management practices for the buffer to work well, such as to reduce soil compaction
You will need to sow the buffer strip with a diverse seed mix of deep and shallow-rooted species to:
- stabilise the 3D structure
- build up organic matter
- improve infiltration
- trap sediment and associated nutrients
- remove nutrients through plant uptake
- create surface roughness to slow down and store more water
- provide wildlife habitat
3D buffers are not suitable on slopes greater than 7 degrees.

Read the research available for 3D buffer strip designs (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/3d-buffer-strips-designed-to-deliver-more-for-the-environment).

Get veterinary advice

Veterinary medicines, such as ivermectin wormers and livestock insecticides (especially pyrethroids), can have a negative impact on both land and freshwater ecosystems.

If you’re a livestock farmer, work with your vet to see if you can agree a way to reduce the impact without affecting the animal’s welfare.

Responding to climate change

Read Natural England’s publication ‘Adaptation for habitats in Environmental Land Management Schemes’ (https://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/file/5673659512127488) to help you consider your general response to climate change. You must continue to follow the mandatory activities for this HT action.