CSW22: Connect river and floodplain habitats
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

10 years

How much you’ll be paid

£1,242 per hectare (ha) per year

Action’s aim

This action’s aim is to restore river habitats to create a mosaic of wetland habitats that connect the river and floodplain. This will include:
- varied habitats in the river such as pools, riffles, steep and shallow banks, overhanging trees and large woody material
- erosion of some of the banks with gradual movement of the channel
- a mosaic of changing wetland and drier habitats across the floodplain, such as marsh, fen, wet scrub, woodland and grasslands with areas of standing water, flowing water and bare wet ground
The purpose is to support biodiversity, climate adaptation, flood and drought management.

Where you can do this action

You can do this action on a river and its floodplain that forms a natural hydrological unit. This means all land on a floodplain where the river naturally flows and floods.

For example, the river and floodplain are not affected by physical modifications such as continuous embankments, river deepening or artificial drainage.

You can only do this action if you have a river restoration plan agreed with Natural England.

You cannot do this action above the moorland line.

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

Total or 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:
- prepare land to create wetland habitats and allow it to receive additional floodwater from adjacent watercourses
- remove or disable any artificial land drainage, such as ditches, drains and pipes – you must agree all drainage works (including modification to existing drainage) in writing with Natural England before carrying out any activities
- establish permanent vegetation cover (as set out in the river restoration plan)
- remove non-biodegradable flood debris
- control invasive non-native species
- only use vehicles on agreed access routes (as set out in the river restoration plan)
The advice you’re given from Natural England is specific to your land which means (where relevant) you may also need to:
- establish a sward by the start of October in the first year of your agreement
- manage the land by cutting and grazing so there is sward that has a range of heights
- manage part of the land by light grazing and keeping a monthly record of stock numbers
- manage part of the land by cutting and removing all cut non-woody material
- retain mature and veteran trees
- retain standing or fallen deadwood unless it’s a flood risk to people and property
- allow trees and scrub to establish on the riverbank and across the floodplain
- remove soil compaction
You must not:
- fill in hollows or wet features
- use supplementary feed for grazing livestock
- remove or control sediments in rivers or floodplains, unless agreed
- carry out earthworks or maintain existing drainage, unless agreed
- apply fertilisers, manures or lime
- plough, cultivate or re-seed except as part of an agreed habitat enhancement programme
- 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
- create new access routes for vehicles
When to do it

You must do this action each year of its duration. You must complete capital works by the date set out in your management plan.

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:
- an agreed river restoration plan 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.

You will agree with your Natural England adviser what restoration and management activities you will carry out using this action. They will work with you to agree a river restoration plan.

Choosing a site

In most cases you will need professional advice to choose the right location for this action.

This action requires a site which is either next to:
- unmodified watercourses which flood seasonally
- modified watercourses which will be restored to enable seasonal flooding (for example, through riverbed raising, riverbank lowering or addition of woody material)
The site may already contain areas of wetland vegetation or that lie wet throughout the year.

It will usually have a low to moderate soil fertility with phosphate levels in the range of 5 to 30 milligrams per litre.

You can do this action alongside CSW12: Make room for the river to move (https://www.gov.uk/find-funding-for-land-or-farms/csw12-make-room-for-the-river-to-move).

The presence of beavers can create a suitable channel morphology that will seasonally flood.

You may need to work with neighbouring farms to manage land within the hydrological unit.

You can find out what restoration work is already being carried out on the River Restoration Centre website (https://www.therrc.co.uk/demonstration-projects-0)

Avoid using this action where the river is over deepened or the floodplain and river cannot be easily reconnected (for example, where bank protection has been removed through capital works).

Capital grant SW12: Making space for water (https://www.gov.uk/countryside-stewardship-grants/making-space-for-water-sw12) may be more suitable where the river is moving in the floodplain.

Planning

Your river restoration plan will include what capital works you need to carry out to achieve the aims of this action. Activities could include:
- removing flood banks
- disabling drainage
- varying the field surface topography
- in-channel habitat works, such as bed raising and bank profiling
- adding large woody material in the river and across the floodplain.
The plan will identify any environmental or historic features that you need to consider when completing this action.

If you need any new pedestrian access routes or bridges to access and maintain the site, avoid:
- affecting future riverbank erosion or temporary flooding
- blocking escape routes and refuge areas for people or livestock to use during floods
You may need specialist help to carry out restoration works.

Establishing river and floodplain habitats

Your management plan will set out what you need to do to establish river and floodplain habitats. This may include reducing soil nutrient levels, which is a slow process usually achieved by sympathetically removing vegetation.

Establish vegetation where there is no ground cover to minimise soil runoff during flooding and reduce pollution. This needs to be suitable for the location and reflect the site’s wetness. You can use:
- seed mix
- seed mix and plant plugs
- a suitable mixture of native wildflowers and grasses
You may need to control injurious weeds, nettles or invasive non-native species more often over the first few years to help establish the vegetation.

You can encourage trees and scrub to establish by natural regeneration or by planting a mixture of native species such as alder and willow.

You can read the Tree Council’s guidance on hedge planting and growing (https://treecouncil.org.uk/guidance-resources/hedge-planting-and-growing/) and watch a video on how to plant trees and hedgerows (https://treecouncil.org.uk/guidance-resources/video-guide-how-to-plant-trees-and-hedgerows/).

Managing your site

Grazing a mix of livestock may help to achieve the required outcomes of this action. For example, larger livestock leave hoofprint indentations which create micro-habitats for plants and improve biodiversity.

Monitor grazing closely to prevent water pollution and soil damage and maintain biodiversity. You will likely need to:
- graze fewer livestock than before
- remove livestock when conditions are too wet
- use temporary electric fencing or smart collars to keep livestock out of the water
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.