Tees Lowlands Current Initiatives

Countryside Stewardship

The amount of land in Countryside Stewardship varies considerably across the area. Existing agreements are mostly for waterside land, old meadows and pastures, historic landscapes, arable margins and field boundaries. Countryside Stewardship was replaced by Environmental Stewardship in 2005. Existing agreements, which last for 10 years, will progressively expire. Some of these may be replaced by new agreements under Environmental Stewardship.

• View Land Management Agreements Map

Environmental Stewardship

Environmental Stewardship incorporates a higher level scheme providing funding for restoration, creation and specialised management works and an entry level scheme to support positive management of environmental features. The scheme was introduced in 2005 and take up in the area has been modest to date due to the presence of existing Countryside Stewardship Agreements. It is anticipated that while take up of the entry level scheme may be high in the area, higher level schemes may be limited in number.

Woodland Grand Scheme

The majority of woodlands in the Tees Vale in the west of the area are managed or planted under Woodland Grant Scheme contracts. Take-up elsewhere is generally low.

Hardwick Park Restoration

Historic parklands at Hardwick are currently being restored as part of a major project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Local Environment Agency Plans

The area falls within the Local Environment Agency Plan (LEAP) for the Tees catchment. The LEAP contains proposals for, amongst other things, improving water quality.

Further Information

• Tees Lowlands Trends and Pressures
• Tees Lowlands Strategy
• Tees Lowlands Assets and Attributes

For further information about Countryside Stewardship and Environmental Stewardship visit Natural England‘s website. Information on the English Woodland Grant Scheme can be found on the Forestry Commission website.