EU and government funding is available for farm and
rural businesses under a number of schemes, chiefly
the Rural Development Plan for England (RDPE), launched
in early 2008.
In England the most widely available rural development
funding is via the Environmental Stewardship schemes
provided through Axis 2 of the RDPE: Entry Level Scheme
(ELS), Higher Level Scheme (HLS) and Organic Entry Level
Scheme (OELS). This is a particular area of expertise
for Angela Steward
Axes 1 and 3 of the RDPE offer access to schemes aimed
at improving farming competitiveness and diversification
of the rural economy. However, unlike the project-based
schemes of its predecessor ERDP, these are accessed
via Regional Development Agencies such as EEDA via intermediate,
potentially collaborative bodies.
Increment Ltd has considerable experience and success with
ERDP funding applications and are already preparing applications
for RDPE funding. This is a particular area of expertise for
Simon Ward, assisted
by Christine Ward
Projects for which we have successfully helped businesses
obtain funding include:
Farm shop on an asparagus and strawberry farm
Renovation of a Tudor barn for tourism and
weddings
Dog kennels and training facility on an arable
and sheep farm
Conversion of redundant buildings for brewery
and offices
