The Environmentally Sensitive Areas (Essex Coast) Designation (Amendment) Order 1996

Amendment of the Environmentally Sensitive Areas (Essex Coast) Designation Order 1994

2.—(1) The Environmentally Sensitive Areas (Essex Coast) Designation Order 1994(1) shall be amended in accordance with the following paragraphs of this article.

(2) In article 7 (rates of payment under agreement)—

(a)in the table in paragraph (3), for “£210” there shall be substituted “£230”;

(b)in paragraph (4), for “£220” there shall be substituted “£260”; and

(c)for paragraph (5), there shall be substituted the following—

“(5)Where an agreement includes a conservation plan, the Minister shall also make payments in respect of operations included in the plan, subject to a maximum of £15,000 for that agreement.”

(3) In Schedule 3 (additional provisions relating to permanent grassland)—

(a)in paragraph (1)(a) of Option 1—

(i)for “1st August” there shall be substituted “1st September”, and

(ii)for “28th February” there shall be substituted “31st January”;

(b)in paragraph (1)(b) of Option 1 for “1st March” there shall be substituted “1st February”;

(c)in paragraph (1)(c) of Option 1—

(i)for “1st April” there shall be substituted “1st March”, and

(ii)for “31st July” there shall be substituted “30th April”;

(d)for paragraph (8) of Option 1, there shall be substituted the following—

“(8)the farmer shall—

(a)within two years of the start of the agreement agree in writing with the Minister a programme for the management of ditches and dykes for which he is responsible; and

(b)carry out that programme in accordance with the agreement.”

• ; and

(e)for paragraph (7) of Option 2, there shall be substituted the following—

“(7)the farmer shall—

(a)within two years of the start of the agreement agree in writing with the Minister a programme for the mangement of the ditches and dykes for which he is responsible; and

(b)carry out that programme in accordance with the agreement.”

(4) In Schedule 4 (additional provisions relating to the reversion of arable land to permanent grassland), after paragraph (3) there shall be added the following paragraph—

“(4)the farmer shall not exceed a stocking level of 1.4 livestock units per hectare.”

(5) In Schedule 5 (conservation plan operations), after the word “restoration” in paragraph 4 there shall be added the words “or creation”.