Wealden Community Infrastructure and Spaces Fund

Projects must deliver one of the following outcomes:

• Improved perception of green spaces, active travel routes and facilities
• Increased number of users of green spaces, active travel routes and facilities
• Increased usage of green spaces, active travel routes and facilities
• Improved accessibility of green spaces, active travel routes and facilities
• Creation of and improvements to local rural green spaces/ community facilities
• Amount of green or blue space created/improved
• Increased use of cycleways or paths
• Length of new or improved cycle ways or footpaths
• Number of visitors or locals using new EV charging points
• Improved energy efficiency

This may include enhancements to existing assets which:
• Lengthen the life of an open space, active travel route, community facility
• Provide ‘additionality’ to an open space, active travel route or community facility
• Increase the usefulness of an open space, active travel route or community facility

Small Grants programme
Small grants programme (grants from £1,000 up to £5,000) require 50% match funding. This can be a combination of cash and in-kind match funding.

Small grants funding can be used for:
• improvements to the natural environment such as ‘greening up’ of outside spaces and active travel initiatives. This includes improving local resilience against the impacts of climate change, accessing outdoors spaces and encouraging residents to walk and cycle more.
• enable investment in capacity building and infrastructure support for local organisations and community groups. This includes funding towards net-zero improvements to community facilities such as insulation improvements, heat pumps, solar panels, EV charging points and accessibility improvements. ‘Like for like’ improvements such as door and window replacements will not be considered, they must be linked to additional or new community activity.

Large Grants Programme
Large grants programme (from £5,001 up to £20,000) require 50% cash match funding.

Large grants funding can be used for:
• enable investment in capacity building and infrastructure support for local organisations and community groups. This includes funding towards net-zero improvements to community facilities such as insulation improvements, heat pumps, solar panels, EV charging points and accessibility improvements. ‘Like for like’ improvements such as door and window replacements will not be considered, they must be linked to additional or new community activity.

Your completed application form, check list, evidence and documents must be completed and returned to communitygrants@wealden.gov.uk.

Application Checklist

Before you get started – You must be able to answer yes to all to the following:

Before you get started – Please answer the following to confirm you have the required documents:

All information relevant to your project must be submitted as we may not be able to ask for any further clarification after the closing date due to the expected volume of applications received.

You may send the application and all supporting paperwork electronically. This is our preference.

To note: Your application will not be considered if you do not attach the evidence/documents stated above. If you are unsure on what evidence to provide, please contact communitygrants@wealden.gov.uk.

If you send any hard copies, please inform the Partnership and Funding Officer via email that you plan to do this. Please do not staple or bind any part of the application form or supporting information. Please ensure you retain a copy of the whole application form for your records.

Please contact the Partnerships and Funding Support Officer, Kat Jenner via communitygrants@wealden.gov.uk for any queries you may have.

Match Funding

See below table which details the level of match funding needed for each funding programme:

Match funding helps to ensure that many different organisations as possible will be able to benefit from this fund. Please ensure you are aware of which funding programme you are planning to apply to and ensure you meet the minimal match funding requirement.

Example: If your total project costs £20,000, you will need a minimum of £10,000 (50%) cash match funding from other sources.

Organisations should have all of their cash match funding in place / secured when applying to the programme, to reduce the risk of project delivery falling through.

‘In Kind Match Funding’ shows the financial value of your project rather than a financial contribution. Most voluntary and community projects have a higher value than the expenses they pay for in cash. Some common types of ‘In Kind Match Funding’ includes:

• value of the time put in by volunteers (General volunteer time can be costed at £10 an hour. Any professional time/ advice that is provided for free towards the project can be costed at a commercial rate – for example, if your annual accounts are done for free by a local accountant who would normally charge £250, then you have £250 of “in-kind” funding for that element),
• normal cost of hiring premises that you have secured for free,
• discounts you have negotiated because you are a local club (i.e., the value of the discount),
• volunteer coaches, guide and scout leaders, management committee time, volunteer grounds maintenance, the value of any donated materials or equipment, the value of any discount you have negotiated on materials or labour.

Projects must be within the Wealden District boundary. Please note that due to DEFRA ward boundary lines, Polegate and Stone cross are excluded from this programme.

For view of the boundaries please go to the site map: https://magic.defra.gov.uk/MagicMap.aspx, click ‘Administrative Boundaries’ then ‘Rural England Prosperity Fund’. 

If any clarity is required on boundaries, please contact communitygrants@wealden.gov.uk to discuss further.

• The project site must be entirely located within the Rural Shared Prosperity Fund boundaries, which is the Wealden District but excludes Polegate and Stone cross.
• All applications need to clearly demonstrate that all costs applied for are directly attributable to the physical delivery of a project. Funding is typically awarded for the purchase and installation of materials and equipment. Please ask for clarification if unsure.
• Applicant must either: own the land or building OR have permission from the landowner AND have a lease of more than 3 years where the capital fund will be spent.
• Permissions should be obtained prior to making an application, in particular, Planning Permission and/or Building Regulations approval.
• Completion of an additional project delivery section (for total project costs over £5,000) detailing:
  • High Level milestones
  • Risks and mitigation

Planning Permission

If you aren’t sure if planning permission is required, please check our planning permission pages which can be found here: https://www.wealden.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/planning-advice/. If you wish to speak to a member of WDC’s Planning Team, please contact the Duty Planning Officer.

The Duty Planner Service operates twice a week with times varied to give all residents and businesses an opportunity to call which are:

• Tuesdays between the hours of 10am and 12:30pm and,
• Thursdays between 14:30pm and 17:00pm

During busy times, if you cannot get through to the duty planning officer you will need to call back. The service is not intended to take messages and call backs will not be arranged.

If you are ready to speak with the Duty Planning Officer call 01892 602011 during the times outlined above.

For further information on Duty Planning Officer, please go to: Duty Planning Officer – Wealden District Council – Wealden District Council

Building Control

If you aren’t sure if you require approval from our building regulations team, you can seek advice either through our building regulations webpages which can be found here: https://www.wealden.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/east-sussex-building-control-partnership/. If you wish to speak to a member of WDC’s Building Control team, please contact: 01892 602005.

Climate Change

If you are applying to install electric vehicle charging points you are required to liaise with WDC’s Climate Change team prior to submitting your application. You can seek advice by contacting the Climate Change team on: sustainability@wealden.gov.uk.

Energy Audits

If you are submitting a project to work towards net zero, you may be eligible to apply for a free Independent Energy Assessment: https://www.groundwork.org.uk/vcseenergyefficiency-apply/

Or you have the option to complete an energy self-survey: https://www.cse.org.uk/resource/energy-survey-for-community-buildings/

It is recommended but not essential to undertake an energy audit to include within your application.

The following are not eligible for funding:

• Individuals and any organisations not listed within ‘Who can apply?’ section.
• Projects or activity outside of the boundary project area.
• Retrospective work – work that has already taken place before any grant has been awarded.
• VAT reclaimable from HMRC – VAT may be an eligible cost under this grant scheme; however, this will vary on a case-by-case basis and the council cannot give VAT advice to applicants. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that VAT is correctly treated within any grant project. Incorrect VAT treatment could lead to penalties from HMRC and the applicant having to repay the VAT element of the grant that should not have been claimed.
• It is the responsibility of the applicant to include VAT if an applicant needs to claim it. If you do not include eligible VAT at the time of application, the grant will be awarded based on net costs and VAT cannot be claimed.
• Projects which generate private gain.
• Grants cannot be made to individuals or for items which only benefit an individual, such as prizes, bursaries or personal equipment.

• Projects that are already funded through external funding e.g. government funding.

• Staff salaries.
• Organisational overheads/running costs.
• Costs of making planning applications or other statutory permissions
• Routine maintenance work or repairs.
• Carrying out statutory duties.
• Habitat works or other activity that is part of an Agri-environment agreement.
• Purchase of land, buildings, or heritage items.
• Submission whereby the applicant does not own the land, has no permission from the landowner or has a lease of less than 3years where the capital fund will be spent.
• The total cost of the project must be £100,000 or under including VAT.
• Privately owned buildings
• Private landowners
• Fundraising activities or advertising costs
• Lawn mowers or similar items
• For any other purpose than that specified on the application.
• Capital improvements must not be compromised by other work in the near future.
• You cannot apply to us for funding for items if you have applied for, or will be seeking funding for, the same items from elsewhere before you know our decision.
• Grants cannot be used for activities promoting religious or political beliefs; however, we welcome applications from faith groups for community activities that are open/accessible to the whole community, regardless of religion.
• Items of personal kit or sports equipment, e.g. mowers, cricket nets.
• Portable items that will not be permanently kept at the address listed as the project location.
• Events, excursions and websites, publications and marketing materials.
• Purely church fabric repairs, e.g. to bell towers, church spires, etc.
• Feasibility studies, tender costs, surveys, building consents or recruitment costs.
• Changing rooms.

• Grants will not be awarded to organisations that have large unrestricted balances available for them to spend – if a balance is ‘restricted’ for a particular purpose, e.g. you are saving for a building or piece of equipment, you should clearly indicate this in your application.
• There should not be duplication with funding schemes supporting similar activities. As such, REPF funding cannot be used to support projects that have received funding from other Defra schemes. Within your application you are asked if you have applied to any of the following funding programmes. If you have, we will undertake further checks. Funding programmes include but not limited to:
  • ‘The Platinum Jubilee Village Hall Improvement Grant Fund’ – a grant over 3 years (to 2025) to support capital improvement projects for village halls, covering extending buildings and modernising facilities – https://acre.org.uk/platinum-jubilee-village-halls-fund/.
  • ‘Village Halls Small Grants Fund’ – Grants of between £2,000 and £5,000 to help make improvements to rural community buildings in England https://acre.org.uk/village-halls-small-grants-fund/

• ‘The Farming in Protected Landscapes Fund’ – funding to support and improve Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs), National Parks and the Broads for farmers and land managers – https://www.gov.uk/guidance/funding-for-farmers-in-protected-landscapes

• • The Farming Investment Funds – funding for farmers, foresters, growers and contractors about grants for investing in new technology, equipment and infrastructure – https://www.gov.uk/guidance/farming-investment-fund

If you have any questions or are in any doubt about whether we are likely to fund your application, please contact the Partnerships and Funding Support Officer, Kat Jenner via communitygrants@wealden.gov.uk.

The UK is subject to a new statutory Subsidy Control regime which came into force on 4 January 2023 and is largely based around the requirements set out in the Subsidy Control Act 2022 (the “Act”).

As part of the assessment of your application we will need to know whether the grant constitutes a ‘Subsidy’ under the Subsidy Control Act 2022.

If a Subsidy is present, it will be necessary to follow one of the routes prescribed in the Act for the award of compliant Subsidies.

We may request your assistance in the assessment of Subsidy and in determining the appropriate route to make an award and may ask you for additional information. If you need to provide this information, we will contact you and we will require this additional information as soon as possible.

If an applicant is successful in securing a grant, a Grant Agreement will be sent to the organisation which will need to be signed by the organisation and sent back to us before the project can start. The Grant Agreement will include Terms and Conditions to ensure the grant award and project delivery meets Wealden District Council’s requirements and Rural England Prosperity Fund terms and conditions.

The Grant Agreement must be signed within 4 weeks of issue.

Capital payments will only be made when work is complete.

Successful applications will be given a set period to spend their grant on a case-by-case basis. Final payments will also be defrayed once the project has been completed and evidence of spend submitted.

Applicants must secure any required planning permissions and/or other statutory consents required for the project before applying (and attach copies with your application). It is the responsibility of the applicant to speak to the relevant authorities to determine if any permissions or consents are required.

Documentation (e.g. register of title, lease or licence) detailing land ownership and permissions must be appended or submitted with the application if applicable. For projects where capital works are taking place on land not owned by the Grantee, the landowner will need to be party to the licence/lease or show evidence of permissions given by the landowner.

If your application is successful, we will ask you to collect baseline data prior to the project commencement and further data once the project has been completed. The data collected must relate to one or more of the following outcomes:

Further support on how to collect this data can be provided, if required at a later date.

If by the End of Grant self-monitoring evaluation form and evidence of expenditure/receipts (to be submitted no more than 4 weeks after the end of the project) is not satisfactory, the council will have the right to obtain funds back.

Successful organisations must adhere to UK Shared Prosperity Fund: branding and publicity guidelines when promoting their project. For further information, please go to the GOV.uk website: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-branding-and-publicity-6

For infrastructure projects only, upon Completion of the Project the Applicant will install in a permanent place at the site of the Project a plaque of a size of at least 250x200mm and in such form as is specified by Council to advertise the Grant contribution to the Project and the Applicant is responsible for securing such Consents as may be required to do so.

Successful organisations must acknowledge the REPF grant awarded by the council in their annual report and in any publicity materials they produce about the work supported by the grant. They will supply copies of these documents to the Council on request.