Rural Community Gateway

The first, ‘SRDP Briefing 1: Getting a Business Reference Number’, is aimed at community groups and voluntary organisations and will take you through the essential first step of applying to Rural Priorities, which is getting a Business Reference Number. You can download the briefing now from our library now, and get an application form here.

Regional priorities

Regional Priorities have been set in each of the 11 SRDP regions. You can find out what the priorities in your area are by going to the Scottish Government’s SRDP website.

Crofters’ concern over online applications

The Scottish Crofting Foundation (SCF) have raised concerns over the fact that the application process for Rural Priorities is exclusively online, and say they have had pleas for help from many crofters. Farmer Michael Johnston raised his concerns in a comment to our article Rural Priorities open for business.

SCF Past-Chair Norman Leask said "This is something that affects all rural development, crofting being one of the main enterprises in the Highlands and Islands. There were measures that were good for crofters in the old Land Managers Contracts and environmental schemes, for example the maintenance of footpaths for access to the countryside, animal health plans and membership of certain farm assurance schemes, but these have been taken out of the new Land Managers Options – the bit which can be accessed by post. So the only part of the SRDP that is fully accessible has little or nothing in it for crofters. The larger part, ‘Rural Priorities’, is out of the reach of many crofters, it being only accessible ‘on-line’ and so the only way they can apply is by paying for consultancy services to make an application for them – not cost effective for small initiatives."

You can read more from the Scottish Crofting Foundation on their website.

Why online applications?

According to the Scottish Government, Rural Priorities is the only one of the eight SRDP delivery mechanisms that is online, the others having traditional hard copy guidance and applications.

They argue that because there are 156 options available under the Rural Priorities scheme, a traditional paper-based application process would be unmanageable. The online process allows applicants to quickly and easily focus on the elements which are pertinent to them.

However, they are are actively pursuing methods of helping those with concerns regarding the on line guidance and the Statement of Intent with a view to providing further assistance in accessing these elements where appropriate.

In the first eight days of opening there were 149 Statements of Intent submitted online by 107 businesses right across Scotland. Only five of these were submitted by an agent on an applicant’s behalf.

Where can you go for help?

The Crofters Commission and SCVO will be providing assistance to rural community groups and voluntary organisations. More information on this will be available on the Rural Gateway shortly.

National Farmers Union Scotland will be holding a series of surgeries for their members across Scotland. NFU Scotland members will be guided through the SRDP process by the Union’s specialist staff. More details about these events will be available on the Rural Gateway very shortly. FWAG Scotland will also be holding events, we'll have more details shortly.

The Rural Gateway will aim to keep you up to date with details of events, training, information and guidance related to applying for funding from the Scotland Rural Development Programme. So watch this space for more. Please feel free to add your comments to this article, for example to give us your feedback on SCVO’s Briefing Paper or if you have any advice for potential applicants.

Rural Priorities is delivered jointly by Forestry Commission Scotland, Scottish Government’s Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate and Scottish Natural Heritage. You can direct questions to your local office of one of these organisations. You can find links to these, and further information on Rural Priorities and the SRDP, on the Scottish Government SRDP website.

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