The Common Agricultural Policy Single Payment and Support Schemes (Cross-compliance) (England) Regulations 2005

Stone walls

14.—(1) A farmer must not remove, or remove stone from, a stone wall.

(2) But a farmer may remove, or remove stone from, a stone wall—

(a) to widen an existing gateway in it to no more than 10 metres in order to provide access to the land for machinery or livestock, and in that case the ends of the wall created by the widening operation must be finished with a vertical face;

(b) if he uses the stone to repair another stone wall on his land which is in better condition than the stone wall which is removed or from which the stone is removed;

(c) if he uses the stone to make minor repairs to a footpath on his land; or

(d) if the Secretary of State has, in order to enhance the environment, improve public or agricultural access, or for reasons relating to livestock or crop production, given the farmer written permission to do so.

(3) In this paragraph—

(a) “stone wall” means a stone wall used as a field boundary with—

(i) a continuous length of at least 10 metres;

(ii) a continuous length of less than 10 metres which meets (whether by intersection or junction) another field boundary at each end; or

(iii) a continuous length of less than 10 metres which forms an enclosure;

(b) “footpath” has the meaning given to it in section 329(1) of the Highways Act 1980(1).

(1)

1980 c. 66.