GovWire

For certain rural payments schemes that the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) administers, you must register rural land on the Rural Payments service and keep your land details up to date.

The Rural Payments service is the quickest and most secure way to do this. Find out about registering on the Rural Payments service.

Use the Rural Payments service to:

• register land
• transfer or remove land, unless you are a tenant, or you own less than 100% of the land
• merge or split land parcels
• change permanent boundaries
• change land cover
• edit hedgerows

If youre unable to use the Rural Payments service, use the RLE1 form instead. Read the guidance RLE1 form: register land and update digital maps.

Before you start

Some change requests ask you to provide a sketch map. If you need to provide a sketch map through the Rural Payments service, the file name must:

• be unique
• be fewer than 20 characters
• contain no spaces

Scan and upload your map. Check its:

• total file size is 10MB or less
• file type is jpg, jpeg, png, pdf, docx or doc

Read the guidance creating a sketch map to register land or update your digital maps.

How to use the Rural Payments service

There are different changes you can ask for depending on what you want to do. These are called change requests.

Register a land parcel

Register a new land parcel to your SBI. You can register up to 10 parcels in one change request.

Sign in to the Rural Payments service using your Customer Reference Number (CRN) and password. In the business overview, select Request rural land change, then select Register new land. You cannot register a new land parcel through any other change request type.

You will be asked to upload a sketch map. Upload one map at a time and select Continue. You need to provide a sketch map for each land parcel you want to register. Read the guidance creating a sketch map to register land or update your digital maps.

If you do not know your parcel ID, you need to estimate it. You can use the map on the MAGIC website to help you do this. The estimated Parcel ID is shown on the MAGIC website as the National Grid Field No, as 2 letters and 8 numbers, for example, SP 4178 2432. Read the guidance on Using the Where Am I Tool.

Add the date you want to register the land parcel.

Select the funding schemes your update relates to.

You must read and agree to the declaration and review your request before submitting.

Merge land parcels

Merge land parcels that are next to each other. There are different options to:

• merge up to 5 land parcels into a single new parcel
• merge more than 5 land parcels into a single new parcel

Sign in to the Rural Payments service using your CRN and password. In the business overview, select Request rural land change.

To merge up to 5 land parcels, select Merge land parcels. You do not need to provide a sketch map.

To merge more than 5 land parcels, select All other land changes. You will need to upload a sketch map for each land parcel you wish to merge. Read the guidance on creating a sketch map to register land or update your digital maps.

Select the land parcels you want to merge. You can either:

• tick the parcel ID from the list
• click the land parcel on the map the parcel will turn blue when selected

Enter the date from which you want the change to take place.

Select the funding schemes your update relates to.

You must read and agree to the declaration and review your request before submitting.

Split land parcels

Split a land parcel into one or more new land parcels.

Sign in to the Rural Payments service using your CRN and password. In the business overview, select Request rural land change, then select All other land changes.

You will need to upload a sketch map for each land parcel you wish to split. Read the guidance creating a sketch map to register land or update your digital maps.

Select the land parcels you want to split. You can either:

• tick the land parcel ID from the list
• click the land parcel on the map the the parcel will turn blue when selected

Enter the date from which you want the change to take place.

Select the funding schemes your update relates to.

You must read and agree to the declaration and review your request before submitting.

Change land covers

For full land cover changes only. This is where the total area of a land parcel has a single land cover, and will change to another single land cover, for example, arable land changing to permanent grassland. You can change up to 20 parcels with a single land cover for each request.

Sign in to the Rural Payments service using your CRN and password. In the business overview, select Request rural land change, then select Full land cover change.

Your screen will show all land parcels with a single land cover that are linked to your SBI. Select the land parcels you want to update. You can either:

• tick the parcel ID from the list
• click the land parcel on the map the parcel will turn blue when selected

Select the new land cover from the drop-down list.

Enter the date from which you want the change to take place.

Select the funding schemes your update relates to.

You must read and agree to the declaration and review your request before submitting.

Change multiple land covers in a single land parcel

For a single land parcel with more than one land cover.

Sign in to the Rural Payments service using your CRN and password. In the business overview, select Request rural land change, then select All other land changes.

You will need to upload a sketch map for all land cover changes. Read the guidance on creating a sketch map to register land or update your digital maps.

Select the land parcels. You can either:

• tick the parcel ID from the list
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