Farmers and landowners in environmentally sensitive parts of Norfolk have been urged to apply for new grants aiming to safeguard protected landscapes.

The Farming in Protected Landscapes programme is open to all farmers and land managers within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), a National Park or the Broads.

Launched by Defra and available locally through the Broads Authority and Norfolk Coast Partnership, it will fund one-off projects which support the environment, mitigate climate change, provide public access or support nature-friendly, sustainable farm businesses.

Eligible projects include those that boost carbon storage, reduce flood risk, increase biodiversity, enhance the landscape and promote greater connectivity between habitats.

Funding will also be available for schemes that gather data to help inform conservation and farming practice, reduce on-farm carbon emissions, conserve historic features and provide opportunities for people to enjoy and understand the landscape.

Rural agents said it offers farmers a valuable chance to secure extra funding as the EU system of subsidies, paid through the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS), is phased out over the next seven years.

Dan Murphy, from the food and farming team at Savills in Norwich, said: “The programme will pay for projects that provide value for money and result in at least one outcome centred around the themes of climate, nature, people or place. They must also align with the respective landscape body’s wider priorities.

“The scheme is competitive but payment rates of up to 100pc are available depending on the level of commerciality of the project.

“Going forward we expect a significant proportion of rural funding to be delivered via schemes such as this and we would encourage applicants to act sooner rather than later.

“It is another way for farmers and landowners to secure funding before the Basic Payment Scheme is phased out in 2028 and, unlike Countryside Stewardship and other recent grant schemes, the programme is open to a wider range of projects.”

The programme will work alongside existing schemes, and successful applicants will also be able to take part in one of three new environmental land management schemes (ELMS) which are set to replace BPS.