Rural Priorities - 2009 Timetable for Assessment Rounds
7 May 2009
The timetable for further Rural Priorities applications in 2009 has been outlined today by Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs Richard Lochhead.
A further two funding rounds for Rural Priorities will take place this year - one in August and one in November.
The Cabinet Secretary has also announced that £10 million will be made available in 2009 for capital investment across all elements of Rural Priorities, through the August funding round, to aid Scotland's economic recovery. This will give rural business, both large and small, the chance to kick-start even more projects which will create sustainable rural communities for future generations. The autumn round will then focus on approvals for 2010 and beyond.
It was also announced today that there will be a further three rounds in each following year which will give applicants and their advisers certainty in their forward planning.
The Scottish Government will shortly receive Peter Cook's review of the SRDP and will consider any process changes in light of its findings.
The full timetable is as follows:
| Summer 09 | Autumn 09 |
Cut off for submitted Proposals * | 4pm 1 June | 4pm 31 August |
Cut off for committed Proposals ** | 4pm 22 June | 4pm 21 September |
Scoring Cut Off (internal deadline) | 12 noon 13 July | 12 noon 12 October |
RPAC Meetings | 3-14 August | 2-13 November |
* - Please note that there will be cases where it is not possible to move from the 'submit' to 'commit' stage in the minimum three-week period indicated above, particularly for forestry options where public consultation or associated consents may be required. In these circumstances, you should contact your Case Officer to discuss an appropriate timescale.
** - Please note that any Proposal committed after the cut off date will not go forward to that RPAC. However, we cannot guarantee that all Proposals committed by the cut off date will be considered by that RPAC, as the time taken for a Case Officer to assess and score a Proposal will vary, depending on the complexity of each Proposal and any advice from other public bodies which may be required.
Further information: Guidance on the assessment of Proposals