Rural Business Support
Specific advice for Agricultural businesses can be found through
the Advice for Kent Downs Farmers Scheme.
More general business advice is available with details on the
Existing
Business and Business Start up pages.
Free Advice for Kent Downs Farmers
If you are a farmer, landholder or small rural business in or
straddling the boundary of the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding
Natural Beauty (AONB) you could be eligible to receive a free
Action Plan to support you in expanding or diversifying your
business.
The Kent Downs Rural Advice Service is a pilot project providing
free support to farmers and land owners who are seeking to make a
change to their land management practices or business. The service
can arrange for experts in planning, environment and business
development to visit each farmer wishing to take advantage of the
service and set out advice in a straight forward Action Plan to
help take proposals forward.
This free service is available within the Kent Downs AONB, a
nationally important protected landscape. Not sure if you are in
the Kent Downs AONB? Visit the Kent Landscape
Information System Website or contact Jenny Bate.
For more information contact Jenny Bate, Kent Downs Rural
Advice Service Coordinator:
West Barn, Penstock Hall Farm, Canterbury Road, East Brabourne,
Ashford, Kent TN25 5LL
Tel: 01303 815170
Email Jenny Bate or
Visit the Kent
Downs website
Farm Diversification Toolkit
The Farm Diversification Toolkit is a reference guide and DIY
toolkit to help farmers take a balanced and integrated approach to
making changes on their farm. Covering the business, financial,
heritage, environmental and planning issues the Toolkit offers
anyone a first step introduction and web based ‘source book’.
Farm Diversification
Toolkit PDF 2.52MB
For more information on the Toolkit please email Jenny Bate at Kent
Downs Rural Advice Service or visit
the Kent Downs Website.
Action for Communities in Rural Kent
Action for Communities in Rural
Kent is an independent voluntary organisation that deals
specifically with rural projects and communities within Kent.
Action for Communities in Rural Kent provides support and advice
for rural businesses as well as helping to raise awareness of rural
issues.
To support the ever changing needs of rural retailers, Action
for Communities in Rural Kent has created the Kent for
Rural Retail(KARR), this organisation attempts to prevent
villages from becoming just dormitories to local towns and tries to
preserve retail in the rural area.
For more information call 01303 813790
Kent Downs and Marshes
Leader
The Kent Downs and Marshes Leader programme can provide grants
of up to £50,000 depending upon the project, although match funding
will be required in many cases. This money can be provided towards
capital or revenue costs, and is available to social and community
groups, and to rural and land based businesses.
To find out more visit Kent Downs and
Marshes or contact 01622 221389