How we assess your application

Your application will be progressed using a procedure flow chart. 

Before you submit an application, please speak to us! The AONB team can guide and support the development of your application where appropriate.

The final decision to grant an award is given by the AONB’s Sustainable Development Fund Appraisal Panel. The panel meets regularly and is made up of representatives from a range of interests, including community, business and heritage.  

A sustainability checklist will be completed and used by the Grant Appraisal Panel and Officers of the Northumberland Coast AONB to assess and determine all applications. All projects must satisfy the core criteria to some degree.  Projects should also meet some of the desirable criteria.  You do not need to satisfy all the desirable criteria – although in theory the more criteria you can satisfy the better, what is more important is how well you can satisfy them, rather than the actual number.  The list of criteria is not exhaustive, therefore, if other sustainable issues are highlighted in the application then these should also be taken into consideration.

Whilst projects may have no impact on a number of desirable criteria, any proposal that has a tangible negative impact on any of the criteria will be ineligible for funding.

The Appraisal Panel will meet in January 2007 to appraise projects for 2007/08 funding.  The deadline for receipt of applications is Friday 15 December 2006