Open questions
What is still being confirmed at this stage of the scheme. Updated as items resolve.
A scheme of this scale carries open questions across its . This page collects them in one place — the items not yet settled, who they sit with, and when each is expected to resolve. It is updated as items move from open to settled.
Some are workshop decisions for the itself (30 April 2026). Some sit with or and resolve through the development-phase agreement process. Some are provisional appointments awaiting formal confirmation. The point of listing them together is so the reader can see the full shape of what is still moving, rather than discovering each one separately.
A scheme that names its open questions in public is a scheme that intends to resolve them in public. If there is an open question on the site that you think we have got wrong — including ones we have marked “settled” that you do not yet feel are settled — raise it with the Consortium facilitator.
Awaiting DEFRA / Natural England confirmation
Items where the substantive answer rests with a public body and is being worked through with them.
Carbon credit with LRS
Whether voluntary carbon credits (, ) can be stacked with LRS payments on the same parcels for Ure Dales specifically.
- Status
- Probably yes per general DEFRA stacking guidance, but not confirmed for Ure Dales.
- Expected
- Confirmation expected during the development phase before the long-term agreement is signed.
- Who decides
- DEFRA + the project team
applicability for the catchment
Whether and how nutrient neutrality rules apply within the River Ure catchment for scheme-related land use changes.
- Status
- Catchment status under review; current guidance does not directly apply.
- Expected
- Resolution alongside catchment authorities; no fixed date.
- Who decides
- Natural England + the project team
/ LRS coexistence specifics
What can and cannot be claimed alongside the scheme on land within the Ure Dales boundary, beyond the December 2024 prohibition headline.
- Status
- Headline prohibition is clear; edge cases (e.g. land-management arrangements that drift across the boundary) less so.
- Expected
- Working through edge-case interpretations with DEFRA.
- Who decides
- DEFRA + the project team
DEFRA round-2 implementation agreement terms
Final per-hectare payment ranges, KPI definitions, and outcomes monitoring methods for the long-term implementation agreement.
- Status
- Indicative ranges from round-2 applicant guidance apply; final terms negotiated bilaterally.
- Expected
- Settled at the end of the development phase.
- Who decides
- DEFRA + the project team (with Natural England input)
Awaiting Consortium decision
Items where the answer rests with the Consortium of landowners.
Which option
Which of the four shortlisted options the consortium adopts.
- Status
- Workshop decision 30 April 2026.
- Expected
- Decided 30 April; ratified by 14 May.
- Who decides
- The Consortium
Which distribution model
Which of the five models the scheme adopts for handling distributable surplus.
- Status
- Workshop decision 30 April 2026.
- Expected
- Decided 30 April; ratified by 14 May.
- Who decides
- The Consortium
— adoption of 87/3/10
Whether the proposed (landowner / SLE / shared scheme partners) is adopted as the framework for distributing environmental-credit income.
- Status
- Proposed; not yet adopted.
- Expected
- On the workshop agenda for confirmation.
- Who decides
- The Consortium
Provisional appointments
Roles where a body has been proposed but the appointment is subject to formal confirmation.
as chair
Confirmation of EQM as chair of the Audit and Standards Committee.
- Status
- Proposed; subject to confirmation.
- Expected
- Confirmation alongside the broader audit-model adoption.
- Who decides
- The Consortium + EQM
scoring methodology
The detailed scoring framework that drives tier awards and the 10% shared-pool weighting in the Environmental Credits Protocol.
- Status
- In development; framework principles agreed, scoring weights still being refined.
- Expected
- Refined methodology presented for post-workshop.
- Who decides
- The Consortium + ASC + Senior Trustmark Auditor
External-input questions
Items where the answer depends on third parties outside the immediate scheme.
Per-holding final figures
Final negotiated per-hectare LRS payments for each of the 18 holdings.
- Status
- Indicative ranges in the income calculator and worked examples; final figures bespoke per holding.
- Expected
- Settled during the development phase, holding by holding.
- Who decides
- Each landowner + DEFRA + the project team
Premium market relationships
Which premium buyers will be served by the trustmark from Year 3 onwards.
- Status
- Working relationships under development; not finalised.
- Expected
- Ongoing through the first three years.
- Who decides
- The SLE + commercial partners
Where this connects on the site
- What has already been decided— the parallel page covering settled waypoints.
- Decisions hub— live record of decisions reached.
- Risk register— the risks the scheme is preparing for, with mitigations in place.
- Methodology— how the site grounds claims and citations.
Question about any open question on this page? Email the Consortium facilitator directly at contact form or use the contact page. We usually reply within one working day.