Rural Payments and Services

Table of Contents

• What is the Land Parcel Identification System (LPIS)?
• What other changes are you making to the information on land that you hold?
• What should I do if my maps have changed?
• Will this work affect my SAF2018 submission?
• Are there any implications for past claims affected by introduction of new data?
• What do I do if a Land Change in Progress Flag has been created?
• Why aren’t the latest changes to my land data showing on my ‘view only’ maps on RP&S?
• My field has been allocated Payment Region 4 – what does this mean?
• Are there any implications for past claims affected by introduction of new data?
• What if I apply for my SAF on paper and my data subsequently changes – will I be penalised?
• Are further updates being made to the mapping system?
• Why does the information on view only maps not match my 2018 SAF or the maps I have recently received?

The new Land Parcel Identification System (LPIS) is an online tool – part of Rural Payments and Services – that will ultimately deliver more accurate mapping, additional information, improved functionality and faster processing for transactional customers across Scotland.

Customers will get full new mapping functionality from summer 2018.

We are also reviewing our aerial photography for 2014 – 2016 to ensure that it is current and accurate. This means a number of land changes have been/are being made to the maps we have online.

Where mapping changes are identified please review your 2018 Single Application Form (SAF) and where appropriate update the submission prior to 15 May 2018.

If you have received notification of a parcel boundary update and wish to update your 2018 SAF please use the following guidance:

For maps where the field number (LPID) is the same but the gross area has changed - please use the most current land parcel data contained in the latest map issued to you and review the land eligibility of the parcel when completing your SAF.

For maps where the field number (LPID) has changed - please exclude any superseded fields (LPIDs) and add in any new LPIDs on your SAF application using the ‘Add Land’ functionality.

In a very small minority of cases, this may have had an effect on Single Application Forms submitted before 22 March.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused and will write directly to those affected with further guidance. Those in any doubt should contact their local area office for further information.

There will only be implications if the area claimed in the field is greater than the eligible area against the revised data in each relevant year. If the applicant has only claimed for eligible land there will be no implications.

When a change to a map is identified the start date of the change is recorded (generally the date of the aerial photography). Any relevant SAF is then reassessed, possibly for multiple years e.g. if the aerial photography was flown in 2015 then 2015, 2016 and 2017 SAFs will be reassessed.

A number of Land Change in Progress Flags have been created. This may be for a number of reasons including:

• you have submitted an LMF and this has not yet been fully processed
• you have been subject to inspection and this is not fully processed
• we have changed the boundary of the parcel and notified you with a new map or will do so shortly but the SAF/RP&S has not yet been updated online
• we are capturing known ineligible features spatially
  

If a Land Change in Progress Flag has been created then you should:

• take consideration of any new maps you have been sent
• review the eligibility of the land within any field and submit any claim accordingly
• ensure that you only claims for eligible land in their SAF application

Where a flag exists on a parcel, as it has in previous years, the customer needs to assure themselves that they are claiming on the correct eligible area within the active parcel.

As the data is being integrated from multiple sources the latest boundary changes and capture of ineligible features will not all appear on RP&S ‘view only maps’ immediately.

When the new LPIS is fully launched in summer 2018 all the field information will be aligned and the new ‘view only mapping’ functionality will contain data in one place.

As a consequence of a number of LPIS updates that some fields have been allocated Payment Region 4.

A Payment Region 4 is allocated to a non-agricultural parcel where it is considered not to be eligible to support a BPS claim. This does not prevent you from submitting a claim for this area if the circumstances have changed since it was reviewed.

Please provide suitable supporting documentary evidence and review of the BPS region will be undertaken as part of the SAF2018 processing.

There will only be implications if the area claimed in the field is greater than the eligible area against the revised data in each relevant year. If the applicant has only claimed for eligible land there will be no implications.

When a change to a map is identified the start date of the change is recorded (generally the date of the aerial photography).

Any relevant SAF is then reassessed, possibly for multiple years e.g. if the aerial photography was flown in 2015 then 2015, 2016 and 2017 SAFs will be reassessed.

If applicants apply on paper and claim on land that is not deemed to be eligible then penalties will apply. Applying online ensures claims are validated against the most up-to-date information available at the time of submission.

Responsibility lies with the applicant to claim accurately based on all available information including an assessment of the position on the ground.

No further updates will be applied to the mapping system until after 15 May.

In preparation for the introduction of the new LPIS we are required to transfer the mapping information we hold into the new system.

This process takes some weeks and as such the data including changes prior to 22 March have been transferred to RP&S and can be seen on view only maps now. Changes made after this date will be transferred in the coming weeks and will be available from the end of May.

If your parcel has had a boundary since 22 March you will have received an update map and should use this information for your 2018 SAF.

We are also mapping some internal features which were previously only held as a numerical figure. You will also see these features at the end of May.