Threats to tranquillity

New buildings and infrastructure
New housing consumes more countryside than any other kind of development.  Government figures show a greenfield area nearly the size of Leicester vanishes under bricks, mortar, concrete and asphalt each year – in a country which is among the world’s most heavily built up.

New roads
Traffic levels are projected to increase by 30% by 2015.  The Government has allocated billions of pounds to widen motorways, dual single carriageway roads and build new bypasses over the next decade – including in designated landscapes.  The noise from a busy road can extend over miles of countryside.
> Our roads campaign

More planes and runways
The Government’s Air Transport White Paper signals a massive increase in air travel and the expansion of airports and associated development. Air traffic in the UK has trebled over the past 20 years and is forecast to continue to grow at 4-5% each year in future.
> Our aviation campaign

Increased light pollution
Dark, star-filled night skies are an important aspect of the experience of tranquillity – but our careless, fast-growing use of outdoor light is blotting out our view of the skies. Between 1993 and 2000, light pollution in creased 24% nationally and the amount of truly dark night sky fell from 15% to 11%.
> Our light pollution campaign

Inadequate funding for land management
There is growing concern about the ability of farmers to find the resources necessary to maintain land in a way which protects and enhances the experience of tranquillity.