Library

This new charter for the countryside describes the England CPRE wants to see in 2026, our centenary year. The Vision, produced after wide consultation, pictures a countryside in 2026 that is used and valued by all as a national asset, helping create a healthier, less stressed nation where people are in tune with the environment and aware of their impact on it.

13 case studies show how CPRE's aims for the countryside of 2026 could be achieved if we adopt these pioneering schemes as 'the norm', and take inspiration from individuals making a stand now.

This booklet contains the speech given by the Rt Hon David Cameron MP to CPRE’s 2008 Annual Lecture and explores the relationship between social value – the theme of his speech – and CPRE’s traditional focus on landscape. 

This booklet looks to the future and sets out some of the challenges facing our countryside. At the same time, it is inspired by the consensus in support of National Parks, Green Belts and the land use planning system that CPRE has helped to forge over the past eighty years.

Our countryside faces many challenges, but the coming election gives politicians the chance to shape the way we care for and use it now and in the future. In spring 2009, CPRE launched a vision for the countryside in 2026, our centenary year. We are optimistic that our countryside can be a better place than it is now, but that will depend on the decisions made between now and then. This short manifesto lays out a route to a better countryside for all – please ask candidates of all parties to support it through making pledges and taking action.