Responding to today’s (Tuesday) publication of the 2010 State of the Countryside report by the Commission for Rural Communities [1], Ben Stafford, Head of Campaigns at the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said:

“The State of the Countryside report is packed with information about how our countryside and the people who live in it are affected by the warp and weft of everyday life. But this may well be the last such report, given the Government’s recent announcement that its authors, the Commission for Rural Communities, are to be abolished.

“The Government must ensure that this knowledge base – which allows the right decisions to be taken for people living in rural areas – is not lost, and we will be watching to ensure that Defra continues to consider the state of our countryside one of its foremost concerns.

“There are many positives in the report, most notably the relative strength of rural businesses as the economy begins to emerge from recession as well as the continued sense of community enjoyed by people living in rural areas.

“However, the report also highlights some huge challenges that the new coalition government will need to tackle in its first year in office. The continuing shortage of affordable rural housing must be high on the Government’s priority list. We expect Ministers to publish their housing plans shortly and we hope that encouraging local councils to deliver more rural affordable homes will be at the heart of what they look to achieve.

“As it prepares to reshape the planning system fundamentally, the Government must defend an approach that has encouraged development on previously used land, safeguarded Green Belts around towns and cities and given robust protection to our best countryside in National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Weakening these protections could open the way to a future where the public perceive that there is nowhere for them to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.”

Ben Stafford also commented on rural transport:

“The coalition needs to grasp the nettle and tackle inequalities in transport provision and availability between town and countryside. Ministers have done the right thing in putting many major road schemes on ice – they could now channel some of the resulting savings into better support for rural bus services, low carbon car clubs and improved opportunities for walking and cycling in the countryside.”

Ben Stafford concludes:

“The report rightly highlights the myriad functions of land in our countryside, including for food production, recreation, conservation and the mitigation of climate change. But the countryside is under ever growing pressure. We hope the Government’s anticipated Natural Environment White Paper will set out a vision for how we can reconcile the many different demands on the countryside, while ensuring that its beauty, tranquillity and diversity are maintained and enhanced – these are, after all, the reasons why so many people choose to live in and visit it.”

End

Notes to Editors
1. Commission for Rural Communities, http://ruralcommunities.gov.uk/
2. In answer to the suggestion that only 10% of the countryside is developed, CPRE draws attention to research that we published in 2007, showing that the footprint of development affects up to half of England’s countryside. http://www.cpre.org.uk/news/view/428

• CPRE, the Campaign to Protect Rural England, is a charity which promotes the beauty, tranquillity and diversity of rural England. We advocate positive solutions for the long-term future of the countryside. Founded in 1926, we have 60,000 supporters and a branch in every county. President: Bill Bryson. Patron: Her Majesty The Queen. www.cpre.org.uk