Thank you 2017
• Saving green fields • Improving the approach to housebuilding • Influencing infrastructure decisions • Fighting for our landscapes
You were crucial to our success in 2017 I’m thrilled to join a charity that continues to do so much vital work to protect and enhance England’s glorious countryside. It hasn’t taken me long to realise that CPRE’s passionate supporters and volunteers are the engine that drives everything we do. I hope you enjoy reading about some of the fantastic successes you helped make possible in the past 12 months. I look forward to working together in 2018 and to achieving more victories for our countryside. Thank you. Crispin Truman, Chief Executive
“We rely almost entirely on your support to stand up for our countryside. Your humbling generosity helped us achieve so much in 2017. Thank you, from all of us.” Su Sayer, Chair
An inspiring idea CPRE’s representatives in the Peak District launched a unique new walking route to celebrate the magnificent scenery of England’s first National Park. The 192-mile boundary walk showcases the quieter, less well-known corners of the Park and we hope this will inspire people to visit and cherish it - now and in the future.
The Peak District National Park
You stood up for our countryside With your help, our local groups across England worked tirelessly on the front line to defend and enhance England’s countryside. Throughout 2017, our dedicated staff and volunteers scoured thousands of planning applications, responded to local plans, appeared at planning enquiries and promoted positive development that meets the needs of the community. CPRE Hertfordshire defended 60
acres
20 acres of land in the Forest of Dean were
of Green Belt land near Cuffley from a huge,
saved by CPRE Gloucestershire from two
new housing development.
poorly sited solar farms.
CPRE Avonside defeated plans for an
30 acres of treasured, open green
800-space park and ride scheme,
space at Freeman’s Common were saved
protecting the Avon Green Belt and Cotswolds
for local people and wildlife by CPRE
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Bedfordshire.
Empowering communities In June, CPRE Sussex won a national planning award for its innovative Making Places project. With rural communities in Sussex increasingly on the receiving end of inappropriate housing proposals, Making Places aims to help local people play an active role in shaping a more positive future for their area. By encouraging landowners, developers and planners to work shoulder to shoulder with communities, CPRE Sussex hopes the initiative will lead to better designed, community-led development that enhances, not blights, their countryside. “We wanted to start a conversation with people about what makes their local area special and what could make it even better.” David Johnson, Chair, CPRE Sussex
What’s next? Staff and volunteers across CPRE’s network of branches will
continue to defend local countryside from inappropriate development while championing the building of well-designed, well-planned, rural affordable homes.
You campaigned for a better Your support helps us influence the Government’s thinking on housing. Over the past year, we highlighted the growing threats to our countryside as a result of poor policy-making and campaigned for effective solutions to the rural affordable housing crisis.
Making the Government listen When the Government published plans for boosting housebuilding in February, it was clear they had listened to us. Of the many recommendations we secured in the Housing White Paper, our biggest victory was a clear commitment by Ministers to fix the broken housing market, rather than continuing to encourage the release of countryside. “We’ve not only listened to your input, we’ve taken it on board. Any honest assessment of the Housing White Paper will quickly spot the marks of [CPRE’s] influence.” Gavin Barwell, former Housing Minister
Gavin Barwell delivering the CPRE Annual Lecture in February.
Defending our Green Belt In July, we published our latest Green Belt Under Siege report, revealing that the number of houses now planned for the Green Belt has increased to 425,000. Worse still, we found that more than 70% of these houses are not the affordable homes people need. We used this evidence, alongside a public petition, to make the Government back down on their threat to release more Green Belt land for housebuilding in the Autumn Budget.
Celebrating brownfield land registers Following seven years of CPRE campaigning, regulations requiring all councils in England to prepare and maintain registers of brownfield land came into force in April. The registers will help enormously in our mission to see suitable brownfield sites prioritised for housebuilding over unsustainable greenfield sites.
r approach to housebuilding Standing up for rural affordable housing In June, our research revealed the growing crisis in the supply of affordable housing in many rural areas. Our figures showed that the number of affordable houses being built by non-metropolitan local authorities has halved to 16% in just five years. Housing in the countryside is already financially out of reach to many local people on average incomes. We warned the Government that unless they stop developers reneging on their promises to build affordable homes, and give local councils the funds to start building houses again, this will only get worse. This year, we are launching a national campaign to get the Government to commit to tackling this crucial issue.
CPRE President Emma Bridgewater (right) visiting a rural affordable housing project in Cornwall.
Pushing for realistic housing targets Having exposed the harm caused by over-inflated housing targets in 2016, we welcomed the Government’s consultation in September on a new method to calculate these figures. Currently, the targets are based on market demand, which is damaging the countryside while not getting the homes we need built. We hope that our detailed evidence, submitted in October, will persuade Ministers to base the new methodology on genuine local need instead.
What’s next? We will continue to push for a better approach to
housebuilding that protects the countryside: more brownfield development, more rural affordable homes, and more community-led development.
You influenced infrastructure decisions Thanks to your support, we continue to campaign for more efficient and sustainable infrastructure projects that protect and enhance the beauty and vitality of England’s countryside.
Revealing the truth about new roads To challenge Government plans to triple investment in new roads to £3 billion, we published landmark research in March. It revealed that road-building is not only devastating the environment, but is also failing to deliver on promises to relieve congestion and boost local economies.
Securing investment in greener travel In April, the Government published the first ever Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, following our two-year campaign. The new funding will improve health and lessen the risk of countryside being blighted by more pollution.
Supporting England’s dark skies Our innovative Night Blight maps chart light pollution levels across the country, helping us provide vital evidence to encourage local councils and the Government to lessen the environmental impact of artificial light. In July, the maps formed part of the evidence which helped Bodmin Moor in Cornwall win International Dark Sky Landscape status. This award will help give lasting protection to the exceptional darkness of these skies.
What’s next? We will promote infrastructure solutions that challenge the Government to meet public needs, particularly those of rural communities – while also protecting and benefiting our countryside, now and in the future.
You fought for a better future for our landscapes England’s unique and irreplaceable rural landscapes are under increasing threat. With your help, we are working hard to see them better protected, valued and made even more beautiful.
Sparking the debate on how we use land Land is our country’s most important asset, yet decision-making on its use is fragmented and fails to address conflicting demands. We need to think seriously about how we get the most from this limited and increasingly threatened resource. Our recent Landlines pamphlet, published in March, argues for greater national coordination on land use in England.
Taking the next step to reduce litter
Raising the alarm about disappearing farms
In July, the Government announced an 83% decrease in plastic bag usage since the 5p charge we campaigned for came into effect. And our crusade to banish litter from the countryside continues. We are making positive strides towards a deposit return system for drinks containers in England.
Small farms are crucial to maintaining our beautiful landscapes and diverse food production. But our Uncertain Harvest report, published in August, suggests small farms could soon disappear. We are using these findings to bolster our case for a post-Brexit agricultural policy that helps farms of all sizes to thrive.
Exposing the threat to our protected landscapes England’s Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) face increasing threats from inappropriate, mass housing developments. Figures published in our Beauty Betrayed report in November revealed that in just five years, within our AONBs, there has been a fivefold increase in land lost to development and an 82% increase in planning permissions for new houses. We are using this alarming evidence to demand the Government does more to protect our finest landscapes.
What’s next? We will campaign to ensure that the Government gives
greater weight to the protection and enhancement of our landscapes for the public’s benefit.
See what else we achieved together in 2017 9 billion fewer plastic bags have
been used since our proposal for a 5p charge was introduced in England – over time, significantly reducing plastic pollution in our countryside.
CPRE Devon overturned plans
11-turbine
for an wind farm which would have dominated one of Britain’s best wildflower meadows.
CPRE Norfolk delivered their
CPRE Staffordshire helped local community groups
new Green Belt around Norwich to local councillors and MPs.
plant
1,000-strong petition for a 3,000 acres
of the South Downs National Park could have been sold off without the efforts of CPRE Sussex.
373 and counting: CPRE
mentions in newspapers, on television and on radio – more than one a day!
1,000 trees.
10,875 people
signed our online petition to stop the Government releasing Green Belt land for housebuilding in the Autumn Budget.
Thank you!
Photo credits: Cover © James Osmond / Alamy Stock Photo; Page 2-3 banner © Andrew Roland / Shutterstock; Page 2 top © CPRE; middle © CPRE, bottom © Andy Chattaway / Shutterstock; Page 3 © CPRE Sussex; Page 4-5 background © Duncan Andison / Shutterstock; Page 4 top © CPRE; bottom © Tom Blackwell; Page 5 top © Heather Lindsay-Chapman; bottom © Skyscan Photolibrary / Alamy Stock Photo; Page 6 banner © Darren Baker / Shutterstock; top © David Rose; middle © nampix / Shutterstock; bottom © Cain Scrimgeour; Page 7 background © Kevin Eaves / Shutterstock
www.cpre.org.uk 5-11 Lavington Street, London, SE1 ONZ Campaign to Protect Rural England, a company limited by guarantee, registered in England 4302973. Registered charity number 1089685