2000s
Our campaign for Quiet Lanes seeks to improve the countryside experience for walkers, cyclists and horse riders. Photo: © CPRE
2000
After years of CPRE campaigning, new official planning policies on housing mark a radical shift away from low density sprawl and towards using previously developed 'brownfield' land for new homes before greenfield sites are built over.
The Government relents on proposals to relax controls over rural advertising hoardings after strong CPRE protest.
2001
CPRE develops its campaigning for local foods stressing the advantages of local, speciality foods to farmers, consumers and the countryside.
Our critique of the Government's Ten Year Plan for Transport finds £60 billion of planned roads expenditure will bring little or no reduction in journey times and congestion because of traffic growth.
2002
CPRE opens a major campaign against a proposal for planning system reform which would end the right to question, at public inquiry, the need for major infrastructure projects. When The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill is published this proposal is dropped.
2003
CPRE's name changes to the Campaign to Protect Rural England.
We step up our campaigning to save dark, star-filled night skies by publishing pioneering maps showing how light pollution is spreading rapidly across England.
CPRE also publishes its Guide to Quiet Lanes, helping campaigners save country roads from fast-growing traffic.
The Government ignores mass environmental campaigning by CPRE and others and supports rapid expansion of airports and flying.
2004
A CPRE survey of more than 100 small rural towns finds many are suffering from low-quality development, traffic congestion and declining high streets.
After strong campaigning by CPRE and others, the Government drops plans to turn the A303 into a dual carriageway road through the Blackdown Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Somerset.
2005
We launch Your Countryside, Your Choice — a polemic warning of the shape of things to come if current damaging trends are not tackled; it receives massive media coverage.
Our major campaign for Green Belts 50 years on from them becoming Government policy, points out they are still working, still backed by the public — but also under threat from a new tide of development.
CPRE now has over 60,0000 individual supporters. And more than 3,000 parish councils and local groups are also CPRE members, together representing thousands more people who care for their countryside.
2006
In April 2006, we had a major campaign success with new legislation making light pollution a Statutory Nuisance. We had been campaigning for many years against the growing problem of light pollution which blots out our view of the stars. Poorly designed and wasteful outdoor lighting creates a glow of light in the sky diminishing our view of the night sky – this act should help to reduce the problem and help us enjoy the wonder of star-filled skies.
In October, we launched our new tranquillity maps which show the range of tranquillity across England – this was based mainly on what sights and sounds made people feel tranquil or not tranquil. The campaign was made possible by the generous support from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.
2007
CPRE Oxforshire created the Oxford Green Belt Way, a 50-mile circular walk around Oxford – one mile for each year since the designation of Oxford's Green Belt in 1956. The route was created using existing footpaths and bridleways and took more than a year to design. The walk was opened by Boris Johnson MP, in July 2007 as part of CPRE Oxfordshire's 75th birthday celebrations.
