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CPRE is looking to the future and our 20:26 Vision sets out a thought-provoking picture of the sort of countryside we might see, and some of the challenges it may face, in 2026, CPRE’s centenary year. Our ambition is to provoke a national debate that will lead to a consensus on how we can all protect the green spaces that make England beautiful.

Our report on Natural England one year on, finds it has made progress but still has a long way to go in becoming an effective champion to protect the future of our countryside. We’ve found that Natural England has worked well on getting funding for farmers to protect landscape features and wildlife but it needs to do more at a strategic level including better support for the planning system.

This report spells out why each one of us should take a share of responsibility for the future of the countryside. Illustrated with superb photography, it includes a description of how and why the English countryside could be irreparably damaged during the next thirty years, why this matters and what we can all do to prevent this taking place.