The Government has today published its response to over 200 recommendations made by the Farming Regulation Task Force [1].

Rural campaigners have welcomed proposals that should mean progress in a number of areas but remain concerned about how changes to planning policy could affect the countryside.

Commenting on the Government’s response, Ian Woodhurst, CPRE’s Senior Farming Campaigner says:

“CPRE is pleased that both the Government and the Task Force clearly recognise the important role well-implemented environmental regulation plays in protecting the countryside's wildlife and much-loved landscapes.

“We are particularly pleased that the Hedgerows Regulations have avoided being weakened and we warmly welcome the Government’s plan to hold a national fly-tipping summit. A number of local CPRE groups are working with farmers to find ways of tackling the growing problem of fly-tipping.

“CPRE has long campaigned for an end to the uncertainty over how the planning system deals with polytunnels so it can tackle concerns over their cumulative impact on local landscapes. We are pleased this campaign is finally bearing fruit and welcome the Government’s undertaking to examine the issue. We look forward to helping to develop a workable solution that supports fruit and veg producers without damaging the character of our countryside.”

“We are very concerned by moves to relax planning controls that could allow farm buildings to be converted to offices, shops, tourist enterprises and leisure facilities with little prior notification or local consultation. The imminent new national planning policies must ensure that development has local consent and is environmentally sustainable.”

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Notes to Editors
[1] DEFRA, Government Response to the Farming Regulation Task Force, 21/02/2012

New research released today (Monday) by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) finds that more hedgerows then ever before are now being protected (42 per cent) with an 18 per cent increase since CPRE’s last survey in 1998 [1]. However the overall length of England’s managed hedgerows fell by 26,000 km (6 per cent) between 1998 and 2007 [2].

In its report ‘England’s hedgerows: don’t cut them out!’ CPRE is calling for the current Hedgerows Regulations, which protect important hedgerows, to be improved. The charity wants the regulations to be amended to give local authorities more powers to protect hedgerows that are valued in their local landscape but may not meet the narrow qualification criteria to be deemed ‘important’ under the current regulations [3]. A third of respondents to a CPRE local authority survey said that this was the most important improvement that could be made to the regulations. A further 42 per cent of local councils said that the most important change they wanted to see is for hedgerow protection rules to be made simpler.

Emma Marrington, Rural Policy Campaigner for CPRE, says: “Hedgerows are one of the most iconic features of the English landscape and it’s important we do everything we can to halt and reverse their loss and degradation. Our survey shows that the Hedgerows Regulations have made a positive difference, but it also makes clear that improvements can and should be made.

“Local authorities have shown that, given the opportunity, they will protect these wonderful examples of our rural heritage. It’s over a decade since the introduction of the Hedgerows Regulations and the time is ripe for the new Government to make improvements that will give local authorities the power they need to better protect the great diversity of England’s hedgerows.”

Hedgerows are the vital stitching in the patchwork quilt of the English countryside. Some pre-date Agincourt and others bestride earth backs built over 4000 years ago by Bronze Age Britons [4]. They lend beauty and character to the landscape, and provide many wider environmental benefits, including important habitats for a wide range of wildlife species. It is a criminal offence to remove an important hedgerow, with possible fines of up to £5000. However, as management of hedgerows has declined, many are being lost not only to removal, but as they degenerate into lines of trees and shrubs [5].

Hedgerows are the most widespread semi-natural habitat in England. Over large parts of the lowlands they are the main surviving habitat of this kind and are critical to the existence of numerous plants and animals [6]. They are particularly important within areas of intensive farming, and for the survival of widespread but declining species which are dependant on woodland edge, scrub or rough grassland habitats.

Emma Marrington concluded: “The Hedgerows Regulations are proving themselves as an effective means of protecting England’s important hedgerows and with the right improvements they can be even better. As ready-made corridors for wildlife to move through the landscape, they should be a critical tool in the landscape-scale conservation of our natural environment that the new Government wants to see.

“However, regulations on their own, even with the improvements we would like to see, will not do enough to protect our hedgerows for future generations. We also need Ministers to continue funding Environmental Stewardship schemes that give landowners an incentive to preserve ancient hedgerows. These could be put at risk if cuts to Government spending fall in the wrong place.”

For full details on the state of hedgerows in England download: England’s hedgerows: don’t cut them out! 

For regional summaries of the CPRE research click on the following links; England, North West, North East, Yorkshire and Humberside, West Midlands, East Midlands, East of England, South West, South East, London.

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Notes to Editors

1. CPRE, ‘England’s hedgerows: don’t cut them out,’ 30 August 2010; in total 133 local authorities responded, with every English region represented. The majority of local authorities that responded (92%) supplied data about how they had used the Hedgerows Regulations in their area. The figures expressed are based on the 40% of local authorities that responded to our survey, not on all local authorities in England. When a hedge owner contacted the local authority for permission to remove a hedge, the hedge was retained in 42% of cases.
2. Countryside Survey statistics for England 1984 – 2007, 1998 (428,000 km) to 2007 (402,000 km). Countryside Survey 2007 revealed that although the length of managed hedgerow had decreased, the length of lines of trees/shrubs/relict hedge had increased by 24%. The definitions used by CS2007 are that a managed hedgerow is ‘a line of woody vegetation that has been subject to management so that trees no longer take their natural shape. A line of trees/shrubs/relict hedge is defined as being when trees/shrubs take their natural shape, including those originally planted as hedges.
3. Broadly, a hedgerow is considered important if it is over 20 metres in length, at least 30 years old and meets criteria based around the number of plant or animal species it supports, historical significance and associated hedge features, such as a hedge bank, ditch or tree.
4. England’s oldest hedgerow is Judith’s Hedge in Cambridgeshire, which is over 900 years old. In Devon it is thought that over a quarter of hedgerows are over 800 years old. Two thirds of England is thought to have been continuously hedged for the last thousand years with most dating from the Anglo-Saxon period. The main exceptions are in the Midlands and parts of the North East which had hedgerows removed in the Middle Ages and subsequently replanted under the Enclosure Acts between 1750 and 1850.
5. See 2
6. Hedgerows offer many benefits to wildlife. Dormice, bats, invertebrates and birds all use hedgerows to survive.  More information: http://www.hedgelink.org.uk/index.php?id=26

• 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