Exactly 80 years after the Campaign to Protect Rural England [1] was founded, an opinion poll has revealed how important England’s countryside is to people – wherever they live.

Four in every five people say they visit the countryside for leisure and pleasure at least a few times a year, while more than half (54%) say they visit at least once every quarter. 45% say they get out into the countryside for recreation at least once a month; more than a quarter visit at least once a fortnight (29%). [2]

The need to get out into the countryside runs strong and deep among people living in large towns and cities. Almost half of them (48%) say they visit it for leisure at least once every quarter. [3]

Our survey, carried out by YouGov Plc, asked people to write down, in a few words, what they most valued about the countryside. ‘Peace and quiet’ or tranquillity came top, followed by fresh air, beautiful landscapes and nature and wildlife. [4]

CPRE Chief Executive Shaun Spiers said:

‘Our poll shows how much the countryside matters to people everywhere. It’s more important than ever for our health, wellbeing and quality of life.

‘Eighty years after a group of green pioneers founded the Council for the Preservation of Rural England [5], we still have a huge variety of beautiful countryside. This is thanks largely to the policies they and their successors at CPRE fought for through the 20th Century.

’England is among the most densely populated, built up countries in the developed world, and the pressures on our countryside are intensifying as the population and economy grow. CPRE’s 80th comes as the Government publishes major policy reviews on transport infrastructure and planning which are of critical importance for the environment and the countryside. [6]

Shaun Spiers said:

‘Our job, for the next 80 years and beyond, is to ensure that by the end of this century we still have a beautiful, tranquil, diverse countryside to pass on to future generations. We need people’s support if we’re to succeed.’

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NOTES FOR EDITORS
 

1. 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: Sir Max Hastings. Patron: Her Majesty The Queen.

2. The poll was carried out by YouGov using the Internet across Great Britain. Total sample size was 2,465 adults aged 18 plus. Fieldwork was undertaken between 27 - 29 September 2006. The percentages stated have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+). In total, 79% of respondents said they visited the countryside for leisure purposes at least a few times a year or more frequently. 19% said they visited once a week, 10% once a fortnight, 16% once a month, 9% once a quarter, 25% said a few times a year. 8% said they never visited the countryside, 8% said less than once a year, 4% only once a year.

3. The survey asked people to state whether they lived in the centre of a large town or city (14%), the outskirts/suburb of a large town or city (43%), a small town/market town (25%), a village/hamlet (16%), or rural isolated (2%). 43% of those living in the centre of large towns and cities and 50% of those living in the outskirts said they visited the countryside at least once a quarter.

4. The survey asked people to write down, in no more than five words, what they most appreciated or enjoyed about the countryside. Further information about the findings is available from CPRE’s press office.

5. In 1926 the pioneering land use planner Professor Sir Patrick Abercrombie published a book calling for a national joint committee to preserve England’s countryside, threatened by the fast growing pace of built development between the wars. It was formed, as the Council for the Preservation of Rural England, at an inaugural meeting in London on the evening of 7 December 1926 with Abercrombie as its Honorary Secretary. Neville Chamberlain, the then Minister of Health – and as such responsible for local government and planning – spoke at that meeting in support of the new body.

6. Publication of Sir Rod Eddington’s study ‘looking at the long-term impact of transport decisions on the UK’s productivity, stability and growth, within the context of government’s commitment to sustainable development’ was imminent at the time of issuing this news release. So, too, was publication of leading economist Kate Barker’s review of land use planning, focusing on the link between planning and economic growth. These two reviews were commissioned jointly by HM Treasury and, respectively, the Department for Transport and the Department for Communities and Local Government. The Queen’s Speech at the opening of the new legislative session at the Houses of Parliament on 15 November announced that the Government would bring forward proposals to reform the planning system, following closely on from the major reforms of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004.