The latest report on the State of the Countryside 2005{1} published today (Wednesday) has nothing new to say about the quality of the English countryside and its precious and threatened tranquillity. Government resolution to take these issues seriously looks to be ebbing away.{2}

The Campaign to Protect Rural England{3} believes this could be very bad news for rural communities who rely on beautiful and peaceful landscapes to attract visitors.  The same goes for the urban majority who love the countryside and pay for its management through their taxes. Meanwhile, the number of visits to the countryside has fallen by 5% since 1996.{4}

CPRE's campaigning helped to secure a Government commitment to the monitoring and protection of countryside quality and tranquillity in 2000.{5} But the limited amount of work done since then does not distinguish between damaging and beneficial change to the countryside, making it almost impossible to use the information to shape Government policy.

'Millions of people from every part of England love the countryside and visit it to restore their spirits and enjoy an inspiring experience of tranquil places that are full of character. Much of this character and tranquillity is under severe threat,' said Tom Oliver, Head of Rural Policy at CPRE.

'The Government has rightly recognised the importance of the countryside to everyone,{6} so we're alarmed that so little effort seems to be going into monitoring change and then doing something about it, where damage is occurring.  The Government's new agency Natural England will need to get to grips with this subject if it is to conserve the landscape effectively,7' Tom Oliver continued.

'There is welcome emphasis in the report on tackling isolated pockets of disadvantage and poverty in the countryside.8  But the social advantages of a beautiful and tranquil countryside are huge for everyone, not just people who live in rural places.

'There is an urgent need for the State of the Countryside 2005 report to cover these issues effectively if it is to be a useful piece of work in the future.'

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NOTES FOR EDITORS

1. The State of the Countryside 2005 is published by the Countryside Agency under its provisional new identity, the Commission for Rural Communities, on Wednesday, 20 July 2005.

2. CPRE undertook groundbreaking research on monitoring tranquillity with the Countryside Agency in 2004-5, but this work does not appear in the Report. CPRE can provide more details of this research if requested.

3. CPRE exists to promote the beauty, tranquillity and diversity of rural England by encouraging the sustainable use of land and other natural resources in town and country. We promote positive solutions for the long-term future of the countryside to ensure change values its natural and built environment. Our Patron is Her Majesty The Queen. We have 60,000 supporters, a branch in every county, nine regional groups, over 200 local groups and a national office in London. CPRE is a powerful combination of effective local action and strong national campaigning. Our President is Sir Max Hastings.

4. The State of the Countryside 2005 report, page 106, quoting the Great Britain Day Visit Survey: 67% of adults in England took a leisure day visit to the countryside in 1996. This figure had fallen to 62% by 2002-3.

5. Our Countryside: the future, A fair deal for Rural England, (the Rural White Paper), was published by the Government in November 2000. Chapter 9 makes explicit commitments to measuring countryside quality, including tranquillity, heritage and landscape character.

6. The Government's Rural Strategy 2004, Chapter 3, page 34 states: 'The countryside provides many benefits. It is valued for its wildlife, landscape, and cultural heritage and also tranquillity".

7. The Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill is currently going through Parliament. It is intended that a new agency called Natural England should be set up with statutory responsibility for conserving the landscape.

8. The introduction to the State of the Countryside Report 2005 states:'... we should not forget that rural disadvantage is not simply confined to the periphery;...These challenges are at the heart of the remit of the new Commission for Rural Communities.'