Tranquillity is important for our mental and physical well-being. It improves our quality of life. It is also a critical to rural economies – because it’s one of the main reasons why people head out of towns and cities to ‘get away from it all’.

But getting away from it all is becoming harder and harder to do. Aircraft, cars, roads and building developments are all eroding the tranquillity that means so much to all of us.

Our view

Why have we allowed something so valued to be diminished?One reason is that until recently, we had no way to measure ‘tranquillity’ and partly because we haven’t known how to measure it, and it’s that much harder to make the arguments for protecting it.We have been mapping the levels of tranquillity in different areas, to show how tranquillity has declined across England. We are using this evidence to work with policy makers to find ways to protect, enhance and restore our tranquil areas.