On the Edge: what we’re asking for
The countryside on the edges of our towns and cities is some of the most pressured and overlooked land in England. It faces neglect, lack of investment, and too little protection from development.
Yet these fields, farms, paths, woods and scrublands hold extraordinary potential: for nature recovery, local food, flood resilience and access to green space for the millions of people who live nearby.
On the Edge is CPRE’s campaign to change that.
We believe every town and city in England should be surrounded by countryside that is protected, properly planned and able to thrive. Here’s what needs to happen to make that a reality.
We’re calling on government, planners and communities to take action across four areas.
1. Protect our Green Belt
Green Belt land covers 13% of England and provides an essential buffer between towns and the open countryside. But its potential for nature and climate is being undermined and the most damaging aspects of current grey belt policy risk making things worse.
- Reverse the grey belt policy and act now to explicitly protect Local Nature Reserves, best and most versatile farmland and working farms.
- Undertake a strategic review of the Green Belt to assess its potential for nature recovery, climate mitigation and adaptation, and increasing access to green and blue spaces, with the National Planning Policy Framework updated to reflect this role.
2. Value our edgelands
The fringes of our towns and cities need better planning, stronger protections and genuine investment. Not development by default.
- Set brownfield-first targets to incentivise building on already-developed land before green fields are used, especially on the edges of towns and cities.
- Ensure New Towns are planned with green infrastructure at their heart including green corridors, improved access to the countryside and long-term protection from development.
- Support a new generation of parks on the edges of towns and cities with every Strategic Authority identifying a new or revived country park as part of its Spatial Development Strategy.
- Create five new Regional Parks via Spatial Development Strategies prioritising areas where access to the countryside is currently limited, including the East Midlands, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, Liverpool City Region and the West Midlands.
- Ensure the upcoming Access to Nature Green Paper delivers on the commitment that everyone should live within 15 minutes’ walk of a green or blue space, making full use of our edgelands.
3. Fund and support edgeland farmers
Farmers and growers on the edges of towns and cities are often small-scale, innovative and close to the communities they feed. But too often they fall outside the reach of the support they need.
- Provide bespoke support for edgeland farmers including making grants like the Sustainable Farming Incentive easy to access for nature-friendly smallholdings, market gardens and community-supported farms.
- Identify where edgeland horticulture should thrive through Spatial Development Strategies, protecting and enabling land that grows healthy, local food for urban communities.
- Stop the loss of council farms by supporting local authorities to protect and expand their estates and increase vital opportunities for a route into farming for new growers and a positive future for food growing on the edgelands.
4. Give communities a stake
The people who live closest to these spaces know them best. Communities should have a real stake in how their local edgelands are used, protected and shaped.
- Support Community Land Trusts on the edges of towns and cities including community-led energy schemes and other locally-driven uses.
- Promote the Local Green Space designation more actively to boost public participation in local planning with a focus on urban edge areas.
We continue to work with communities across England to regenerate and protect countryside on the edges of towns and cities in diverse ways that are right for each place.
