Campaign to Protect Rural England
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cprecountryside.bsky.social
Campaign to Protect Rural England
@cprecountryside.bsky.social
We’re the Campaign to Protect Rural England. We shape and promote solutions for the sustainable use of land to protect and regenerate the countryside.

www.cpre.org.uk
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The countryside is at a crossroads.

Climate change, nature loss & decisions that risk destroying landscapes and farmland are putting pressure on the land that sustains us all.

Support our Letter to England to help shape a countryside for everyone.

✍️ https://bit.ly/49XHwJJ
The government is deciding whether to follow these recommendations.

They can either weaken protections or safeguard these landscapes for future generations.

We're supporting The Wildlife Trusts Nuclear Regulatory Review Campaign to help stop the nature crisis becoming a catastrophe 👇
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Help stop the nature crisis becoming a catastrophe
Wildlife and natural places need more protection, not less. But the UK Government is thinking about making it even easier and cheaper for developers to destroy our last few natural spaces. Please ema...
action.wildlifetrusts.org
February 9, 2026 at 5:28 PM
It’s time to stand up for our Protected Landscapes.

The Fingleton Review of nuclear regulation calls for weakening the protections that currently require councils to support and defend National Parks and National Landscapes.
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The Fingleton Review puts England’s Protected Landscapes at risk
It's time to stand up for Protected Landscapes.
www.cpre.org.uk
February 9, 2026 at 5:28 PM
The countryside is at a crossroads.

Climate change, nature loss & decisions that risk destroying landscapes and farmland are putting pressure on the land that sustains us all.

Support our Letter to England to help shape a countryside for everyone.

✍️ https://bit.ly/49XHwJJ
January 13, 2026 at 4:51 PM
🎉 We’ve turned 100!

From the first Green Belts to protecting and planting hedgerows, dark skies and treasured landscapes, together we’ve stood up for our countryside – and we’re just getting started.

But first: Our past 100 years in 100 seconds.
https://bit.ly/4aG4iaV

#LoveYourCountryside
CPRE: 100 years in 100 days
2026 marks our centenary year. A milestone made possible by the dedication of our members, supporters and communities who have stood with us to protect the countryside. 100 years in 100 seconds - watch our story unfold... © CPRE 2026: Includes third-p...
bit.ly
January 6, 2026 at 5:09 PM
✨ You might have spotted something new…

Next year marks 100 years of standing up for the countryside, and we’re thrilled to unveil our refreshed look - complete with a special centenary logo!

Here’s to a century of protecting the places we love, and to the future ahead.
👉 https://bit.ly/48weoJT
December 10, 2025 at 7:20 PM
The govt has stripped out crucial protections from the Planning & Infrastructure Bill. This includes measures to safeguard nature, prioritise brownfield land and give Parliament proper oversight. https://www.cpre.org.uk/news/government-strips-protections-from-the-planning-and-infrastructure-bill/
November 15, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Working alongside the Better Planning Coalition, we've helped secure key safeguards for nature and the countryside as the Planning and Infrastructure Bill progresses through the House of Lords. https://www.cpre.org.uk/news/countryside-wins-new-safeguards-in-the-planning-and-infrastructure-bill/
November 10, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Delivering renewable energy should bring communities together.

But developments like this risk industrialising the countryside, while rooftops on homes and businesses sit waiting to be used.

CPRE Devon are saying no to 'Beacon Solar'. Please sign and share. https://devoncpre.org.uk/
October 22, 2025 at 9:02 PM
🌸To mark 100 years of championing the countryside, we’ll be unveiling a show garden next year at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Designed by award-winning garden designer Sarah Eberle & supported by Project Giving Back, the garden celebrates our legacy, & looks to the future of nature and landscapes.
Celebrating 100 years: bringing the countryside to RHS Chelsea Flower Show
CPRE marks 100 years of standing up for the countryside with its debut garden, On the Edge, at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026.
www.cpre.org.uk
October 20, 2025 at 12:02 PM
The definition of ‘grey belt’ is vague. This risks opening up Green Belt land to unnecessary development. We're supporting CPRE Hertfordshire's petition in calling for change. Sign the petition.

🔗 https://www.cpre.org.uk/news/help-protect-our-green-belt-petition-to-change-the-grey-belt-definition/
October 17, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Our research shows nearly 60% of the biggest solar farms are built on top-tier agricultural land, needlessly sacrificing landscapes we should be protecting.

Renewable energy is vital. But it should bring communities together, not drive them apart.
October 14, 2025 at 4:24 PM
A solar farm the size of Heathrow has been approved in Lincolnshire, on some of the UK’s best farmland.

This is industrialisation of our countryside while rooftops, warehouses & car parks sit unused. Rooftop solar alone could deliver over 60% of the UK’s solar target - without covering our fields.
Government approves 'UK's largest' solar farm in Lincolnshire
Developers claim it will power about 300,000 homes - making it larger than any currently built.
www.bbc.co.uk
October 14, 2025 at 4:24 PM
We spent time speaking up for our countryside, engaging with MPs and our CEO, Roger Mortlock spoke on a panel about the importance of effective land use. [2/2]
October 13, 2025 at 2:49 PM
We've returned from the Conservative party conference. They announced they no longer support the Climate Change Act and would drop net zero targets. Climate change is the biggest threat to the countryside, and we call on all parties to set out how they're going to tackle this threat. [1/2]
October 13, 2025 at 2:49 PM
We can’t afford to weaken National Park protections ⚠️

But there are rumours that some in Westminster want to remove the Protected Landscapes duty - the only real power to secure action for nature

We can't let 30 years of campaigning go down the drain
https://bit.ly/48OseaX
October 8, 2025 at 9:01 AM
We have just returned from the Green Party conference, our last of the season.

🌳 We spent the weekend talking about nature friendly planning, the importance of brownfield first and looking after our countryside.
October 6, 2025 at 3:47 PM
We attended the Labour Party Conference, where we made sure rural communities, countryside protection, & smart solutions for renewable energy were part of the conversation.

We spoke up for our landscapes, raised issues around rural housing, & met MPs to spotlight the challenges facing rural areas.
October 3, 2025 at 4:22 PM
The UK is the fifth-worst in Europe for green space loss, with 1,680 football pitches of protected land lost in five years.

Brownfield sites with planning permission sit unused. We must rethink our towns & cities as compact, sustainable places that celebrate the countryside on their doorstep.
UK fifth-worst country in Europe for loss of green space to development
Exclusive: 1,680 football pitches of protected natural land in England, Wales and Northern Ireland lost in five years
bit.ly
October 2, 2025 at 4:11 PM
This evening at Labour Party Conference, we will launch 'Rural Futures' with @thefabians.bsky.social, a pamphlet exploring the opportunities & challenges facing the countryside.

With over 110 Labour MPs representing rural constituencies, it’s time to put rural regeneration at the heart of policy.
CPRE makes case for the countryside at the Labour conference
We are CPRE, the countryside charity. Learn how we're working for a beautiful and thriving countryside that's accessible to everyone - and how to get involved.
bit.ly
September 30, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Well-designed new towns have a role to play, and we welcome the focus on urban regeneration and affordable homes.

They should be led by a brownfield-first approach, with genuinely affordable homes and rich in nature.
https://www.cpre.org.uk/news/we-respond-to-governments-new-towns-announcement/
We respond to government's new towns announcement
We are CPRE, the countryside charity. Learn how we're working for a beautiful and thriving countryside that's accessible to everyone - and how to get involved.
www.cpre.org.uk
September 28, 2025 at 1:27 PM
Our most recent data shows that brownfield sites are spread across the country with a high proportion in London where demand for housing is highest.
September 24, 2025 at 12:30 PM
But greenfield developments often need some kind of state subsidy as well. They are often car dependent so the state needs to build expensive new bypasses to serve them
September 24, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Hi Jennifer, thanks for raising

Yes - brownfield sites will often need state support to be viable. We believe that this is good investment because it removes public health hazards and/or helps regenerate existing communities.
September 24, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Of course, some greenfield land will still be needed, but we believe brownfield is too often underestimated, despite its huge potential.
September 24, 2025 at 12:29 PM
We appreciate that not every site is ready to build on immediately, but 55% had planning permission in 2024. Sites on the brownfield register mean that LAs and owners are keen to see development happen within 5 years. All development takes time but brownfield can also be met with less opposition.
September 24, 2025 at 12:29 PM