A new independent report published today has demonstrated that National Grid has greatly overestimated the costs of burying electricity cables underground. Campaigners are now calling for current plans to build nearly 300 miles of new overhead cables to be rethought [1].
The report found that the although under-grounding electricity cables is more expensive then overhead lines, [...]
On Tuesday a long delayed independent report into the real costs of undergrounding electricity cables as an alternative to ugly overhead lines and 50 metre high pylons is expected to be published [1].
Over the past year the subject of the report, originally to be published a year ago, has become increasingly controversial after National Grid [...]
Rural campaigners and astronomers are looking to recruit amateur star-gazers to help them map light pollution during their national Star Count Week starting on Friday 20 January.
The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) and the British Astronomical Association’s Campaign for Dark Skies (CfDS) are asking people to take part in the 2012 Star Count Week [...]
The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) welcomes the Government’s commitment to invest in rail rather than seeking to promote new roads or air travel. But there is a long way to go before we can be sure that High Speed 2 (HS2) will not have an unacceptable impact on the landscape and local communities.
Secretary [...]
Countryside campaigners set out new vision for farming
A new survey finds well over four out of five British adults (84 per cent) believe that farmers have a responsibility to look after the landscape and wildlife for future generations. [1]
These findings mirror the aspirations of a new, ambitious vision for the future of farming published today by the [...]
More countryside could be lost in the absence of a clear policy of developing brownfield first.Photo: © CPRE
The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) today welcomed the call by a cross-party committee of MPs for ‘significant changes’ to improve the draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) [1]. These suggested changes reflect many of CPRE’s aspirations [...]
Countryside champions, the Campaign to Protect Rural England, welcome the Forestry Panel’s progress report [1] on their vision for the future of England’s forests but emphasise the need for stronger protection for trees in national planning policy.
Emma Marrington, Rural Policy Campaigner for CPRE, says: “We are pleased the Forestry Panel agrees that the benefits of woods [...]
In a move that serves once again to highlight the damaging role the Department of Business is playing in undermining environmental and countryside protections, Vince Cable’s Department has published a plan to force the Environment Agency, Natural England and English Heritage to promote ‘sustainable development’ [1].
The plan would place even more importance on how ‘sustainable [...]
Autumn statement a road plan for disaster
Following the autumn statement by the Chancellor George Osborne, Ralph Smyth, Senior Transport campaigner at the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), says:
“These new plans to build old road schemes have clearly been picked off a dusty shelf without time for much thinking. A return to building new roads in [...]
More planning not less needed for long term prosperity
In advance of the autumn statement to be delivered by the Chancellor George Osborne on Tuesday, Ben Stafford, Head of Campaigns for the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), says:
“As the Chancellor prepares to give his autumn statement, we hope he’s learned from his recent mistakes and [...]