Housing Minister Grant Shapps has today set out his vision for protecting the future of rural village life for generations to come, by giving local communities the power to build the homes they need.
 
The Minister has outlined a new right that will allow communities across England to come together and create new homes, shops, businesses [...]

Housing Minister Grant Shapps has today (Friday) set out the Government’s proposals for a new ‘Community Right to Build’, which will allow local communities to bypass the planning process if they can find overwhelming support for housing developments. Fiona Howie, Head of Planning at the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said:
 
“A more democratic approach to [...]

Commenting on the independent report by Lord Mawhinney on High speed rail access to Heathrow, Ralph Smyth, Senior Transport Campaigner at Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), says:
 
“It is clear from this report that Lord Mawhinney found no compelling case for a high speed link to Heathrow at present  [1].  This will be welcome news to  countryside  campaigners [...]

The cost of clearing up Britain’s litter epidemic has risen by almost £100 million (10 percent) in just one year.[1] Figures highlighted today (Monday) by Keep Britain Tidy show the full shocking £858 million cost of our throwaway culture.
 
Samantha Harding, Manager of the CPRE Stop the Drop Campaign, says: “We’re told we’re living in the [...]

Without new affordable housing many villages and rural areas will become enclaves of the wealthy, with local shops and services a distant memory. This is why the National Housing Federation (NHF), with support from a number of partners including Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), are today (Tuesday) launching a new a guide, ‘Affordable housing [...]

CPRE welcomes the announcement that the coalition Government has heeded its call to take another look at the draft Energy National Policy Statements (NPSs). CPRE gave evidence to the Commons Energy and Climate Change Committee which focused on the need to redraft the Energy NPSs to ensure sustainable development in the countryside.
 
In a statement today, [...]

Responding to today’s (Tuesday) publication of the 2010 State of the Countryside report by the Commission for Rural Communities [1], Ben Stafford, Head of Campaigns at the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said:
 
“The State of the Countryside report is packed with information about how our countryside and the people who live in it are affected [...]

In response to confirmation today (Tuesday) by Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, that Regional Spatial Strategies will be abolished, Fiona Howie, Head of Planning for CPRE, says:
“There will not be many tears shed following the scrapping of top down housing targets. In recent years regional plans have too often been [...]

Responding to today’s (Tuesday) announcement by Environment, food and Rural Affairs Secretary Caroline Spelman that the Commission for Rural Communities (CRC) will be abolished, Shaun Spiers, Chief Executive of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), says:
 
“I would like to pay tribute to the work of the Commission for Rural Communities as a public and [...]

Following the Government’s announcement today (Tuesday) confirming the Infrastructure Planning Commission will be abolished, Fiona Howie, Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) Head of Planning, says:
 
“This announcement will be seen as a victory for local people who will no longer fear the threat of unelected bureaucrats forcing through unwanted development. Decisions on major infrastructure projects [...]