“By using existing and disused transport corridors as well as tunnelling, the impact on the Chilterns is less than feared. But the impact on the Warwickshire, where the line is proposed to run through open countryside, is a major concern.

“There is a strong need for more than just fine-tuning. The firm commitment to community consultation made by Lord Adonis must be backed up by real engagement and flexibility. As with the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, local people’s contribution can help turn a contentious route into something that works both national and locally.”

In Summary CPRE considers the following to be positive:

• Stations: the upgrade of Euston, the new interchange at Old Oak Common which will integrate HS2 into local transport networks and the ‘Birmingham Grand Central’ Station at Curzon Street.
• Southern section of route: Running along existing transport corridors and a disused railway will help minimise environmental impact as will the commitment to extensive tunnelling in the Chilterns.
• Speed: The route will be design for 225mph not 250mph originally proposed, which will help reduce the environmental impact.

However, CPRE remains particularly concerned about:

• Colne Valley Park: A huge 725m viaduct is planned across the first significant area of countryside to the west of London.
• Warwickshire: Between Brackley and Kenilworth, the route would run through open countryside. After running alongside the M42 it would then cut through more countryside before joining the West Coast Mainline at Litchfield.
• Impact on roads and air:if HSR is to fulfil its environmental promise, it must be backed up by action to shift existing trips off roads and planes rather than simply generating new travel.
• Integration with HS1: there are no proposals yet to link HS2 into HS1 and continental Europe, instead the Government proposes a further study.

CPRE is judging HS2 against its five tests for sustainable High Speed Rail (HSR), which have won wide support and have been influential in the development of Government plans for HS2. The full five tests can be found on our website alone with a further briefing and graphics of the route’s impacts.

www.cpre.org.uk/campaigns/transport/rail/highspeed2

End

Notes to Editors

1.       CPRE, the Campaign to Protect Rural England, is a charity which promotes the beauty, tranquillity and diversity of rural England. We advocate positive solutions for the long-term future of the countryside. Founded in 1926, we have 60,000 supporters and a branch in every county. President: Bill Bryson. Patron: Her Majesty The Queen. www.cpre.org.uk

2.       CPRE launched 2026 - A Vision for the Countryside in May 2009, setting out a positive and optimistic vision for the future of the beautiful English countryside in 2026, the charity’s centenary year. The Vision’s key issues include: affordable, high quality housing; urban regeneration; Green Belts; better planning; revitalisation of rural railways; green energy; local food and farming; quality of life; light pollution and valuing the countryside as a national asset. For further information go to www.cpre.org.uk/campaigns/environment/2026-a-vision-for-the-countryside.

HSR has been promoted as an answer to rising carbon emissions, gaps between regional economies and unemployment. CPRE has published five tests which it says the new line, known as High Speed 2 (HS2), should meet if it is to match the hype while protecting the countryside.

CPRE’s five tests have won the support of a wide range of organisations. CPRE is calling for any new HSR lines to:

1. Protect the local environment
2. Tackle climate change and minimise energy needs
3. Shift existing trips rather than generate new ones
4. Improve local transport
5. Integrate with planning and regeneration

Ralph Smyth, CPRE’s Senior Transport Campaigner, says: “New rail lines can be green as well as good value for money. But this all depends on how routes are chosen and how well they integrate into the wider transport system. So CPRE will be judging HS2 carefully against our five tests for sustainable High Speed Rail.”

CPRE is a supporter of an expanded rail network as well as defender of the countryside [2]. CPRE was heavily involved at both a national level and through its extensive network of local groups during the planning of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (now know as HS1) through Kent. Widespread community engagement helped ensure that HS1 received local support and met high environmental standards. CPRE believes this approach should be followed for HS2.

The controversy over the proposed Third Runway at Heathrow and current legal challenge [3] by CPRE shows what happens when developers try to ride roughshod over local communities.

Ralph Smyth continues: “High Speed Rail (HSR) could be the low carbon backbone of a sustainable transport system. But communities need to be involved in the planning process and any damage to the countryside needs to be minimised. Careful routing and landscaping of the new line combined with measures to limit flights are needed for HS2 to live up to its promise.”

CPRE has more information about High Speed Rail on its website:

www.cpre.org.uk/campaigns/transport/rail/highspeedrail

End

Notes to Editors

1.       CPRE, the Campaign to Protect Rural England, is a charity which promotes the beauty, tranquillity and diversity of rural England. We advocate positive solutions for the long-term future of the countryside. Founded in 1926, we have 60,000 supporters and a branch in every county. President: Bill Bryson. Patron: Her Majesty The Queen. www.cpre.org.uk

2.       CPRE launched 2026 - A Vision for the Countryside in May 2009, setting out a positive and optimistic vision for the future of the beautiful English countryside in 2026, the charity’s centenary year. The Vision’s key issues include: affordable, high quality housing; urban regeneration; Green Belts; better planning; revitalisation of rural railways; green energy; local food and farming; quality of life; light pollution and valuing the countryside as a national asset. For further information go to www.cpre.org.uk/campaigns/environment/2026-a-vision-for-the-countryside.

3.       CPRE challenged the Government’s decision to proceed with the Third Runway in the High Court last month as part of a coalition of local councils and green groups. Judgment is expected in the next week. Some proponents of HSR see it as offering an alternative to flying while others see it as key to expanding Heathrow. More information is available on our website: www.cpre.org.uk/campaigns/transport/airport-expansion/airport-expansion-what-cpre-is-doing

“An open and accessible countryside, as well as green spaces in urban areas, is critical to the nation’s health and well being, and improving people’s quality of life. It’s encouraging that the consultation papers acknowledged this and seeks to protect and enhance our much loved countryside. .

“While we recognise that planning for a low carbon future is important, we must not support development simply because it will have a low carbon footprint, other environmental impacts must also be considered. Good planning needs to address the challenge posed by climate change while also minimising other impacts such as visual or noise, so that the quality of our environment is not compromised. This is especially critical in our highly valued landscapes such as National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.”

End

Notes to Editors

1.       Consultation paper on a new Planning Policy Statement: Planning for a Natural and Healthy Environment –www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/naturalenvironmentconsultation

2.       Consultation on a Planning Policy Statement: Planning for a Low Carbon Future in a Changing Climate – http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/ppsclimateconsultation

3.       CPRE, the Campaign to Protect Rural England, is a charity which promotes the beauty, tranquillity and diversity of rural England. We advocate positive solutions for the long-term future of the countryside. Founded in 1926, we have 60,000 supporters and a branch in every county. President: Bill Bryson. Patron: Her Majesty The Queen. www.cpre.org.uk

4.       CPRE launched 2026 - A Vision for the Countryside in May 2009, setting out a positive and optimistic vision for the future of the beautiful English countryside in 2026, the charity’s centenary year. The Vision’s key issues include: affordable, high quality housing; urban regeneration; Green Belts; better planning; green energy; local food and farming; quality of life; light pollution and valuing the countryside as a national asset. For further information go to www.cpre.org.uk/campaigns/environment/2026-a-vision-for-the-countryside.

In response to a new Environment Agency report into potential locations for hydropower energy generation, Dustin Benton, Senior Policy Officer, says:

“Although this report identifies 26,000 locations where it would be possible to generate small-scale hydroelectric power, it quite rightly points out that only 5,000 of these sites have low environmental sensitivity. The report appears to have taken a responsible and measured approach in weighing up the numerous environmental and practical impacts of any new hydropower plant and this is to be applauded.

“It’s worth remembering that any site recommended in the report would still need to be consulted on and be subject to the local planning process. It is important that local people get to have a say about the design of possible schemes, and their impact on tranquillity and countryside character.

“If designed well, small scale hydro has low impacts on the countryside and can play a valuable role in helping rural communities to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. I hope the report helps to generate interest in sustainable, local energy production at suitable sites across the country.”

End

Notes to Editors

1. CPRE, the Campaign to Protect Rural England, is a charity which promotes the beauty, tranquillity and diversity of rural England. We advocate positive solutions for the long-term future of the countryside. Founded in 1926, we have 60,000 supporters and a branch in every county. President: Bill Bryson. Patron: Her Majesty The Queen. www.cpre.org.uk

2. CPRE launched 2026 - A Vision for the Countryside in May 2009, setting out a positive and optimistic vision for the future of the beautiful English countryside in 2026, the charity’s centenary year. The Vision’s key issues include: affordable, high quality housing; urban regeneration; Green Belts; better planning; green energy; local food and farming; quality of life; light pollution and valuing the countryside as a national asset. For further information go to www.cpre.org.uk/campaigns/environment/2026-a-vision-for-the-countryside.

“This is a brave and important decision. It shows that local authorities can resist the market power and muscle of the largest retailers and fight for the right decisions to be made to prevent the wrong development taking place. This decision offers hope to many other towns fighting similar proposals for more large supermarkets.

“The alternative decision in favour of the Greenhouse Community Project also has its challenges but it does offer a joined-up 21^st century approach to food sourcing, education and retail. The meeting today heard from young people, schoolteachers and members of the local community who all see the unique opportunity that the project offers. It’s a victory for local food networks and a victory for local democracy.

“The Tesco store has always been too large for Sheringham and would have caused a serious impact on local traders, the town centre and tourism.  Sheringham has been a test case for the new planning policy statement PPS4 which asks councils to look at the size of stores in terms of gross floor space and impact on the wider local economy. Once again, Tesco have fallen short.”

End

Notes to Editors

1.       CPRE, the Campaign to Protect Rural England, is a charity which promotes the beauty, tranquillity and diversity of rural England. We advocate positive solutions for the long-term future of the countryside. Founded in 1926, we have 60,000 supporters and a branch in every county. President: Bill Bryson. Patron: Her Majesty The Queen. www.cpre.org.uk

2.       CPRE launched 2026 - A Vision for the Countryside in May 2009, setting out a positive and optimistic vision for the future of the beautiful English countryside in 2026, the charity’s centenary year. The Vision’s key issues include: affordable, high quality housing; urban regeneration; Green Belts; better planning; green energy; local food and farming; quality of life; light pollution and valuing the countryside as a national asset. For further information go to www.cpre.org.uk/campaigns/environment/2026-a-vision-for-the-countryside

Specifically set up for the purpose of generating hydro electricity, the River Bain Hydro Ltd plans to install a 45kW plant which will generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 40 houses and save around 80 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, or 3,000 tonnes over an expected lifetime of 40 years.

The hydro project is a natural extension of the Raydale Project- a community-led scheme set up to deal with issues of climate change and manage the considerable assets of Raydale in a sustainable manner.

“We attended one of the free workshops run by H2oPE – instigators of the UK’s first community-funded hydro schemes in New Mills, Derbyshire and in Settle, here in North Yorkshire – “ explains Yvonne Peacock. “It seemed like a brilliant idea. A scheme that would be owned by the local community, providing an opportunity for fair social investment with any surplus funds being put back into the Raydale Project and other community and environmental projects.”

Steve Welsh of H2oPE, a social enterprise whose aim is to set up small-scale hydropower projects that benefit both the environment and local communities, explained the technical aspects of the scheme.
“We use centuries’ old technology – the Archimedean screw – but it’s installed upside down, so that water flows down the screw, turns the turbine and generates electricity.  It’s simple and proven to work.  We hope this will be the first of many community-hydros to be installed with the Yorkshire Dales National Park, it just needs a local group with the same foresight and vision as the original Raydale Project members.”

The River Bain Hydro Ltd will launch a share offer in April. Shares cost £1 each with a minimum shareholding of £250. It will be an Industrial and Provident Society for the Benefit of the Community and will be run on a one-member-one-vote basis, regardless of the size of shareholding.  Anyone wishing to attend the launch should contact Yvonne Peacock on 01969650409.  Details will be posted on the website www.h2ope.co.uk.

H2oPE are running a series of free workshops for those interested in community hydros. Email steve.welsh@h2ope.co.uk for more information and take the first steps to setting up your own hydro electricity plant.

“This new Keep Britain Tidy manifesto adds strength to the campaign to rid our towns and countryside of unsightly and environmentally damaging litter. We are pleased to see Keep Britain Tidy setting out its priorities at such an important point before the General Election.

“We welcome the manifesto, which echoes our call for an integrated Government and Private sector campaign to tackle both litter and the causes of litter. We are particularly pleased the manifesto publicly backs our call for a national bottle deposit scheme.

“However, the manifesto is undermined by the absence of any real reference to the specific challenges facing the countryside. Over 90 per cent of Britain’s landmass is classified as rural and in these areas litter can lie for longer and have a more damaging impact on wildlife and the environment. It’s essential that these rural places are not left out of any proposed litter strategy. Keep Britain Tidy must strive to get all of Britain tidy, including the countryside.”

Notes to Editors

1.       2007 Countryside Survey (September 2009), http://www.statistics.gov.uk/STATBASE/Expodata/Spreadsheets/D5325.xls  

2.       Stop the Drop is a flagship CPRE campaign and was launched in April 2008. The campaign calls for a national, long term education campaign, a bottle deposit scheme and a change to the law on roadside litter. To date the campaign has inspired the formation of 286 litter picking groups across England, who have collectively cleared 35,068 bags of litter to date. Further information about the campaign can be found at its websites: www.cpre.org.uk and www.litteraction.org.uk  

3.       CPRE, the Campaign to Protect Rural England, is a charity which promotes the beauty, tranquillity and diversity of rural England. We advocate positive solutions for the long-term future of the countryside. Founded in 1926, we have 60,000 supporters and a branch in every county. President: Bill Bryson. Patron: Her Majesty The Queen. www.cpre.org.uk

4.       CPRE launched 2026 - A Vision for the Countryside in May 2009, setting out a positive and optimistic vision for the future of the beautiful English countryside in 2026, the charity’s centenary year. The Vision’s key issues include: affordable, high quality housing; urban regeneration; Green Belts; better planning; green energy; local food and farming; quality of life; light pollution and valuing the countryside as a national asset. For further information go to www.cpre.org.uk/campaigns/environment/2026-a-vision-for-the-countryside