CPRE North Yorkshire

Wensleydale CPRE Summer Outing

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 11:53:45 +0000

The Wensleydale Branch of CPRE held their Summer Outing in Wensley on Wednesday 14th July. Starting with a fascinating look at Wensley Church with Penny Seckerson, the group enjoyed learning about the history of the church. Moving on to Calverts stone works Andrew Calvert gave a most interesting and enlightening tour, explaining the work as he went, and answering many questions. Afterwards the group enjoyed a most convivial and enjoyable meal at The Three Horseshoes Inn. The next meeting is the AGM on 12th October at 6.45 pm in the Methodist Hall Leyburn followed by discussion on “21st Century Rural England - how do we protect it?” For further details please phone Kristin Whalley 01969 663885.

SHAPPS SETS OUT VISION TO PROTECT AND PRESERVE RURAL VILLAGE LIFE

admin — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 07:09:58 +0000

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 and facilities.

And today, these plans have the backing of celebrity builder and TV presenter Tommy Walsh.

The new Community Right to Build will shift power from Government to communities to allow local people to deliver the homes and development that they really want, without being told that their own expansion doesn’t fit with their local council’s plans and should not go ahead.

And Mr Shapps called on communities that have already come together to build homes, or have been thwarted by the red tape and bureaucracy of the current system, to come forward and consider using this new Community Right to Build.

Under the proposals, which will be contained in the Localism Bill, community organisations will have the freedom to give the green light to new local developments without a specific application for planning permission, as long as there is overwhelming community backing in a local referendum.

Any surplus made from the sale or renting of homes would be recycled for the benefit of the community.

But community organisations would not be restricted to just building family homes – they could choose to build sheltered housing for the elderly, or set aside plots for people to build their own homes.

They could even offer long-term low rent deals for local shops, community halls or sports facilities.

A new e-leaflet is published today, offering information and advice to communities interested in setting up Right to Build organisations.
Housing Minister Grant Shapps said:

“Far from the Nimbyism that often hits the headlines, up and down the country there are entire communities willing and eager to give the go-ahead for new developments in their area. The countryside must be a vibrant place to live, and cannot be allowed to become a museum. I want to give communities the power to preserve their villages, which are currently struggling to survive because of a shortage of affordable homes.

“With housebuilding at its lowest level in any peacetime year since 1924, some areas are facing a battle to keep schools and GP surgeries open as younger people are forced to move away. The new Community Right to Build could provide the answer. It will give residents the power to give the green light to new homes that are suitable and appropriate for their local area. And because local people are in charge, developments will only go ahead with their overwhelming support.

“I want anyone with the vision and drive to build homes in their area to be able to do so. I want to hear about the challenges they’ve faced, and for them to look at our plans for the Community Right to Build, as it could offer them the freedom to achieve their ambition.”

Celebrity builder and TV presenter Tommy Walsh said:

I’ve worked with people on community projects for many years, and in that time I’ve found that no one knows the needs of the community better than the people who live there.

Whether it’s building affordable housing to allow young people to remain in their village, housing for the elderly, new schools or even business developments to keep the community vibrant - if it’s what the community wants, it should be made easier for them to do it. Any moves to cut red tape and help local people will certainly be welcomed by me.’

Sarah Southerton | Senior Press Officer | Communities and Local Government | 0303 44 41157

Community Right to Build needs further thought, say CPRE

admin — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 07:09:16 +0000

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 house building is welcome as local people should always be given a say in development. We are pleased that the Government is considering how to protect and enhance rural village life and delivering affordable housing in rural areas will be a critical part of this. However, bypassing the planning process is not the way to deliver it and any proposals should include proper planning scrutiny.

“The level and location of development should be informed by a proper assessment of local housing need and an understanding of whether the local environment can accommodate more development. This capacity should be assessed through democratic local plans and not a simple public ballot.

“A central part of the Government’s wider planning reform proposals is to give local communities a pivotal role in shaping local plans. The Government should focus their efforts on getting these broader reforms right, so that local communities are truly involved in planning for their area as a whole. This, rather than a new Right to Build, should ensure local people are able to shape future development in their areas.”

Ends

Notes to Editors
• 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

No high-speed rail link to Heathrow is needed

admin — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 17:42:44 +0000

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 who have questioned the need for and cost of a direct high speed rail link to the airport. Instead the report recommends better planning to integrate the proposed High Speed 2 route and Heathrow into the existing rail network.

“It never made sense to build a parkway station on flood plain three miles from the main airport site. We hope that this recommendation means that the Heathrow Hub proposal is now dead in the water. The impact on the Green Belt and first stretch of countryside outside London would have been worse than the Third Runway.”

CPRE has taken a leading role in examining the environmental costs and benefits of High Speed 2. It was one of the few organisations selected to give oral evidence to Lord Mawhinney as part of his review. CPRE raised particular concerns about the impact on London’s Green Belt and surrounding congested roads from the proposal for a parkway station to serve the airport known as ‘Heathrow Hub’, which would have been located on flood plain near next to the Great Western Main Line at Iver . The report recommended that were a high speed rail link be built, it should go to the Central Terminal Area instead.

Ralph Smyth, continued: “It never made sense to build a parkway station on flood plain three miles from the main airport site. We hope that this recommendation means that the Heathrow Hub proposal is now dead in the water. The impact on the Green Belt and first stretch of countryside outside London would have been worse than the Third Runway.”

Ends

More information:

www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/pi/highspeedrail/lordmawhinneyreport/

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

Notes to Editors

1. Summary recommendation 7 says ‘in the early stages of a high speed rail network, there is no compelling case for a direct high speed rail link to Heathrow’. Summary recommendation 8 says changing the route of HS2 to serve Heathrow directly would ‘not likely to represent value for money to the taxpayer or the train [and] such a route is not supported by the evidence of benefits’.

· 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

Cost of litter spirals out of control

admin — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 09:02:25 +0000

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 age of austerity but the cost of litter has exploded by almost £100 million and shows no signs of slowing down. We need a concerted and sustained public information campaign to educate people about the true costs of littering. We must make littering as unacceptable as vandalism.”

Led by its President, Bill Bryson, CPRE has spearheaded a renewed drive to get Britain’s litter under control with its ‘Stop the Drop’ campaign. The charity has been instrumental in securing a cross government, industry and NGO initiative to find solutions to the problem, with outcomes expected by late Autumn.

Samantha Harding concluded: “As with healthcare, the cost of prevention is much less than the cost of a cure. We need to stop litter before it happens and you do this with a mixture of information, incentive and provision. We need a campaign to make people take notice; financial incentives like bottle deposit schemes and better bin provision to allow people to do the right thing. It’s going to take government and industry to make this work but without action, the costs can only go up.”

End

Notes to Editors
1.       The figure of £858 million (actual figure £858,514,000) is taken from the Local Government Financial Statistics England No.20, DCLG (2010) and is the total street cleansing cost for England for the period from April 2008 to March 2009.

•         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
•         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

Affordable Housing Needed To Keep Villages Alive

admin — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 06:44:43 +0000

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 keeps villages alive,’ which aims to make the case for new rural affordable housing [1].

Living and working in the countryside is increasingly difficult for many people on lower household incomes. The Commission for Rural Communities (CRC) found in 2007 the average rural house cost 6.8 times the average rural household income [2]. Between 2005 and 2008 rural council waiting lists increased by 11 per cent and in some areas waiting lists more than doubled [3].

Such a shortage in affordable housing does not just result in unbalanced communities but also affects rural services as regular local users disappear and lower paid jobs go unfilled:

• 13 rural pubs are shutting down each week – almost two every day [4]
• 400 rural shops are expected to close this year [5]
• 62 village primary schools were shutdown between 2004 and 2008. The highest closure rate since the 1990s [6]
• 200 more village schools are projected to close by 2014 [7]
• Rural England has lost one fifth of its post office network since 2000. [8]

Kate Houghton, CPRE Planning Officer, says: “The people who are being priced out of the countryside are the people who make up the lifeblood of rural communities. If the people who maintain our rural areas and their services cannot find housing locally, the heart of many communities will be lost. If rural areas are not become the preserve of second home owners, the retired and younger people commuting to work in towns and cities, we urgently need more affordable rural housing.”

This new housing does not have to threaten protected landscapes or Green Belt and should not be imposed on local communities. In line with the Government’s localism agenda, local authorities should work with residents to identify plots of land for small scale developments.

Kate Houghton concluded: “There is a chronic shortage of affordable housing in some areas of the countryside and building market housing will not solve the problem. For the promise of the ‘Big Society’ to work, there must be vibrant communities to embrace it - without affordable housing these communities will simply not exist. It is possible to build affordable housing, protect the landscape and preserve rural communities if the right decisions are taken now.”

David Orr, National Housing Federation chief executive, says: “Unless we build more affordable homes for the local families who sustain and enrich village life, then we must accept that traditional community life will be wiped out within a generation in many areas.

“The cornerstones of English village life – the shop, the school and the pub - are all closing down in alarming numbers because families and young people are being priced out of the local area.

“We’re delighted to work with partners like CPRE to make the case for rural affordable housing. This publication demonstrates how just a few well-designed affordable homes on a suitable site can make a real difference to the viability of public services in rural villages.”

As well as NHF and CPRE, the guide was produced in association with the Countryside Alliance, Commission for Rural Communities and Action with Communities in Rural England.

The full report, which is full of further stats and case studies, is available form the NHF and CPRE press offices

End

Notes to Editors
1.       National Housing Federation, Affordable housing: keeps villages alive, 13 July 2010.
2.       The Commission for Rural Communities
3.       See 2
4.       British Beer and Pub Association, www.beerandpub.com
5.       Rural Shops Alliance, http://www.nfumutual.co.uk/lifestyle/affinity/rural-shops.htm
6.       Freedom of Information Request to DCSF, See 1
7.       National Association for Small Schools, www.smallschools.org.uk
8.       Post Office Ltd,

•         The National Housing Federation represents 1,200 housing associations across England and is the voice of affordable housing. www.housing.org.uk
•         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

CPRE wins battle to have energy policy re-evaluated

admin — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 06:38:19 +0000

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, Charles Hendry, the Energy Minister, said: “We have decided to take a further look at the Appraisal of Sustainability of our draft Energy Policy Statements to make sure that they are fit for purpose. Taking this decision now is essential to safeguard our long-term goal of a sustainable and secure energy supply.”

Dustin Benton, Senior Policy Officer at CPRE, says: “This is a very welcome step as the draft Energy National Policy Statements pose significant risks to the countryside. They presume an unlimited demand for energy that would create a dangerous presumption in favour of new power plants regardless of environmental consequences. They also ignored the balance between national need and local impact by unduly restricting consideration of alternatives.

“We are pleased at the Government’s willingness to listen to the public and hope that its commitment to localism will be reflected by a better balance between our need for low carbon power and strong local desire to protect the beauty, tranquillity and character of the countryside.”

Ends

Notes to Editors
•         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

•       The Written Ministerial Statement issued by the Department of Energy and Climate Change today, is quoted in full below

Consultation for draft Energy National Policy Statements - Written statement by Charles Hendry MP, Minister of State for Energy

Today I am announcing that the Government will be launching a re-consultation in the autumn on the draft energy National Policy Statements following the consultation undertaken by the previous administration earlier this year, and in particular due to changes which have been made to the Appraisal of Sustainability for the Overarching Energy National Policy Statement.

The revised statements will give investors the certainty they need to bring forward proposals to maintain security of supply and ensure progress towards decarbonisation and plans for the first new nuclear power station to begin generating electricity by 2018 remain on course.

We intend to present the finalised statements to Parliament for ratification next Spring. A detailed implementation plan for planning reform on major infrastructure - including transitional arrangements and a revised    timetable - will be published later in the summer.

State of the Countryside Report 2010: a challenge for the coalition

admin — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 10:59:10 +0000

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 by the warp and weft of everyday life. But this may well be the last such report, given the Government’s recent announcement that its authors, the Commission for Rural Communities, are to be abolished.

“The Government must ensure that this knowledge base – which allows the right decisions to be taken for people living in rural areas – is not lost, and we will be watching to ensure that Defra continues to consider the state of our countryside one of its foremost concerns.

“There are many positives in the report, most notably the relative strength of rural businesses as the economy begins to emerge from recession as well as the continued sense of community enjoyed by people living in rural areas.

“However, the report also highlights some huge challenges that the new coalition government will need to tackle in its first year in office. The continuing shortage of affordable rural housing must be high on the Government’s priority list. We expect Ministers to publish their housing plans shortly and we hope that encouraging local councils to deliver more rural affordable homes will be at the heart of what they look to achieve.

“As it prepares to reshape the planning system fundamentally, the Government must defend an approach that has encouraged development on previously used land, safeguarded Green Belts around towns and cities and given robust protection to our best countryside in National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Weakening these protections could open the way to a future where the public perceive that there is nowhere for them to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.”

Ben Stafford also commented on rural transport:

“The coalition needs to grasp the nettle and tackle inequalities in transport provision and availability between town and countryside. Ministers have done the right thing in putting many major road schemes on ice – they could now channel some of the resulting savings into better support for rural bus services, low carbon car clubs and improved opportunities for walking and cycling in the countryside.”

Ben Stafford concludes:

“The report rightly highlights the myriad functions of land in our countryside, including for food production, recreation, conservation and the mitigation of climate change. But the countryside is under ever growing pressure. We hope the Government’s anticipated Natural Environment White Paper will set out a vision for how we can reconcile the many different demands on the countryside, while ensuring that its beauty, tranquillity and diversity are maintained and enhanced – these are, after all, the reasons why so many people choose to live in and visit it.”

End

Notes to Editors
1. Commission for Rural Communities, http://ruralcommunities.gov.uk/
2. In answer to the suggestion that only 10% of the countryside is developed, CPRE draws attention to research that we published in 2007, showing that the footprint of development affects up to half of England’s countryside. http://www.cpre.org.uk/news/view/428

• 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

A welcome goodbye to top down housing, but don’t leave a strategic planning gap

admin — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 10:58:20 +0000

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 misused to impose unrealistically high housing targets on local communities, resulting in frustration and loss of green field sites.

“However, the abandonment of Regional Spatial Strategies (RSS) will leave a worrying gap. Strategic planning has helped ensure local authorities make consistent decisions on development across their boundaries, including affordable housing, public transport and waste provision. These developments need a high level of cross authority working and the Government will need to outline a credible alternative to fill this void.

“In line with the localism agenda, local authorities will be left to decide how many new homes they need and where they should be located. Our branches will be watching closely to see whether local authorities continue to protect Green Belt and other valuable green spaces in line with the new Government’s intentions. We believe it is still vital to focus new home building on brownfield land driving regeneration, supporting vulnerable communities and protecting treasured green spaces in our towns and countryside.”

Ends

Notes to Editors

CPRE responds to scrapping of Commission for Rural Communities (CRC)

admin — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 07:34:53 +0000

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 independent voice for rural communities over the last four years, and to its Chair, Stuart Burgess, who has been a tireless Rural Advocate to Ministers.

“The Commission has done valuable work, including by highlighting the often overlooked extent of poverty in rural areas. Working with CPRE and other organisations, the CRC has taken a leading role in the campaign for more affordable housing in the countryside. It has also championed England’s upland areas, which face many important challenges.“

Shaun Spiers continued:

“The new Government has a strong rural base, and Defra itself now has three ministers with rural constituencies. Defra ministers are undoubtedly committed to rural areas and we welcome the Government’s commitment to affordable rural housing and rolling out broadband in rural areas.

“But all governments, whatever their political complexion, need their decision-making to be informed by robust, independent and evidence-based policy advocacy. Where necessary, they need to be held to account by authoritative but independent bodies. We do not doubt that Defra will champion the countryside within government, but it will not always get its way and the freedom of Defra ministers and civil servants to speak out will be severely constrained.

“With the demise of the CRC, and the threat to the policy and advocacy role of other non-departmental public bodies, there will be an even greater need for Government to listen to NGOs and civil society organisations such as CPRE. “

End

Notes to Editors
• 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