Joint response from the Countryside Agency, English Nature and the Rural Development Service

The above bodies welcome the Bill and the creation of the new agency, Natural England.

The Bill will bring real benefits for the environment and for the community.

The measures contained in the Bill will provide;

·         a fundamental contribution to the country’s sustainable development

·         integrated action to conserve and enhance biodiversity, the landscape, the historic environment and the protection of soil and water

·         a greater public commitment to the environment and its wider benefits such as health, community cohesion and wellbeing

·         streamlining the number of sources of advice which will mean improvements in the quality of advice

·         simpler funding arrangements will enable efficiency gains and more resources for frontline services

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The Campaign to Protect Rural England welcomes the Bill.

“The Bill is sensible joined up thinking because the landscape is inextricably linked to wildlife habitat and access by footpath and bridleway.”

However, CPRE has concerns that the following provisions will weaken the new organisation;

• reconciling some kinds of open air recreation with conserving the natural environment will be difficult

• the countryside as opposed to the landscape (which can mean a suburb or an urban fringe) will no longer be specifically championed by a statutory body

• landscape will only be “conserved” by Natural England while biodiversity will be “protected.”

CPRE is calling for

• a “conflict resolution” clause, which will make it clear that when there is a serious or an irreconcilable conflict between open-air recreation and conserving the natural environment, Natural England will give greater weight to the conserving of the natural environment.

• Natural England to have an explicit duty to protect the countryside not merely “conserve.”

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CCPR welcomes and supports the main principles of the Bill.

The CCPR has called for access and recreation to be given equal consideration as conservation and biodiversity.

CCPR has also called for Natural England to work closely with local authorities to improve the delivery of access facilities.

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Click on the links below for more information on these views

Countryside Agency & English Nature

Woodland Trust

Campaign to Protect Rural England

Central Council for Physical Recreation

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