‘Save East Of England From Development Overload’ Say CPRE And National Trust

3 May 2006

Countryside campaigners CPRE [1] and the National Trust have joined forces to raise a petition demanding that the East of England Plan [2] is ‘greened'.

After a mammoth public examination the Plan, aimed at shaping growth and development in the fast-changing East of England over the next two decades, is nearing completion. CPRE and the Trust fear it poses major threats to the region’s environment and heritage.

CPRE has placed a full-page advertisement in the National Trust’s magazine, read by millions of Trust members [3]. This warns of the threats posed by the draft East of England plan – and Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott’s potential changes to it. The advertisement asks people to ‘stand up and be counted’ by giving their names quickly and easily. [4]

CPRE’s East of England Chairman, Lawrence Wragg said: ‘Now is the time for everyone who cares for the countryside – both individuals and organisations - to make their voices heard.

‘Of course we accept there has to be change, but at the same time we must protect precious things which underpin our quality of life, our environment and heritage. We must act now to save the region’s beautiful open landscapes, woodlands, wildlife, natural resources and historic towns and villages.’

Keith Turner, Area Manager for the National Trust, said:

‘With one of the UK’s fastest growing economies, the East of England faces major changes. We need the Plan to guide this process, balance economic growth with protection for our environment and heritage, and offer investment in the future.

As it stands, the Plan risks unsustainable amounts of development which will have long-term impacts on internationally important green spaces such as Hatfield Forest, owned by the National Trust. Don’t let it happen - support our campaign to make sure the region gets the plan it needs.’

The draft Plan, drawn up by the East of England Regional Assembly with input from the Government, contains proposals for growth on an enormous scale, including 478,000 new homes by 2021, industrial and business development and 67 road schemes. Alan Richardson, the inspector who chaired the Plan’s examination in public, is now writing a report for the Deputy Prime Minister.

Mr Prescott can then propose changes to the Plan – which he will publish some time in the autumn. There then follows a final 12-week period of public consultation, when CPRE will be making a last push to ‘green’ the Plan.

CPRE’s plea for support features the Trust’s Hatfield Forest in Hertfordshire, threatened by Stansted Airport expansion.

CPRE and the National Trust want the plan to:

recognise that climate change, freshwater scarcity and flooding are limiting factors to development in the region;

focus on building affordable housing rather than market housing, especially for rural communities;

ensure protected greenspaces, river corridors, flood plains, migration routes and wildlife corridors are included;

guarantee existing Green Belt is protected and new Green Belt land proposed;

retain the good things in the Plan - such as the focus on 60% of all new development, including housing, being built on previously developed ‘brownfield’ land or by reusing existing buildings; and

continue to stand against a further runway at Stansted Airport.

NOTES FOR 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: Sir Max Hastings. Patron: Her Majesty The Queen.

2. The draft East of England Plan, the Regional Spatial Strategy which will determine development in the region to 2021, has been reviewed through an Examination in Public (EiP), running from November 2005 to March 2006. A panel report from independent planning inspectors is expected in June. Effects could include irreversible damage to beautiful and historic landscapes; development of large swathes of Green Belt land, especially around Harlow, Luton and Cambridge; loss of habitats and wildlife; over-stretched water resources — in the driest region in Britain; vastly increased levels of road traffic, worsening already bad congestion and contributing to climate change; worse air quality; widespread damage to recreation and tourism assets; and irreparable harm to the character of historic cities, villages and towns.

3. A pdf of the advertisement is available from CPRE’s press office (020 7981 2800).

4. CPRE is asking the public to sign up to a petition which says: ‘I’m concerned about the East of England Plan. I believe that any development should respect environmental limits, so we can meet the region’s needs without wrecking its countryside and quality of life.’ The petition is in the May issue of the National Trust magazine and is on CPRE’s website: www.cpre.org.uk. People can also sign up by emailing the Campaigns Team (campaigns@cpre.org.uk) or by telephone – 0800 163680.

---

Press releases, papers and documents published on this page are the intellectual property of an organisation unrelated to Central Lobby. We promote their parliamentary and political campaigning activities as they are subscribers to the Central Lobby service.

As such, Central Lobby does not edit, endorse, or attempt to balance the opinions expressed on this page. The content of press releases and other such types of content are the responsibility of the originating organisation.