Campaign to Protect Rural England

Campaign to Protect Rural England We’re Campaign to Protect Rural England. We shape and promote solutions for the sustainable use of land to protect and regenerate the countryside.

This week, we’re celebrating four inspiring projects shortlisted for our CPRE Centenary National Awards – 'Best Green Sp...
02/10/2026

This week, we’re celebrating four inspiring projects shortlisted for our CPRE Centenary National Awards – 'Best Green Space' category.🌟

Youngwilders – a national network of young people restoring nature across England, while making conservation experience more accessible.

Dam Mire Wood – a community-led project in the North Lake District that saved a 3.4-hectare green field from development and transformed it into a haven for wildlife and people; with new hedgerows, trees, habitats and public access.

Nene Park Trust – bringing communities in Peterborough closer to their local countryside through habitat restoration, accessible green spaces, volunteering, education and activities co-designed with local people.

Northern Roots – transforming 160 acres of post-industrial land in Oldham into a community green space; with nature recovery, urban farming, volunteering, education and opportunities for locals.

These projects show what is achievable when communities have a real role in shaping and caring for the green spaces on their doorstep.💚

Discover the full shortlist: https://www.cpre.org.uk/cpre-awards-meet-our-shortlist/

On the first day of Labour's party conference, the government announced plans to reform rules about empty homes. Specif...
29/09/2026

On the first day of Labour's party conference, the government announced plans to reform rules about empty homes.

Specifically, the changes involve reforms to 'Empty Dwelling Management Orders' (EDMOs) and, among other things, give local leaders the power to take over empty properties after six months, rather than two years, which could help prevent empty homes from falling into serious disrepair.

It's not a silver bullet for the housing crisis (which is as much an affordability crisis as anything else). But it should help make more efficient use of existing housing stock. There are 300,000 empty homes sitting unused — that's not right when over a million people sit on social housing waiting lists — hundreds of thousands of whom live in rural areas.

👉 https://bit.ly/46QLfri

Data centres aren't new. For years they've supported the steady growth of digital infrastructure — the internet, cloud s...
29/09/2026

Data centres aren't new. For years they've supported the steady growth of digital infrastructure — the internet, cloud storage, the everyday things we all rely on.

What's new is the race to build enormous new ones to feed the explosion in AI: huge profit potential for the companies behind them, few benefits for the places that host them.

Some are colossal. They draw eye-watering quantities of power from the grid, can guzzle hundreds of millions of litres of water a year, and regulation is barely keeping up.

CPRE Devon, working alongside the Devon Data and BESS Action Group, is fighting plans for an 850-acre AI data campus and battery storage site to the north of the county — what would be the largest in the UK. Five buildings, each roughly the height of Exeter Cathedral's towers, on productive farmland between Great Torrington, Huntshaw and Weare Giffard. UNESCO has warned that North Devon's Biosphere status could be at risk if it goes ahead.

Thousands of people have already joined their register of objectors. Add your name, sign today - https://devoncpre.org.uk/data-centre-and-battery-field/

28/09/2026

As Autumn deepens and dew settles on our morning walks, we watch the countryside shift from season to season.

We spoke to videographer Richard Hammond about why he loves the countryside - for him, being present for the changing seasons is where the magic lies.

28/09/2026

To mark World Rivers Day, Matt Baker and Margherita Taylor explore the River Trent and the land that surrounds it.

Angela Rayner has admitted the government's housing promise is in trouble with only a ‘slim chance’ of hitting the 1.5m ...
27/09/2026

Angela Rayner has admitted the government's housing promise is in trouble with only a ‘slim chance’ of hitting the 1.5m home target.

But our new research shows there is enough brownfield for 1.54m million homes.

The real issue is the target number of homes set by government was shaped BY big housebuilders, FOR big housebuilders - with a bid to maximise their profit, with no real thought about where houses are needed.

This is an opportunity for government to pause and rethink. They must set the right goals for local areas, and obviously, always use brownfield first.

👉 https://bit.ly/4xG4KxG

26/09/2026

We spoke to cold water coach, author and climber Gilly McArthur about what makes her love the countryside.

The countryside is good for us all. For our mental and physical health, for giving us the opportunity to slow down, take a breath and relax.

Do you love hedgerows? 🌱 CPRE Shropshire is hosting Hedgerows in the Hills festival to celebrate CPRE’s 100th birthday t...
25/09/2026

Do you love hedgerows? 🌱

CPRE Shropshire is hosting Hedgerows in the Hills festival to celebrate CPRE’s 100th birthday this year and tell more people about our Hedgerow Heroes project.

Join them on 24 & 25 October at the beautiful Acton Scott Heritage Farm near Church Stretton, South Shropshire. There's a packed programme of talks, demonstrations, music, poetry and activities for all the family, including fungi walks, hedge laying demos and an epic Tree Quiz.

Learn more - http://www.cpreshropshire.org.uk/hith

Our shortlist for the CPRE Centenary National Awards is live!We're starting off with the 'Best rooftop solar solution' c...
24/09/2026

Our shortlist for the CPRE Centenary National Awards is live!

We're starting off with the 'Best rooftop solar solution' category, which has shown that rooftops can help power a cleaner energy future while strengthening local communities.🌞🏠

Energise Barnsley is bringing free solar power to more than 1,500 council homes; helping households cut their energy bills while supporting wider community projects.

Barlows Park community facility has combined rooftop solar with battery storage to cut energy costs and help secure the future of a much-loved volunteer-run sports facility. Spirit Energy

Northumberland Community Energy Ltd is bringing solar and battery storage to village halls, churches and community facilities across rural Northumberland, helping communities cut costs and become more resilient. Community Action Northumberland

Three different projects, but one shared idea: clean energy done well benefits people, communities and the countryside.

Explore the full shortlist: https://www.cpre.org.uk/cpre-awards-meet-our-shortlist/

To close out Love Your Countryside, we asked CPRE groups across England to share what makes their local countryside spec...
23/09/2026

To close out Love Your Countryside, we asked CPRE groups across England to share what makes their local countryside special - favourite walks, hidden gems, quirky landmarks, local history and seasonal sights.

Nobody knows this countryside better than they do. Their picks take us beyond the obvious spots to the stories and details that make each landscape one-of-a-kind. 🌳

Sign up to get the full list - https://bit.ly/4h6n0f6

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