CPRE Hertfordshire

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CPRE Hertfordshire

CPRE Hertfordshire is the county branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England. https://www.giveasyoulive.com/donate?cid=6575

18/06/2026

The state of the Green Belt in Three Rivers: Big Government vs the Council?

A keystone of the English planning system is that Local Plans are prepared and adopted by Local Authorities, not by central Government diktat. Which is why we deplore recent interventions by the Secretary of State regarding Three Rivers District. He has directed the Council to include seven large sites within the Green Belt in its emerging Local Plan so that they will be developed. He has also called-in for his own determination a major planning application for nearly 300 dwellings in the Green Belt rather than allowing the Council to decide.

See photos of several of the seven sites in our gallery here, and find out more details - including the Council's pushback - on our website at https://www.cpreherts.org.uk/news/the-state-of-the-green-belt-in-three-rivers-big-government-vs-the-council/

17/06/2026

This Saturday you will be able to meet with the CPRE Hertfordshire team at their stand at the Welwyn Street Festival, along Codicote Road in Welwyn Village.

Want to learn more about CPRE Hertfordshire, what we do and what we care about? Want to find out more about our mission to protect the countryside and how you can get involved? Come and find us.

You can read more about the event here:
https://www.welwynfestival.org.uk/events/street-market

If you want to keep up with all of our events, why not give us a follow or register for our e-newsletter? Scroll to the bottom of our home page to subscribe!
https://www.cpreherts.org.uk/news/

12/06/2026

Come and meet the CPRE Hertfordshire team this Sunday at Croxley Big Green Fair. From 12:30pm to 4pm, you will be able to browse our stall for information about our mission to protect the countryside, speak with representatives from the charity, discuss volunteering opportunities and learn more about what we do!

Be sure not to miss our Hedgerow Heroes Project Officer's 1pm talk on Hedgerows: Nature’s Living Corridors!

There will be many activities and talks throughout the day from organisations, as well as local sustainable vendors and even a plant tombola! This is one event you won’t want to miss!

Learn more: https://croxleygreen-pc.gov.uk/event/croxleys-big-green-fair-2/

10/06/2026

Dismay as Government drops plans for solar on new car parks

The government announced in early June that it will not be taking forward a policy on solar canopies on new car parks. At the same time they are taking forward consultations and policy on electric vehicle charging infrastructure. It seems nonsensical to take forward the one and not the other.

Meanwhile, highly productive farmland across Hertfordshire and all across England is being lost to glass and steel "mega solar" farms. We're all for renewable energy but we want to see it on rooftops, including car park canopies.

We hope that local authorities and businesses will push forward on their own with car park solar, even though government is not doing so. (Photo: Clare Jackson / Alamy).

04/06/2026

Volunteer’s week 2026 is upon us, and we would like to take this moment to thank all of our volunteers for their support over the last year and beyond. With National CPRE celebrating their centenary year, it's the perfect time to reflect on our journey, and how volunteers have been helping us to protect the countryside now for an entire 100 years!

This last year alone, volunteers have helped us screen 16,083 planning applications across Hertfordshire, design our campaign materials, support our events, feed into our work and this year plant over 2,500 metres of hedgerows across Hertfordshire!

If you would like to find out more about volunteering at CPRE Hertfordshire, visit our website and get in touch! https://www.cpreherts.org.uk/get-involved/volunteering/

03/06/2026

Do you know the status of the Local Plan in your District or Borough?

It is when Local Plans are being prepared or updated that local people can have the most influence over the future of their area. This is why we always encourage residents to engage with the Local Plan process and respond to public consultations. But how do you know the status of the Local Plan in your area?

A good place to start is our Local Plan Overview chart on our website - this shows that several Hertfordshire Districts are reviewing their Local Plans right now and are - or soon will be - going to consultation, including our two largest districts East Herts and North Herts. Find out more at www.cpreherts.org.uk/local-plans

29/05/2026

Did you know that if you join CPRE Hertfordshire as a member, from as little as £5 per month, you will get discounted access to a number of important attractions including Bayfordbury Observatory!

To learn more about the many benefits you can receive as a member of CPRE Hertfordshire whilst supporting our mission to protect our countryside, visit here: https://www.cpreherts.org.uk/get-involved/become-a-member/

27/05/2026

The sun is out this week and it's the perfect time to capture some beautiful photos of Hertfordshire's countryside AND enter them into our Special Centenary Photography Competition!

More than just a celebration of stunning photography, the competition champions Hertfordshire’s countryside and invites people to engage meaningfully with the natural world around them.

There are prizes up for grabs for both adults and children including a £100 voucher for the winner!

Find out more on our website: https://www.cpreherts.org.uk/get-involved/events/cpre-hertfordshire-photography-competition/

21/05/2026

Have your say! 29 May deadline - consultation on the Hertsmere Draft Local Plan

Hertsmere Borough Council is running a consultation on its Draft Local Plan, and your voice matters! More than 1,000 hectares of Green Belt countryside are at risk of development through proposed site allocations. And nearly all the rest of the Green Belt in the Borough would be classified as 'grey belt' thereby putting it at risk of development too. This is ridiculous and could lead to the coalescence of Bushey and Radlett, and of Potters Bar and Borehamwood, among others.

Read our own consultation response (which you may use as guidance in drafting your response) and find out how to submit your response via email or post; see our website at https://www.cpreherts.org.uk/resources/hertsmere-draft-local-plan-reg-18-april-2026-our-consultation-response/

19/05/2026

Outrage! Hertsmere Borough Council no longer defending planning appeal at Potters Bar, says land is 'grey belt'
We deplore this turn of events! Earlier the Hertsmere Borough Council Planning Committee refused the application for 900 dwellings and related facilities in the Green Belt on a 64 hectares' site West of Barnet Road and East of Baker Street in Potters Bar. The applicant appealed the refusal, arguing that the site is 'grey belt'. The appeal inquiry is due to commence 19 May. But now at the last moment, Hertsmere Council has decided not to defend the appeal and instead to agree that the site is 'grey belt'.

This turnaround reinforces how the Government's 'grey belt' policy introduced in 2024 is proving to be an existential threat to the Green Belt everywhere. We continue to campaign to get this hugely damaging policy reversed. Read our recent grey belt report on our website, share widely, and write to your MP - see https://www.cpreherts.org.uk/news/devastating-grey-belt-impact-revealed-in-our-new-report/

Address

31A Church Street
Welwyn
AL69LW

Telephone

01438 717587

Website

http://www.cpreherts.org.uk/

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