Campaign to Protect Rural England

Campaign to Protect Rural England
SamBCPRE · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Name	Campaign to Protect Rural England
Formation	1926
Type	Charity
Headquarters	London
Region served	England
Leader title	Chief Executive

Contents

Campaign to Protect Rural England

The Campaign to Protect Rural England is an English charity founded in 1926 dedicated to conserving England's countryside and influencing planning policy across United Kingdom jurisdictions, interacting with institutions such as the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, the National Trust, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the Churchill Archives Centre and the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. Its activities connect with regional bodies including the Lake District National Park Authority, the Peak District National Park Authority, the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, and national actors such as the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Parliament of the United Kingdom and the House of Lords.

History

Founded in 1926 following campaigns influenced by figures linked to the Garden Cities and Town Planning Association, the organisation emerged from debates involving the Royal Commission on London Government (1923–24), urban planners like Ebenezer Howard, and preservationists connected with the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings and the National Trust. Early supporters included politicians and public figures associated with the Conservative Party, the Labour Party, and the Liberal Party; campaigners referenced precedents such as the Enclosure Acts and reports by the Town and Country Planning Association. During the interwar years the organisation engaged with inquiries emanating from the Scottish Office and the Welsh Office as settlement pressures linked to the Great Depression (1929) and interwar reconstruction increased. Post-1945, the body contributed to debates around the Town and Country Planning Act 1947, the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949, and later planning controversies involving the Greater London Council, the European Union planning directives, and legislation debated in the House of Commons. In later decades the charity intersected with campaigns led by groups such as Friends of the Earth, the Green Party (UK), and the Forestry Commission on issues including landscape protection, renewable energy, and housing growth.

The charity articulates objectives that engage with statutory frameworks like the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and policy instruments from Department for Communities and Local Government predecessors, aiming to influence policy through evidence used by bodies including the Planning Inspectorate, the National Infrastructure Commission, and the Local Government Association. Its mission spans protecting designated areas such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), Sites of Special Scientific Interest, and regions managed by the Country Land and Business Association, while engaging with built-environment organisations including the Royal Institute of British Architects and heritage institutions like Historic England. The organisation pursues objectives that align with sustainable land-use debates involving actors such as the Committee on Climate Change, the Environment Agency, and the Met Office.

Governance is overseen by a board analogous to trustees regulated under the Charities Act 2011 and interacting with regulators such as the Charity Commission for England and Wales. The central office in London coordinates regional campaigns through county-level groups linked to civic structures like county councils including Surrey County Council, Devon County Council, and Cornwall Council, while liaising with national bodies such as the National Parks England consortium and professional networks including the Royal Town Planning Institute and the Landscape Institute. Leadership has historically involved chairs and chief executives engaged with institutions such as the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and universities like University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, and the University of Manchester for research collaborations.

Campaign topics have ranged from opposing inappropriate development at places including South Downs National Park edges to promoting rural housing policies debated in the House of Commons Library. Campaigns have interacted with transport debates involving High Speed 2, energy projects connected to the National Grid, and infrastructure proposals scrutinised by the Planning Inspectorate and the Competition and Markets Authority where relevant. Activities include local advocacy coordinated with civic groups such as CPRE Oxfordshire counterparts, interventions at public inquiries heard by the Administrative Court, and coalition work with organisations like the RSPB, Woodland Trust, British Trust for Ornithology, Wildlife Trusts, and farming bodies such as the National Farmers' Union. The charity has also campaigned on landscape-scale initiatives referenced by the Dasgupta Review and climate adaptation strategies promoted by the Committee on Climate Change.

The organisation publishes research, reports, and briefing papers used by stakeholders from the House of Commons Select Committees to local planning authorities and academic units at institutions like the London School of Economics, the University of Exeter, and the Royal Holloway, University of London. Its outputs address topics linked to policy frameworks such as the National Planning Policy Framework and environmental assessments required under Environmental Impact Assessment procedures, citing data from sources including the Office for National Statistics, the Environment Agency, and the Met Office. Publications have been referenced in media outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, and The Times, and used in partnership with research centres like the Rural England Observatory and university groups at the University of Sheffield and University College London.

Funding sources include individual memberships, donations, legacies, grants from foundations such as the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation and collaborations with bodies such as the Heritage Lottery Fund, philanthropies linked to the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and corporate partners regulated by the Charity Commission for England and Wales. The charity works in partnership with national organisations including the National Trust, the RSPB, the Woodland Trust, and local authorities such as Kent County Council and Hampshire County Council, while engaging in consortia with academic partners like the University of Cambridge and policy institutions including the Institute for Government and the Smith Institute.

Category:Organizations established in 1926 Category:Conservation in England