Campaigning for the countryside in Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside.
For quick access to advice on planning and other countryside isues select
an item from the list below:
Advice home page.
The Lancashire Branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural
England
Hazelwell House,
Station Road,
Bamber Bridge,
Preston,
Lancashire,
PR5 6TT
Tel: 01772 627510
Email: ruralengland@btconnect.com
Registered Charity Numbers : 221244 and 1107376
The Lancashire Branch of CPRE is a Company Limited By Guarantee registered in England, no. 5291461
Lancashire CPRE is a charity and provides all the content of these pages free of charge to the general public.
If you use the resources provided please consider joining us or making a donation to help us carry out our activities.
What are the issues for the countryside?
Over the last 20 years the distance travelled by car has increased by 55% while walking, cycling and bus travel have all declined dramatically (20%, 25%, and 38% decrease). As a result, traffic levels have increased significantly and the Government forecast that traffic could increase by a further 36% - 84% by the year 2031. Traffic levels on rural roads are set to rise more quickly than urban areas and could treble in some areas.
These trends create a number of serious problems for the countryside, including:
- the destruction of landscapes and habitats through road/rail construction;
- global and local pollution from motor vehicles;
- the cumulative erosion of the special qualities and tranquillity of the countryside through traffic increases, safety improvements, night lighting and standardisation of road design;
- the development of new, dispersed, patterns of development which devour countryside and lock people into car dependent lifestyles;
- growing isolation for the 22% of the rural population without access to a car.
CPRE priorities
CPRE is one of the leading organisations campaigning for environmentally sound transport policies. CPRE's overall objective is to reduce traffic and the need for new and widened roads by ensuring that new development - such as housing - is located in places which reduce the need to travel altogether and which are accessible by foot, bike and public transport and that travel costs reflect the impact on the environment.
This will require:
- a new approach to locating development which focuses on urban areas first. These areas are more likely to provide employment and services in close proximity to where people live. In addition, they are more likely to sustain public transport services;
- more rigorous implementation of Policy Planning Guidance note 13: Transport (PPG13) which advises against out-of-town locations for new development;
- improved opportunities for people to walk and cycle in safety. Almost a third of journeys are still less than a mile in distance and almost three-quarters are of less than 5 miles - many of these journeys could be done by foot or bike;
- improving the quality and quantity of public transport services;
- measures to increase the cost of travel to reflect wider social and environmental costs. This could include increases in fuel tax or greater use of parking charges as a management measure;
- measures to reduce traffic speeds, improve road safety for all users and to redirect heavy lorry traffic on to suitable roads;
- a more critical approach to new road construction which fits in with land use planning objectives and is subject to effective environmental impact assessment and public scrutiny.
CPRE believes a combination of al of these measures will be necessary to reduce car dependency in future and reduce damage to the countryside.
Campaign opportunities
Transport policy is a key priority for CPRE's work nationally, but there are also many opportunities to make a difference locally.
You can:
- scrutinise development plans for policies which might encourage extra car travel. Challenge these by backing up your arguments with the policies set out in PPG13;
- monitor planning applications for their transport impacts. Will they simply encourage more traffic?
- check with the regional office of the Highways Agency (see phone book) about any plans for the development of the national road network. Are there any schemes which cause concern? If so, you can write to the agency letting them know of your concerns. Copy any correspondence to the Government Office in your region;
- study your County Council's Local Transport Plan in the local library. Let them know what you think of their proposals (good and bad) and inform local councillors of your concerns;
- identify tranquil areas in the countryside where traffic levels are low and highlight the need to protect them;
- ask to be consulted when your local authority is next preparing its Local Transport Plan or development plan. These provide excellent opportunities for promoting cycling, walking and public transport and for challenging damaging road schemes;
- join CPRE's Transport Campaign Group (if one exists in your county) to work with others on this important issue.