Countryside 'Headed For Extinction'

English countryside 'headed for extinction'

Guardian Unlimited
Monday September 10 2007
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/sep/10/ruralcommunities.uknews?gusrc=rss&feed=environment

A map shows 'urban blight' around Birmingham and Shrewsbury - the black areas are urban development, the yellow shows the extent of visual and noise pollution. Source: CPRE

England's last remaining pristine, quiet countryside could disappear by the end of the century if the rate of urban blight continues at the pace seen in the last decade, campaigners warn.

New maps published today by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) show that half the English countryside is already disturbed by the noise of nearby roads and flight paths overhead, light pollution from urban growth, and has its views spoiled by major infrastructure projects.

In the early 1960s, the maps show, only 26% of England's countryside was disturbed by urban blight. By the early 1990s this had increased to 41%. Since then some 320 square miles (830 sq km) has been affected each year – the equivalent of an area half the size of Greater London. The CPRE warns that at this rate motorways, power stations and airports could swallow up the remaining 50% of undisturbed countryside in just 80 years.

The maps show places that are close enough to towns and cities, major roads, airports, power lines and stations to be classed as disturbed by visual and noise intrusion.

The south-east is the region most affected. Since the early 1990s an area larger than West Sussex has been affected by greenfield developments that cause noise and light pollution, leaving just 30% of land undisturbed.

Just over half of the east Midlands has disappeared under development, while the east of England, the north-west and the West Midlands all now have close on 50% of their land sliced up by buildings, roads and other developments. The south-west has lost 40% of its land to urban blight, which has disrupted wildlife and habitat, said the CPRE.

Shaun Spiers, the CPRE chief executive, said the maps showed how major projects had effects far beyond the land they occupied.

"Development of all kinds fragments the countryside, undermining the qualities of tranquility, openness and immersion in the rural landscape which people most value about it.

"The findings are a wake-up call for the government. It must strengthen policy to protect the remaining areas of undisturbed land and protect it for future generations."

The findings come amid fears that proposals in the government's planning white paper will remove people's right to protest against major infrastructure projects.

Mr Spiers said: "Members of the public must be heard and environmental impacts properly considered in such significant decisions for our countryside."

The CPRE is calling for more ambitious targets for building on "brownfield" land, meaning land that has been previously developed; promoting public transport as an alternative to the car; and halting the expansion of airports.

Labels: Extinction, countryside, nature, nature destruction, noise, roads, flight paths
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