CPRE Centenary – ‘Letter to England’

In 2026, CPRE is celebrating 100 years of standing up for the countryside…

In 2026, CPRE is celebrating 100 years of standing up for the countryside we love. Here in the Royal County of Berkshire, we’re proud to be part of that story. Together with the CPRE network across England, we’re beginning the year with a Letter to Berkshire, and to England, with a message about what’s at stake for the countryside, and the future we want to shape together. We’d love for you to add your name.

Dear Berkshire,

The countryside is your greatest achievement. A beautiful masterpiece built by centuries of collaboration between people and nature. From meadows and woodlands to rivers, coasts, and the green spaces that bind us together, the countryside connects and sustains us all.

For a century, the Campaign to Protect Rural England has been its guardian. Despite the relentless, growing pressure on our landscapes, we’ve stood up for the countryside and helped give the people who love it a voice. That will never change.

Many of the pressures facing our countryside today were familiar to our founders – not least the challenge of providing homes, infrastructure and prosperity on a small island. But new pressures have emerged with more catastrophic impacts on the land we love. Nature is in freefall and climate change threatens to alter our landscapes for good.

Now more than ever, decisions about how we use our land are leading to the needless loss of landscapes and everything they support. Without drastic action, much of what makes our countryside unique and beautiful will be lost.

Wherever we live, we rely on the countryside for clean air, home grown food, thriving wildlife and resilience in the face of climate change. Yet these foundations are being chipped away. Too often decisions are shaped by profit, not what’s needed most – and the countryside pays the price.

Here in Berkshire, we have lost countryside to sprawling housing development on the edge of the North Wessex Downs near Newbury, large solar farms are being constructed on productive agricultural land south of Reading, and a former golf course has been designated for housebuilding in Maidenhead. The threats to our countryside and Green Belt mount up by the week.

Now, as 2026 dawns we are now battling a growing number of planning applications which rely on councils downgrading Green Belt land to so-called ‘grey belt’, as well as excessive and unsustainable housebuilding targets imposed on local communities throughout the county.

Our centenary vision is for a countryside that’s greener, more resilient and protected for future generations.  There is a better way – one we’re calling for, and one everyone can be part of:

• Stop the loss of countryside. Let’s protect what we love and do everything we can to make sure green fields and woodlands aren’t needlessly lost.
• Improve the quality of the countryside for future generations. That means thriving communities, clean rivers, healthy food and resilient landscapes rich in nature.
• Inspire more people to care for the countryside. A countryside for all where more people take action to enjoy and protect it.

Across the country, people are already showing what’s possible – restoring hedgerows, rethinking development and sustainable farming, and making space for nature.

As we begin our centenary year, we’re sending this message to everyone: love your countryside and be part of its future. This is just the beginning – and we all have a part to play in shaping what comes next.

If you share this vision, join the movement today, add your name to this letter and stand with us.

Sign our Letter to England