Letter to Hampshire

For a century, CPRE has spoken up for our countryside with people across the country and generations – from the creation of Green Belts and National Parks to protecting hedgerows, forests, dark skies and the places people cherish.

Our history is proof that when the countryside needs a voice, people step up and make change happen.

But today, the land that sustains us faces growing and unprecedented pressures – from climate change and nature loss to decisions that lead to the needless loss of countryside.

We’ve written a Letter to England because the countryside is at a crossroads – and the choices we make now will shape the land we pass on tomorrow. Our letter is a message about what’s at stake, what’s possible, and how each of us can help create a countryside that gets better every day.

Dear Hampshire residents,

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.

Hampshire is the ninth largest county in England with a diverse range of landscapes including chalk grassland and rivers and lowland heath. It is one of only 4 counties in England with two national parks within its boundaries: the South Downs to the east and the New Forest in the south-west. Together with 3 National Landscapes; the North Wessex Downs, Cranborne Chase and Chichester Harbour, this means that some 38% of the county is nationally protected for the quality of the countryside. But it is also the second most populous non-metropolitan county, with a population of 1,852,000, putting significant pressures for development on the Hampshire countryside.

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

At CPRE Hampshire we are making a difference. Our flagship project The Hampshire Hedge is creating a nature corridor of hedgerows between our two national parks and training young people in the traditional rural craft of hedge-laying. Our Magnificent Meadows project is connecting urban communities with the rich and rare chalk grasslands on their doorsteps. And our water experts work tirelessly to campaign to link water quality and supply issues to planning, so that the water is an important consideration when making decisions about where new development should be sited.

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. 

Add your name to the letter today – your signature makes a difference.