Natural England

Ewen Cameron, chairman of the Countryside Agency, is to champion the needs of rural England at the heart of government in a new role as ‘rural advocate’. The Deputy Prime Minister announced today (28 November) that Mr Cameron will have direct access to the Prime Minister and other Ministers, and will join the Cabinet Committee of Ministers which co-ordinates rural affairs. His role will be to tell ministers what the countryside needs from the government, drawing on the Countryside Agency’s own extensive research programme and practical experience. more

The Countryside Agency is providing £161,000 of funding for the Association of Community Rail Partnerships (ACORP).  more

Secretary of State for Environment, Transport and the Regions is looking to appoint a new member to each National Park Authority in England - a process which is being co-ordinated by the Countryside Agency. more

The fact that rural deprivation exists, and can be as bad as in some of the worst inner city areas, is recognised in a new government index of disadvantaged areas in England. More rural areas will now be able to benefit from area-targeted initiatives such as New Deal for Communities, Single Regeneration Budget and the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, according to the Countryside Agency. more

One of Britain's rarest habitats and landscape features - limestone pavement - is disappearing because of the popularity and demand for water worn limestone for garden rockeries. Despite protective legislation, limestone pavement is still being illegally extracted according to a new report undertaken by Traffic International for the Countryside Agency and the Heritage Council of Ireland. more

Rural post offices make a far greater contribution to their local economy than often recognised, according to new research published today by the Countryside Agency.  more

500 new community-based transport projects will help access to jobs and services for those without a car in the countryside. more

Rural housing needs are not being met and urgent action is needed according to countryside, local authority and housing commentators. more

Countryside Agency chairman Ewen Cameron warmly welcomed the commitment to introduce rural proofing across all areas of Government action  more

Supporting their local economy is the number one reason for people buying local products, according to new research by the Countryside Agency. more

Leading figures from the food and farming industries, non-profit environment and consumer organisations, and the media have pledged their support for a new Countryside Agency campaign. Launched today at the Royal Show, 'Eat the View' intends to bring consumers and producers closer together and help develop stronger markets for products that help to conserve the countryside. more

The future of the English countryside is in the hands of the public as much as the government, according to the Countryside Agency, but they need to understand the connection between the products they buy and the countryside they value. A major new campaign called Eat the View, launched today at the Royal Show by Agriculture Minister Nick Brown and Ewen Cameron, chairman of the Countryside Agency, is designed to help create this understanding. more

Ewen Cameron, chairman of the Countryside Agency kicked off the launch of a new local products campaign, called Eat the View at the Royal Show more

Agriculture Minister Nick Brown and Ewen Cameron, chairman of the Countryside Agency, will launch a major new project vital to the future prosperity of producers and the countryside. New research revealing whether consumers really understand the links between the products they purchase and the countryside they value will also be launched. more

Market towns throughout England can serve the modern countryside. A new national project launched by the Countryside Agency today (Thursday 29 June) will help uncover their potential to act as service centres. more

As society changes, so must our rural post offices. They can be the new rural service hubs for villages, embracing information technology and the skills of the people behind the counter. Now is the time to act on the Government's latest report and quickly, according to the Countryside Agency, noting that rural post offices continue to close (nearly 400 last year) depriving people of a basic rural service.  more

Tourism is facing a greener future with the launch of a new training programme aimed at improving environmental awareness amongst tourism businesses and students in the industry. more

The Countryside Agency is taking the lead to help reinvigorate England's market towns, according to Countryside Agency chief executive Richard Wakeford. Speaking to the International conference of the Association of Town Centre Managers in London today he said: We are looking to reinvent market towns as thriving 21st century service centres for the rural hinterlands. That require local and national partnerships. more

Social exclusion is not confined to the inner cities. It exists amongst green fields, beautiful countryside and pretty villages. Yet the hardship experienced by some people in the countryside largely goes unrecognised, says the Countryside Agency. more

If the Government's vision of mixed rural communities is to be achieved, at least 10,000 additional affordable homes will be needed in rural England each year. That requires changes in planning and funding, said Countryside Agency chief executive Richard Wakeford speaking at the Chartered Institute of Housing conference today (Wednesday 14 June) more

The Countryside Agency strongly welcomes the Government's announced intention to strengthen the statutory protection of areas of outstanding natural beauty (AONBs) through its Countryside and Rights of Way Bill. more

Hedgerows are an integral part of our countryside - yet in just 50 years, half the length of England's hedgerows have disappeared. more

The English countryside is one of our most valuable natural assets. Visitors spent around £8.4 billion in a single year, according to the latest survey. More than 1.2 billion day visits were made in 1998. more

"Tomorrow's countryside needs more than just good ideas. It also needs a statutory champion fully engaged in the design and implementation of government policy."  more

Providing sufficient affordable housing is central to the prosperity and inclusiveness of the countryside, but without more effective planning and adequate funding these much needed homes will not be built, according to the Countryside Agency chairman Ewen Cameron. more

Farming delivers food for world markets, and wider benefits that people can enjoy in the British countryside. What price are people prepared to pay for those wider benefits? That was the question addressed by Countryside Agency chief executive Richard Wakeford. at the 'Back to the Future' Millennium Conference at the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester, (28 April) more