UK Rural news

• How community projects are building a brighter future for British farms, wickedleeks.riverford.co.uk (Nov 11, 2025)
• “We believe our communities should be benefiting from the transition to renewable energy, not being left behind”, says Highland People’s Power, Dailt Alternative (Oct 22, 2025)
• Over 33,000 New Homes Could Be Built on Hampshire’s Brownfield Sites, cprehampshire.org.uk (Oct 01, 2025) — research shows that there are enough brownfield sites across England to build 1.4 million new homes,
• Community right to buy announced as part of English Devolution Bill, thenews.coop (Jul 18, 2025) — “For every neighbourhood to be able to reap the rewards of the Right to Buy – especially in more disadvantaged areas – it must be backed with proper resources.” Tony Armstrong, Locality. “The new requirement for neighbourhood-level governance... must place local people alongside council representatives as equal partners in decision-making." Richard Bell, We’re Right Here campaign for community power
• England’s communities got a boost, positive.news (Jul 18, 2025) — Community empowerment bill ‘lifeline’ for pubs and other assets threatened with closure
• Costly nitrogen pollution can be tackled by farmers adopting organic practices, Lords told, soilassociation.org (Mar 05, 2025)
• ‘People feel a sense of ownership’: the growth of community composting, theguardian.com (Jan 23, 2025) — residents of an English village build their own composting site
• Rural communities awarded cash help, BBC News (Jan 11, 2025)

• Charity preparing to take legal action against a government decision to permit a housing development in part of the Kent countryside, BBC News (Dec 20, 2024)
• Get on my land! The farmers opening up their patches for nature connection, positive.news (Nov 12, 2024)
• ‘No gear, all the ideas’: the farming collective offering up land to sustainable businesses, positive.news (Oct 28, 2024)
• CPRE submits response to consultation on planning system, cpre.org.uk (Sep 25, 2024) — Among CPRE's many recommendations in response to the wide scope of the consultation, CPRE calls for a more transparent method of assessing genuine housing need, a new definition of affordable so that house prices reflect average local incomes, and a greater focus on sustainable travel.
• More floods are coming to Britain, but you ought to know this: the system that should protect us is a scandal, George Monbiot, theguardian.com (Sep 18, 2024)
• Regen, organic & agroecology: what’s the difference?, wickedleeks.riverford.co.uk (Jul 17, 2024)
• ‘Give nature space and it will come back’: rewilding returns endangered species to UK’s south coast, theguardian.com (Jun 27, 2024)
• E-bikes are freewheeling through rain and over hills, with huge promise for sustainable transport in rural tourist areas, theconversation.com (Feb 06, 2024)

• Housing crisis poses threat to survival of rural communities, CPRE Report, cpre.org.uk (Nov 28, 2023) — CPRE urges government to redefine ‘affordable housing’ to directly link to average local incomes.
• 20% of people in England live in rural areas. Pam Barrett is showing the powers those communities need to keep them healthy and happy, The Daily Alternative (Jul 17, 2023)
• New report reveals "growing, invisible homelessness crisis in our countryside, English Rural (Mar 17, 2023)

• "We just flippin' do it": how a rural cooperative from Lancashire built the fastest broadband in Britain, The Daily Alternative (Sep 21, 2022)
• How Sussex farmers plan to rewild a nature-rich green corridor to the sea, The Guardian (Jul 22, 2022)

• Plantwatch: a climate solution is hidden in the hedgerows, Aug 18, 2021...^[1]
• The government's relentless push for development is destroying rural England, Ros Coward, Feb 17, 2021...^[2]
• Councillors revolt over government plans to dismantle planning system, CPRE Kent, Dec 10, 2020...^[3]
• Environment to benefit from 'biggest farming shake-up in 50 years', Nov 30, 2020...^[4]
• This is why more of Scotland should be owned by the people^[5] Aug 22, 2020.
• Britain beyond lockdown: can we make more space for nature?^[6] Jun 30, 2020.

New UK housing 'dominated by roads'^[7] "... too many highways engineers are still approving roads that do not fully account for pedestrians and cyclists." Prof Matthew Carmona, University College London. Government poll suggests 76% of people think that for the sake of the environment, everyone should reduce their driving. Jan 21, 2020.

References

• The future of environmental planning, Tom Kenny, Dec 10, 2018^[1]
• Our Common Ground: some reflections on the RSA's latest report, Nov 7, 2018^[2]
• This disastrous new project will change the face of Britain, yet no debate is allowed, George Monbiot, Aug 22, 2018^[3]
• If we value rural Britain, we can't build houses all over it, Simon Jenkins, Aug 6, 2018^[4]

References

• Farthingloe Valley saved as CPRE Kent wins battle in Supreme Court, Dec 6, 2017...^[1]
• How to Set Up a Community Co-op, May 17, 2017...^[2]
• Green campaigners call for land ministry to halt the 'erosion of the countryside', Mar 5, 2017...^[3]
• New £3.62 million support programme announced to help communities take control of their local pub, Mar 9, 2016...^[4]
• From fringe to fork – food and the Green Belt, Sep 29, 2015...^[5]

References