Campaigns
The most
up-to-date statement of the main issues facing the CPRE is
available on the CPRE
CPRE website. You may like to receive the monthly
email campaign update by signing up on the national website
(under campaigns section)
MAKE SURE
YOUR
MP IS BACKING !
In November last
year, CPRE published maps showing, in detail and across the
whole of England, how likely the local surroundings are to make
a visitor feel tranquil (see home page for this regions map)
On Friday 18
May, the House of Commons is due to consider the Rural Bill
sponsored by John Penrose, Conservative MP for
Weston-super-Mare, and backed by MPs from all the major
political parties. Mr Penrose is calling on the Government
to measure systematically and secure it for future generations.
MPs have also
been signing a House of Commons Early Day Motion (number 1107)
backing the Rural Bill, and calling for Government action.
So far, 75 MPs have signed this motion which states;
That this House recognises the
significance of and its importance to quality of life; is
concerned that many areas are under severe pressure from
encroaching greenfield development, light pollution and road and
air traffic; acknowledges the importance of urban parks and
suburban gardens as pockets of relative in urban environments;
praises the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) for
creating and developing a quantified, evidenced and robust way
of measuring across the country; welcomes the measures proposed,
with cross-party support, in the Rural Bill; and calls upon the
Government to measure through a system similar to the one the
CPRE has developed, publish the results annually, and amend
planning policy to protect, preserve and enhance in future
Light Pollution
The Milky Way - blotted out for more than
half of the UK population by light pollution
Photo: CfDS image
library
Darkness at night is one of the things that
defines the countryside and makes it so different from towns and
cities. But that darkness is disappearing, and with it our
view of the stars and planets.
It's disappearing
because we carelessly and wastefully beam outdoor light upwards
into the sky. Collectively, these lights stop us from being able
to see the night sky, with all its majesty and mystery. Instead,
we see only a pinky orange glow, which only a few dozen of the
brightest stars can penetrate. This glow spreads for miles
outside towns and cities, making it much harder - or even
impossible - to see the sight of thousands of stars and our own
galaxy, the Milky Way.
This light pollution is getting worse.
Satellite data we've obtained from US Air Force weather
satellites shows that light pollution is spreading into new
areas of countryside and increasing in the areas where it was
before.
Our new light
pollution maps
Data has been used to create
maps which show how much light
pollution there is in your area.
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