The most up-to-date statement of the main issues facing the CPRE is available on the 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 TRANQUILLITY!

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 Tranquillity 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 tranquillity systematically and secure it for future generations.

MPs have also been signing a House of Commons Early Day Motion (number 1107)  backing the Rural Tranquillity Bill, and calling for Government action.  So far, 75 MPs have signed this motion which states;

That this House recognises the significance of tranquillity 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 tranquillity in urban environments; praises the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) for creating and developing a quantified, evidenced and robust way of measuring tranquillity across the country; welcomes the measures proposed, with cross-party support, in the Rural Tranquillity Bill; and calls upon the Government to measure tranquillity through a system similar to the one the CPRE has developed, publish the results annually, and amend planning policy to protect, preserve and enhance tranquillity 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.