LONDON - England's countryside is in danger of disappearing within a generation if urban sprawl and a decline in farming are not halted, a pressure group said on Friday.
In a report entitled "Your countryside, your choice" the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) paints a picture of an England of 2035 blighted by new housing developments, fresh road building and airport expansion plans.
Farmland could be either abandoned or ruined by overfarming.
"We cannot continue to consider the countryside as a limitless resource, infinitely able to recover from repeated damage," the CPRE's Tom Oliver said.
He said the prospect of a new generation of roads and airports and the "abandonment of farming to the tender mercies of world markets" -- which could lead to either more intense use or abandoned land -- could have dire consequences for the countryside.
While the scenario was not inevitable, the rural campaign group called on the government to act to stop it.
One way would be to increase efforts to promote efficient use of land for housing and to aim for at least three quarters of new homes to be built on previously developed land.
The CPRE said it would also like to see a reduced dependence on motorways and trunk roads.
Continued funding for farmers to manage the countryside to help them retain the character of the landscapes and to conserve natural resources such as soil and water, was another policy the government should promote, the CPRE said.
Britain's deputy prime minister, John Prescott, who is responsible for housing and regional development, recently gave the go-ahead for a large scale house-building plan across relatively densely populated southern England.
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
