Let’s have a green recovery

CPRE has set out a vision for regenerating the countryside and ourselves – and says the government’s plans make a mockery of its ‘so-called green recovery’.

CPRE’s ‘manifesto’ proposes a green recovery that can support the regeneration of the economy, our wellbeing and the environment. The manifesto urges the government to use the post-coronavirus lockdown as an opportunity for real change. It recommends ways to stimulate the economy, while making life greener and taking steps towards a resilient countryside with thriving rural communities.

Recommendations in Regenerate our countryside, regenerate ourselves: A manifesto for a resilient countryside after coronavirus include countryside around large towns and cities having funding significantly increased to make sure it is used better for people and to help mitigate climate breakdown. This would certainly benefit residents of towns such as Brighton. The manifesto also presses for the support of greener farming techniques that could make our food supply more resilient.

With its focus on sustainable, community-led development and progress, CPRE’s manifesto contrasts sharply the government’s New Deal with road building at its heart.

The manifesto also calls for the countryside to be open to everyone, whether visiting, living or working there. The coronavirus lockdown highlighted the surge of love for the countryside in the south east and the regenerative power of green spaces. But it also exposed inequalities of countryside access, particularly affecting Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) groups. So the manifesto includes a call for every child to be guaranteed a night in nature in a National Park or Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, as recommended in the Landscapes Review.

Read: CPRE’s manifesto for regeneration and about the launch of CPRE’s manifesto.

Watch out for how CPRE Sussex sees a green recovery working in Sussex.