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31 July 2006
DEVELOPMENT IS A REAL THREAT, SAYS RURAL GROUP'S NEW CHAIRMAN
CPRE Buckinghamshire - the county branch of the Campaign to Protect
Rural England - has appointed a new Chairman with a remit to strengthen
its campaigning and influencing role.
Peter Cleasby, who has lived with his family in Wingrave for the past
13 years, takes over at a time when the quality of rural life in
Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes is under unprecedented threat from
development.
Before taking up the CPRE post, he was a senior official at Defra (the
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) helping shape the
government's rural policy. He is now a director of Quantera, a
Buckinghamshire-based consultancy.
Speaking about his priorities for the branch, Peter Cleasby said:
"Like other parts of the south-east, Buckinghamshire is facing new and
major development pressures, leading particularly to new housing, new
roads and more aircraft movements. We have experienced
large-scale development before - Milton Keynes is the obvious example -
but what is different today is that we are much better informed about
the effects on the environment and on local communities. If
development is not well managed, it will seriously damage the character
of our countryside, place unsustainable demands on natural resources
such as water, and undermine what is valuable about rural life.
"The growth plans are driven by central government, and we at CPRE want
to work with our local authorities to help them devise solutions that
combine inevitable change with respect for our inheritance. We
already have skilled and committed people in CPRE Buckinghamshire, but
the scale of the challenge is now such that my first priority is to
strengthen the branch's capacity to support our district groups and,
with others, help shape the future. We will give a warm welcome
to people who want to join in."
CPRE Buckinghamshire can be contacted by emailing
office@cprebucks.org.uk or by writing to PO Box 219, Aylesbury, Bucks,
HP22 4ED
Notes to Editors:
1. CPRE, the Campaign to Protect Rural England, is a national charity
which promotes the beauty, tranquillity and diversity of rural England
by advocating positive solutions for the long-term future of the
countryside. Founded in 1926, CPRE has 60,000 supporters nationally and
a branch in every county. The Buckinghamshire Branch, with over
450 individual and 75 corporate members, covers the areas administered
by Buckinghamshire County Council and Milton Keynes Council.
2. The Buckinghamshire Branch supports the work of its four CPRE
district groups, who handle issues specific to the District Councils
and Milton Keynes Council. Much of their work is in responding to
consultation papers and major planning proposals, but they also take
initiatives to promote awareness and understanding of public policies
and plans that impact - positively or negatively - on CPRE's
objectives.
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