CPRE Herefordshire Annual Report October 2012
CPRE Herefordshire Annual Report October 2012
CPRE Herefordshire Annual Report October 2012
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ISSUE 6 OCTOBER <strong>2012</strong><br />
ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2012</strong><br />
<strong>CPRE</strong> <strong>Herefordshire</strong>’s <strong>2012</strong> AGM will be held at the<br />
Bishop’s House on Saturday 3rd November at 2pm.<br />
We are the country of Shakespeare: most<br />
people would be happy to say that is<br />
England’s greatest gift to the wide world.<br />
But in fact there’s an even greater gift –<br />
which is our landscape. In absolutely<br />
decisive ways, we made it. We continue to<br />
make it. And because it is our greatest<br />
achievement, it is also our greatest<br />
responsibility to look after it.<br />
Sir Andrew Motion<br />
<strong>CPRE</strong>’s new National President
CONTRIBUTORS<br />
Bob Widdowson<br />
Ros Bradbury<br />
Ian Jardin<br />
Barbara Bromhead-Wragg<br />
Penny Farquhar Oliver<br />
KEEP IN<br />
TOUCH...<br />
You can keep up-to-date with all<br />
the latest news and information<br />
by visiting our website at<br />
www.cpreherefordshire.org.uk<br />
You can also contact the branch<br />
by the following methods:<br />
By email...<br />
Please send any comments<br />
or letters to:<br />
contactus@cpreherefordshire.org.uk<br />
Secretary David Phelps<br />
davidsphelps@yahoo.co.uk<br />
Chairman Bob Widdowson<br />
rw@gumpol.demon.co.uk<br />
By phone...<br />
David Phelps 01432 279185<br />
Bob Widdowson 01544 230050<br />
© MMXI1 <strong>CPRE</strong> <strong>Herefordshire</strong>. The contents of this publication are<br />
subject to copyright protection and reproduction in whole or in part,<br />
whether mechanical or electronic, is expressly forbidden without the<br />
prior consent of <strong>CPRE</strong>. All details were correct at the time of going to<br />
press but may change at the publisher’s discretion.<br />
Registered Charity No. 213951<br />
Designed by Wayne Summers<br />
t 01544 262 794 e wayne@waynesummers.co.uk<br />
It is, quite simply, the most radical shakeup of the<br />
planning system in our time. After months of<br />
consultation, thousands of public responses, a swell of<br />
media criticism and much heated political debate, the<br />
Government has finally unveiled its new National<br />
Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).<br />
Throughout the consultation process, <strong>CPRE</strong> has<br />
been a leading voice in favour of strong<br />
planning regulations, and expressed its<br />
concerns about the draft document’s failure to<br />
recognise the value of our ordinary<br />
countryside, 52% of which has no special<br />
environmental designation or protection. We<br />
had been curious to see just how the final NPPF<br />
would condense over 1,000 pages of previous<br />
legislation into a mere 50.<br />
The Government appears to have listened to<br />
<strong>CPRE</strong>, our members and supporters and other<br />
campaigners’ concerns, and incorporated some<br />
of our key objectives in the final NPPF –<br />
including a clearer definition of sustainable<br />
development, an explicit recognition of the<br />
value of the countryside as a whole, and a<br />
revived emphasis on building on previously<br />
developed brownfield sites rather than unspoilt<br />
green spaces.<br />
However, the Government’s self-proclaimed<br />
pro-growth agenda means that we will have to<br />
remain vigilant about whether such growth<br />
comes at the expense of the countryside.<br />
OUR REACTION<br />
We were very reassured that the Minister, Greg<br />
Clark, recognised the intrinsic value of the<br />
ordinary countryside “whether specifically<br />
designated or not” and stated that the five<br />
principles of the UK Sustainable Development<br />
Strategy are included in the document.<br />
The test will be whether the NPPF document is<br />
clear when put in practice. If the actual<br />
wording is vague or open to interpretation, it<br />
could undo the good intentions and slow<br />
everything down.<br />
The NPPF’s deadline for local plans will place<br />
councils under pressure. <strong>Herefordshire</strong> Council’s<br />
Local Development Framework is not planned<br />
to be adopted before Spring 2014.<br />
MATCHLESS COUNTRYSIDE<br />
Shortly before the release of the NPPF, Prime<br />
Minister David Cameron praised the planning<br />
vision of the <strong>CPRE</strong> co-founder Sir Patrick<br />
Abercrombie in a key speech on infrastructure<br />
at the Institute of Civil Engineering, saying that<br />
he hoped to emulate Abercrombie’s ideal of<br />
well-planned homes. It is worth remembering<br />
that Abercrombie was also a fierce critic of<br />
governments risking beautiful countryside for<br />
economic gain and who pointed out: ‘It is a<br />
matter for serious thought that at periods of<br />
financial stress it is always beauty that is<br />
sacrificed upon the altar of expediency.’<br />
Only time will tell whether the Government’s<br />
long-awaited new planning framework will truly<br />
protect, rather than sacrifice, the beauty of our<br />
countryside. Needless to say, <strong>CPRE</strong> will be<br />
scrutinising the full NPPF in detail over the<br />
coming days - and will be continuing to work<br />
within the planning system, and with the<br />
Government, local authorities and<br />
communities, defending what Greg Clark<br />
rightly called ‘our matchless countryside.’<br />
2
NPPF AT A GLANCE...<br />
GREEN<br />
Improved/Good<br />
AMBER<br />
Unchanged/Caution<br />
RED<br />
Poor/Area for Concern<br />
GREEN: INTRINSIC VALUE<br />
One of the most worrying aspects of the<br />
draft NPPF was its omission of the previous<br />
policy requirement that all countryside<br />
should be recognised as intrinsically<br />
valuable for its own sake, not just specially<br />
designated sites. Minister Greg Clark<br />
confirmed that the final policy recognises<br />
the intrinsic character and beauty of the<br />
countryside, ‘whether specifically<br />
designated or not’. While this does not mean<br />
no development in the countryside, it should<br />
help ensure that building on green fields is<br />
not a first resort.<br />
GREEN: LOCAL PLANS<br />
The NPPF clearly stressed that all decisions<br />
on development must be taken in line with<br />
locally agreed plans and policies, unless<br />
other relevant issues indicate otherwise. We<br />
also welcomed the Government’s response to<br />
calls to allow local authorities time to get<br />
their local plans up to date before the<br />
presumption in favour of sustainable<br />
development kicks in, although it will be a<br />
challenge for many authorities to finalise<br />
their plans within the new 12 month<br />
deadline.<br />
GREEN: LIGHT POLLUTION AND<br />
TRANQUILLITY<br />
The inclusion of policies to enable local<br />
authorities to combat light pollution, by<br />
encouraging good design and planning and<br />
better lighting controls is a good thing. We<br />
hope that more local authorities will now<br />
seek to limit the impact from artificial light<br />
on local amenity, intrinsically dark<br />
landscapes and the natural environment.<br />
Also welcome is the first reference in<br />
national policy to the need to identify and<br />
protect areas of tranquillity. We will be<br />
supporting this policy to protect and<br />
enhance areas of tranquillity for their<br />
contribution to health and quality of life.<br />
AMBER: SUSTAINABLE<br />
DEVELOPMENT<br />
Many were concerned that while the draft<br />
NPPF championed ‘sustainable<br />
development’ at all costs, it signally failed<br />
to spell out exactly what that meant. The<br />
final NPPF provides rather more detail on<br />
what such development should entail,<br />
referencing the key principles of the UK<br />
Sustainable Development Strategy, and<br />
Greg Clark reiterated to Parliament that<br />
environmental and social aspects were key<br />
elements of sustainable projects. However,<br />
there was still a lack of clarity over what<br />
sustainable development might mean in<br />
practice, and a lack of UK-specific<br />
environmental limits.<br />
AMBER: BUILDING ON<br />
BROWNFIELD<br />
The draft NPPF dispensed with the old<br />
requirement that previously developed<br />
brownfield land should be prioritised for<br />
development, so we were pleased to note<br />
that the final document explicitly<br />
acknowledged that building on brownfield<br />
should be a priority. However, the new<br />
NPPF does not go as far as previous<br />
policies in making sure that brownfield is<br />
always prioritised over greenfield.<br />
RED: GREEN VERSUS GROWTH?<br />
While the Government has removed much<br />
of the alarming language in the draft<br />
NPPF, including the notorious ‘default yes’<br />
to sustainable development, it continues<br />
to call for ‘significant weight’ to be placed<br />
on delivering economic growth, implying<br />
that strong planning regulations are an<br />
impediment to such growth. This is<br />
something that <strong>CPRE</strong> has long questioned,<br />
as our research shows that far from<br />
holding back growth, sensible planning<br />
has huge and lasting benefits for the<br />
economy.<br />
RED: HOUSING PRESSURE<br />
Under the NPPF, the Government has still<br />
retained its misguided approach to<br />
requiring the planning system to make<br />
available a five year supply of ‘deliverable’<br />
housing land, plus an additional ‘buffer’<br />
requirement of 5-20%, based on the<br />
performance of local planning authorities.<br />
While the approach is not new, the extra<br />
buffer requirement can only increase<br />
pressure to develop on lower-cost green<br />
field and rural housing sites.<br />
COULD<br />
YOU<br />
HELP?<br />
If you have just a few<br />
hours a month to spare,<br />
we can find a valuable<br />
role for you. We offer<br />
appropriate training and<br />
can reimburse all relevant<br />
expenses.<br />
All our volunteers work from home and keep in<br />
touch by e-mail, telephone and through the<br />
linked “members’ area” at<br />
www.cpreherefordshire.org.uk<br />
We have monthly meetings. Job holders are<br />
most welcome to attend as often as they wish,<br />
although in practice some of the roles<br />
described below do not require regular<br />
attendance.<br />
Job Descriptions are available on our website<br />
for the jobs listed: just click on the relevant<br />
link.<br />
We currently have specific vacancies for:<br />
• Press Officer: to provide support to the<br />
branch in drafting Press releases and<br />
publicising <strong>CPRE</strong> <strong>Herefordshire</strong>’s work<br />
• Planning Watchdogs: to help monitor<br />
planning applications across the county<br />
• Policy Volunteers: to help formulate <strong>CPRE</strong><br />
<strong>Herefordshire</strong>’s position on issues like, the<br />
emerging development plan, the Local<br />
Development Framework, polytunnels,<br />
Telecommunications masts and windfarms<br />
• Public Relations Volunteers: to help man<br />
<strong>CPRE</strong> information stands at public events<br />
• Volunteers to join our Executive<br />
Committee<br />
If you are interested in finding out more about<br />
becoming a committee member, or would like<br />
more information on any of the other<br />
volunteer posts then email us at:<br />
contactus@cpreherefordshire.org.uk<br />
3
H<strong>CPRE</strong>’S<br />
HEDGEROW<br />
PROJECT<br />
We have been campaigning for<br />
hedgerow protection since the 1970s.<br />
We welcomed the introduction of the<br />
Hedgerows Regulations in 1997, but<br />
there is more we can do to ensure a<br />
better future for England’s hedgerows.<br />
H<strong>CPRE</strong> volunteers Ros Bradbury and John<br />
Ockenden measuring a veteran tree, with<br />
a recent pollard in background.<br />
Funded by a generous legacy specifically for<br />
hedgerow work, <strong>CPRE</strong> branches around the<br />
country have been running hedgerow<br />
projects, including <strong>Herefordshire</strong> where since<br />
2009 H<strong>CPRE</strong> volunteers have been mapping<br />
some of the county’s important hedgerows.<br />
We were pleased to be invited to survey the<br />
hedgerows on a farm in north <strong>Herefordshire</strong>.<br />
The present owner is the third generation to<br />
farm the land, (75.5 ha), most of which is<br />
pasture used for grazing sheep and cattle.<br />
There is also an orchard, an area of woodland,<br />
a stream and part of a disused railway track.<br />
Roads, connected by a public footpath across<br />
the land, form the north and south<br />
boundaries; the north, south and east<br />
boundaries are also parish boundaries<br />
As a preliminary to the survey work, we<br />
examined contemporary and older maps<br />
of the land, dated 1880, 1840 and 1780.<br />
Although some relatively short hedges had<br />
been removed after 1880, all the present<br />
hedgerows were depicted on the tithe map.<br />
We were shown the current hedgerow<br />
management plan, including some<br />
restoration that had been agreed for the<br />
Stewardship Scheme.<br />
We surveyed 13 hedgerows from December<br />
2011 to May <strong>2012</strong>, in 30m sections, a total of<br />
nearly 3,500m; the majority had a wide<br />
variety of woody species. In one of the parish<br />
boundaries, we found: ash, blackthorn, elder,<br />
crack willow, dogwood, English elm, field<br />
maple, goat willow, hawthorn, hazel, holly<br />
and sycamore. We also recorded ground flora,<br />
fauna, fungi, plant galls and measured<br />
veteran trees.<br />
Among the observations that excited the<br />
survey team was the relatively high<br />
frequency of field maple (Acer Campestris),<br />
including good-sized trees and very old<br />
pollards, one with a girth of 2.94m. One<br />
hedgerow contained seven oak trees, the<br />
largest with 3.60m girth. The ground flora<br />
were splendid; over 100 different species were<br />
noted. Among memorable ‘finds’ were several<br />
clumps of pungently scented sweet violet, a<br />
bank of cowslips, a field of bulbous buttercup,<br />
and plants of pepper saxifrage and green<br />
alkanet. We saw buzzards, a raven, skylarks,<br />
an occupied badger sett, numerous<br />
bumblebees including Bombus lapidarius<br />
(red-tailed), butterflies, moths and other<br />
insects, including St. Mark's Fly.<br />
We are grateful to the landowner for the<br />
opportunity to make this species-rich record.<br />
4
A CASE STUDY<br />
H<strong>CPRE</strong> recently challenged <strong>Herefordshire</strong> Council’s decision to remove a hedgerow in Credenhill as part<br />
of the creation of the cycleway from the end of the Roman Road to Credenhill. H<strong>CPRE</strong>’s concern was how<br />
the Council arrived at the conclusion that the hedge was not ‘important’.<br />
The Council and H<strong>CPRE</strong> both agreed that the<br />
hedge was species rich and very close to the<br />
borderline of importance in terms of the<br />
wildlife aspects of the Hedgerow Regulations.<br />
The nub of the matter was the Council’s<br />
conclusion that the hedge was not part of a<br />
pre-enclosure field system and therefore not<br />
important in terms of the Hedgerow<br />
Regulations.<br />
H<strong>CPRE</strong> member, Penny Farquhar-Oliver<br />
prepared a detailed report, challenging the<br />
Council’s opinion. It is an example of the<br />
diligent work done by H<strong>CPRE</strong> to protect the<br />
county’s heritage. Here are some extracts from<br />
her report.<br />
H<strong>CPRE</strong> ask that before finally determining its<br />
status, the Council take full and proper account<br />
of the 1840 Stretton Sugwas tithe map, and of<br />
the 1757 and 1794 maps, and also take into<br />
consideration numerous earlier written<br />
documents confirming many of the fields in<br />
the locality to be of long standing.<br />
In H<strong>CPRE</strong>’s opinion, (and quite apart from the<br />
Council’s case resting on inappropriate<br />
speculations), documents and maps<br />
collectively cast doubt even on the Council’s<br />
contention that the field pattern in this area<br />
(i.e. the area around the road and hedge) has a<br />
strong co-axial character relating to the course<br />
of the Roman Road’. In our view, map and<br />
documentary evidence appears to suggest the<br />
following: -<br />
To the south of the Roman Road [A438], the<br />
landscape in 1757 was predominantly one of<br />
curvaceous and numerous strips in three large<br />
open arable fields, with a number of scattered<br />
curvilinear enclosures as well. By 1794, this<br />
curvilinear pattern had been strengthened with<br />
numerous additional curvilinear boundaries<br />
arising from (pre-Parliamentary) enclosure of<br />
all three open fields, and reflecting their former<br />
furlongs. But then this area was changed again,<br />
this time by comprehensive reorganization of<br />
the field pattern (presumably by the Guys<br />
Estate) and replacement of the former<br />
boundary pattern with a strongly coaxial one<br />
which was very evident in19th century tithe<br />
and OS maps, but which had become<br />
fragmented by the 1970s.<br />
But in the vicinity of Stretton Court (and the<br />
A480 road and hedge), the map shows that<br />
any open arable had already been enclosed by<br />
1757, (documentary evidence suggests that<br />
this was taking place in the 1600s or earlier),<br />
and although a number of curvaceous<br />
boundaries were lost near the road between<br />
1794 and 1840, and some straight boundaries<br />
replaced them, there was little other change<br />
(and little evidence in either map of any ‘strong<br />
co-axial character’ save that introduced by the<br />
new boundaries). The situation remained<br />
similar through the 19th century, though some<br />
of the new straight boundaries were removed<br />
again between 1840 and 1886 and also five<br />
short stretches of the 1757 network. But in the<br />
main, the curvilinear pattern as seen in 1757 is<br />
still visible today, with some remaining<br />
additional 19th century straight boundaries<br />
postdating it.<br />
H<strong>CPRE</strong> knows of no evidence to suggest that<br />
the curvilinear A480 is any less an integral part<br />
of the field patterns in the locality than is the<br />
equally curvilinear road (now a bridleway) to<br />
its east with the medieval packhorse bridge, or<br />
the curvilinear northern boundary of Stretton<br />
around some of the fields called Hansell seen<br />
in the redrawn tithe map on page 2. (The<br />
Hansell names were Horneshill in the 1640s<br />
and Hornsell by 1699).<br />
We also note that since most historic parish<br />
boundaries were established between five and<br />
nine centuries ago, any such boundary mered*<br />
to a road is likely to indicate that that road is<br />
equally old. The available evidence is therefore<br />
against the Council’s claim that this road or its<br />
hedge ‘postdates’ the surrounding field pattern.<br />
H<strong>CPRE</strong> continues to maintain that this roadside<br />
hedge is important because it certainly meets<br />
criterion 5(a). We further suggest that it may<br />
well also be important under criterion 1 and/or<br />
4, but of course, meeting one criterion is<br />
sufficient to confer ‘Important’ status in terms<br />
of the Hedgerow Regulations.<br />
<br />
Parish boundary<br />
<br />
Threatened hedge<br />
Following this report, <strong>Herefordshire</strong> Council<br />
agreed that it met the criteria for importance<br />
but told H<strong>CPRE</strong> that “the regulations require<br />
a judgement to be made as to whether its<br />
removal is justified, having regard to the<br />
reasons for its proposed removal and<br />
comments of the Parish Council. In that<br />
consideration, the wider public interest is a<br />
factor.<br />
The scheme will deliver a range of benefits in<br />
linking the community of Credenhill with an<br />
earlier phase of investment between the<br />
Brecon and Roman Roads. The approved<br />
scheme is supported by both Parish Councils.<br />
Weighing these factors (we) have concluded<br />
that the Hedgerow Removal Notice should<br />
stand as issued. The footway/cycleway scheme<br />
will continue to be implemented as designed<br />
and approved, to deliver the enhanced links<br />
which are sought. A replacement, species rich<br />
hedgerow will be planted along the field<br />
boundary.”<br />
* Mereing is the association of a parish boundary with<br />
ground features which define it.<br />
5
A ROUND-UP OF CURRENT LOCAL CONCERNS<br />
Hereford By-pass<br />
1 H<strong>CPRE</strong> has consistently responded to<br />
consultations on the proposed Hereford relief<br />
road by arguing that the case for the road is<br />
‘unproven’. We will continue to have serious<br />
concerns on the road until:<br />
a It can be shown that the road would<br />
achieve its stated objective of reducing<br />
congestion in the city centre and the<br />
surrounding approach roads,<br />
b The impact on the surrounding landscape<br />
is clearly known, i.e. when a preferred<br />
route is identified, and H<strong>CPRE</strong> is able to<br />
consider the balance between the impacts<br />
and the benefits,<br />
c It is clear that expenditure on the road will<br />
not impact on other budget priorities<br />
2 Our position is based on the fact that:<br />
a <strong>Herefordshire</strong> Council have not tested or<br />
consulted on a ‘no road’ option since 2008<br />
and did not include this question in its<br />
Shaping our Place 2026 questionnaire<br />
b Congestions forecasts have not been<br />
updated including other options that would<br />
contribute to congestion reduction<br />
c Because the road is linked with planned<br />
housing growth in the city <strong>Herefordshire</strong><br />
Council’s own studies show that it will not<br />
reduce congestion in the city<br />
d The studies “do not incorporate much<br />
discussion about the impacts on the route<br />
through the city centre. The significance of<br />
this omission is that there is no importance<br />
placed upon the impact on the city centre<br />
of any particular option”. Independent<br />
Review of Hereford Relief Road Technical<br />
Studies July 2011<br />
e The Council’s current Root and Branch<br />
review is aimed at cutting cost by 20% by<br />
2014 and by 30% by 2017 but does not<br />
include the relief road proposal,<br />
f Serious environmental impacts have not<br />
been adequately assessed including the<br />
substantial loss of Grade 1 agricultural land.<br />
3 H<strong>CPRE</strong>’s objective is to protect the<br />
landscape. The independent Review (see 2d<br />
above) noted that the proposals are very<br />
damaging to the landscape in that they...<br />
a Are at considerable variance with the<br />
landform, scale and pattern of the<br />
landscape.<br />
b Are visually intrusive and would disrupt<br />
fine and valued views of the area and are<br />
likely to degrade, diminish or even destroy<br />
the integrity of a range of characteristic<br />
features and elements and their setting.<br />
c Will be substantially damaging to a high<br />
quality or highly vulnerable landscape<br />
causing it to change and be considerably<br />
diminished in quality that cannot be<br />
adequately mitigated.<br />
4 Our concerns relate to all the route options<br />
including the suggested eastern route.<br />
H<strong>CPRE</strong>’s position is that these issues must be<br />
addressed before adopting the Hereford<br />
Relief Road as a core strategy of the LDF.<br />
More roads<br />
Leominster southern By-pass<br />
The Council wishes to build a new road round<br />
Leominster from the B4361 Hereford road to<br />
the A44 south of Baron’s Cross. H<strong>CPRE</strong><br />
believes it takes in far too much land, which<br />
will then be vulnerable to further<br />
development. H<strong>CPRE</strong> believes that this<br />
proposed route for the road would be an<br />
environmentally damaging encroachment on<br />
open countryside and is opposing it. It would<br />
be possible to mark out a route for the road<br />
that does not go far from the existing<br />
settlement boundary.<br />
Industrialised<br />
Farming<br />
Recent disputes about milk prices have<br />
thrown into focus the future of farming in the<br />
UK. According to a recent survey by <strong>CPRE</strong>,<br />
less than a fifth of people want a more<br />
industrialised farming sector and an<br />
overwhelming 78% would like farmers to<br />
receive more support for adopting<br />
environmentally sustainable farming<br />
practices.<br />
At a local level, H<strong>CPRE</strong> continues to resist the<br />
encroachment of polytunnels on the<br />
landscape. Added to this, we are seeing a new<br />
challenge with the first solar farms in the<br />
county (one with a 'solar array' i.e., photovoltaic<br />
panels covering an 11 hectare field<br />
adjacent to an AONB) and the ever-present<br />
threat of wind turbines. However, these are on<br />
a small scale compared with the future<br />
possibility of ‘mega’ farms’ such as those<br />
found in America.<br />
The president of the National Farmers Union<br />
believes the UK needs more and bigger ‘super<br />
farms’ to keep food prices from rising too<br />
high and to maintain high animal welfare<br />
standards... One to watch!<br />
Wind Turbines<br />
Very few so far in <strong>Herefordshire</strong> but as our<br />
2011 report noted, a report for <strong>Herefordshire</strong><br />
Council stated that:<br />
<strong>Herefordshire</strong> by virtue of being a relatively<br />
sparsely developed county with a diverse<br />
geographical range has the potential to<br />
harness good levels of wind energy.<br />
Levels of practically accessible wind resources<br />
equates to approximately 174 2.3MW turbines<br />
(Editors note: i.e., up to 98 metres high), after<br />
unsuitable areas for large wind farm<br />
development have been identified and ruled<br />
out. This potentially makes large-scale wind<br />
energy a high priority in the short-, mediumand<br />
long-term in relation to planning policy.<br />
<strong>CPRE</strong> national has produced policy guidance<br />
on our approach to wind turbines, which is<br />
summarised below:<br />
Decisions made today will have a lasting<br />
effect on the countryside. In pursuing our<br />
national carbon reduction and renewable<br />
energy targets, we must not ignore other<br />
important and established environmental<br />
objectives, particularly the protection of<br />
valued landscapes from damaging<br />
development. <strong>CPRE</strong> has done a considerable<br />
amount of work to analyse what impact<br />
different kinds of development have on the<br />
countryside in terms of their intrusion and<br />
impact on beautiful places. Experiencing<br />
6
tranquillity in beautiful landscapes is<br />
beneficial to human health and well-being,<br />
which is one reason why millions of people<br />
visit the countryside every year. The quality<br />
of this experience is threatened by poorly<br />
conceived and located development of<br />
whatever kind. It is clear that onshore wind<br />
development, unless appropriately sited, can<br />
have a significant detrimental impact on the<br />
quality of the landscape.*<br />
<strong>CPRE</strong> believes that the Government must set<br />
a clear framework which helps local<br />
communities reconcile the potentially<br />
conflicting environmental benefits of<br />
landscape protection and climate change<br />
mitigation. If this is done, unacceptable<br />
damage both to the landscape and to public<br />
support for the country’s renewable energy<br />
targets can be avoided. With open and<br />
transparent dialogue, which effectively<br />
involves local communities, we can choose<br />
the right mix of renewable energy<br />
technologies to help tackle climate change as<br />
well as protecting our precious landscapes. To<br />
enable local communities and the planning<br />
system to protect the environment from<br />
damaging development and climate change,<br />
we call on the Government to:<br />
• Provide more clarity about the total<br />
number of onshore wind turbines it<br />
expects to see built and where these might<br />
be located;<br />
• Develop a strategic plan-led approach that<br />
recognises landscape capacity, including<br />
cumulative impacts of onshore wind<br />
turbines;<br />
• Ensure local planning authorities seek to<br />
protect landscape character through their<br />
local plans and in planning decisions;<br />
• Instruct the Planning Inspectorate to give<br />
significant weight when making decisions<br />
on development proposals to any local<br />
plans which have attempted to identify<br />
appropriate and inappropriate areas for<br />
onshore wind development; and<br />
• Require the onshore wind industry to take<br />
legal and financial responsibility for<br />
decommissioning onshore wind turbines<br />
and restoring the landscape once they<br />
stop working or when they reach the end<br />
of their useful life.<br />
Finally, one to aim for!<br />
A consultation on new Government guidance<br />
for local authorities includes proposals for<br />
use of 40 mph zones on minor rural roads,<br />
particularly in scenic areas. <strong>Herefordshire</strong> has<br />
the highest road casualty rate out of all<br />
neighbouring English authorities.<br />
Speeding traffic blights many villages and has<br />
led to numerous collisions and fatalities. Fatal<br />
car crashes occur most frequently on rural<br />
roads and speeding traffic has a significant<br />
impact on people’s quality of life. H<strong>CPRE</strong> will<br />
campaign to protect the character and<br />
tranquillity of the countryside from traffic.<br />
* Generating light on landscape impacts: How to<br />
accommodate onshore wind while protecting the<br />
countryside. <strong>CPRE</strong> April <strong>2012</strong>a<br />
Become a<br />
volunteer!<br />
You can help support <strong>CPRE</strong>’s work<br />
in your local community by<br />
volunteering at one of our district,<br />
branch or regional groups. As a<br />
<strong>CPRE</strong> volunteer, you could...<br />
Respond to planning applications...<br />
If you know about the planning process,<br />
you could help assess local planning<br />
applications. If you don’t know how, we’d be<br />
happy to teach you.<br />
Produce publicity...<br />
You could write news releases or organise<br />
photo opportunities, create newsletters,<br />
websites and campaign materials for your<br />
local group.<br />
Lobby...<br />
We need volunteers who are willing to speak<br />
to councillors, MPs and local authority<br />
officers about <strong>CPRE</strong>’s campaigns on behalf<br />
of your local group.<br />
Raise funds...<br />
Help fundraising efforts in your local area or<br />
use your skills to develop the fundraising<br />
potential of your local group.<br />
Help at local events...<br />
Local groups are always in need of people<br />
who can give a few hours at stalls at local<br />
shows and events or use their co-ordination<br />
skills to set up an event for us.<br />
Distribute leaflets...<br />
Deliver campaign leaflets to local homes<br />
Help in the office...<br />
Provide assistance with our filing, mailings,<br />
accounts or letter writing at your local<br />
branch.<br />
If you would like to volunteer,<br />
email us at<br />
contactus@cpreherefordshire.org.uk<br />
or call Bob Widdowson on<br />
01544 230 050<br />
or David Phelps on<br />
01432 279 185<br />
7
We are now entering a new era for planning. The Government wants to place much more<br />
emphasis on planning at the local level. It believes that local communities are best<br />
placed to identify their local needs, and how these should be met. This places a<br />
responsibility on local communities – but it is also an exciting challenge: it’s your<br />
opportunity to have a greater say in the planning system.<br />
<strong>CPRE</strong>, together with partners The National<br />
Association of Local Councils (NALC), has<br />
been awarded a Government grant to<br />
promote and enable greater public<br />
involvement in the planning system.<br />
A Neighbourhood Plan (sometimes called a<br />
Neighbourhood Development Plan) is a new<br />
way of helping local communities to influence<br />
the planning of the area in which they live and<br />
work. It can be used to:<br />
• Develop a shared vision for your<br />
neighbourhood<br />
• Choose where new homes, shops, offices<br />
and other development should be built<br />
• Identify and protect important local<br />
green spaces<br />
• Influence what new buildings should<br />
look like<br />
These plans are created by your parish council,<br />
town council, or neighbourhood forum. They<br />
contain more detailed priorities for development<br />
in your community, such as the provision<br />
of low-cost housing or the preservation of<br />
green space.<br />
While Local Plans lay out a vision of future<br />
development for a whole area, the needs<br />
of individual towns and villages within that<br />
area can vary. Neighbourhood Plans are<br />
optional documents that detail further<br />
development priorities for individual<br />
communities. They are community-led and<br />
can be written by town or parish councils, or<br />
where there is neither, by a specially-created<br />
neighbourhood forum.<br />
Taking part in the writing of a Neighbourhood<br />
Plan helps you have a say in the future use<br />
of land and buildings in your neighbourhood.<br />
H<strong>CPRE</strong> has launched a new website to help<br />
people understand how to use the planning<br />
system.<br />
Visit <strong>CPRE</strong>’s Planning Help site at<br />
www.planninghelp.org.uk<br />
The site, called Planning Help, provides a<br />
guide to the new local plans (called Local<br />
Development Frameworks)<br />
Those who are less familiar with the planning<br />
system should find useful the site's guides to<br />
responding to planning applications and<br />
making the most of Public Inquiries and the<br />
simple explanations of how the planning<br />
system works. The site also contains<br />
examples of how <strong>CPRE</strong> has been able to use<br />
successfully the planning system to protect<br />
the countryside and contribute to urban<br />
regeneration.<br />
In <strong>Herefordshire</strong> neighbourhood plans are in<br />
process in the following areas:<br />
Applications to designate a<br />
Neighbourhood Area:<br />
• Pembridge Neighbourhood Area<br />
• Bartestree & Lugwardine Neighbourhood<br />
Area<br />
• Staunton-on-Wye Neighbourhood Area<br />
• Cusop Parish Neighbourhood Area<br />
• Dorstone Parish Neighbourhood Area<br />
• Colwall Neighbourhood Area<br />
Designated Neighbourhood Areas:<br />
• Almeley Parish Neighbourhood Area<br />
• Shobdon Parish Neighbourhood Area<br />
• Leominster Neighbourhood Area<br />
• Lyonshall Parish Neighbourhood Area<br />
8
CHAIRMAN’S REPORT<br />
N THE LAST YEAR, H<strong>CPRE</strong><br />
volunteers within our Planning<br />
Local Area network have made<br />
almost 40 submissions on<br />
planning applications that we<br />
believed would adversely affect the landscape.<br />
Every week, H<strong>CPRE</strong> volunteers check the lists of<br />
recent planning applications to investigate the<br />
details. If we feel that the application does not<br />
comply with national or local polices, a detailed<br />
representation is made.<br />
Our objections have covered polytunnels, wind<br />
turbines, a new superstore in Ledbury and<br />
hedgerow removals. We have also worked<br />
at the policy level keeping in close contact<br />
with <strong>Herefordshire</strong> Council on the emerging<br />
Local Development Framework that will<br />
govern planning policy in the county for the<br />
next 20 years.<br />
Our <strong>2012</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Report</strong> covers many of the<br />
issues that H<strong>CPRE</strong> is working with. It is a huge<br />
agenda and one that depends on a handful of<br />
committed volunteers and the support of our<br />
membership across the county. <strong>CPRE</strong> National<br />
Office ably supports us but it’s still a tough<br />
task – a task that will get tougher in the future.<br />
The new National Planning Policy Framework<br />
from Government, while an improvement on<br />
the original draft document, nevertheless<br />
signals a major change in attitude to<br />
landscape protection. Current debate about the<br />
possible incursion of development into green<br />
belt is further evidence of that change.<br />
Economic imperatives may increasingly<br />
override more than 70 years of planning<br />
protection of the countryside.<br />
Hereford does not have a designated green belt<br />
but the proposed relief road will slice through<br />
prime agricultural land and the exceptional<br />
landscape setting of the Wye west of Hereford.<br />
H<strong>CPRE</strong>’s position is that the case for the road is<br />
unproven in relation to its stated objective of<br />
reducing congestion. Could economic<br />
imperatives be the real reason for the road?<br />
At a time of economic depression and falling<br />
living standards, it is very difficult for<br />
organisations such as H<strong>CPRE</strong> to argue against<br />
any development that offers the possibility of<br />
economic growth. It is even more difficult to<br />
argue that there may be other ways of growing<br />
the local economy than by concreting the<br />
landscape.<br />
H<strong>CPRE</strong> has supported the local foods initiative<br />
in Ledbury (see next page) and is looking to<br />
work with REconomy, a project from the<br />
Transition Network aimed at creating a truly<br />
sustainable <strong>Herefordshire</strong> economy, one which<br />
will meet the real needs of local people. This<br />
can be achieved through developing existing<br />
enterprises and new ones, through developing<br />
local skills and local resources.<br />
Our vision is a county that thinks differently, is<br />
different and is working for the future not<br />
attempting to re create the past; a county that<br />
re-generates the local economy from within,<br />
and takes advantage of the resources that we<br />
already possess.<br />
To protect our landscape we need to not only<br />
respect it, but to see it as a prime asset: as well<br />
spending much of its time objecting to<br />
developments that damage our landscape,<br />
H<strong>CPRE</strong> also seeks to positively promote its<br />
value. In 1934 Queenswood Country Park, still<br />
the county’s only country park, was purchased<br />
by H<strong>CPRE</strong> following concerns that the land was<br />
being sold off for holiday homes with no<br />
planning control to prevent this from<br />
happening. 80 years later, we are researching<br />
the possibility of initiating a new Area of<br />
Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) covering<br />
the Black Mountains.<br />
It is surprising to many that despite the beauty<br />
of <strong>Herefordshire</strong>’s landscape less than 20% has<br />
any official designation that might protect it<br />
from development. A new AONB in addition to<br />
protecting more of the landscape could bring<br />
economic benefits as well. This will be the main<br />
topic of our AGM on 3rd November, so let us<br />
have your views.<br />
Membership over the last year seems to have<br />
held stable halting the decline in recent years,<br />
which is good news. However in the coming<br />
year we will need to give more attention to<br />
finances. We have incurred extra costs this year<br />
with the new website but our projections<br />
suggest an underlying structural deficit.<br />
Although our reserves are healthy, we will need<br />
to address income if we are to maintain them.<br />
We could face substantial cost next year in the<br />
Examination in Public (EIP) of <strong>Herefordshire</strong>’s<br />
Council Core Strategy at which H<strong>CPRE</strong> will need<br />
to make its case on issues such as the relief<br />
road, and increased development that<br />
threatens the landscape. We have allocated a<br />
significant proportion of our reserves to cover<br />
the possible costs.<br />
Finally, may I make my annual appeal for<br />
volunteers? We need whatever time you can<br />
give whether as part of our planning watchdog<br />
group or to serve on the Executive Committee<br />
or any other skills you think you can bring. An<br />
hour or a day – as they say every little helps!<br />
My thanks to all our volunteers, our supporters<br />
and to our administrator Barbara Bromhead-<br />
Wragg who has done sterling work this year on<br />
our new website and keeping us organised. Our<br />
President, Bishop Anthony, will be in the chair<br />
again at our AGM and my thanks to him for his<br />
continued support.<br />
9
From field to fork:<br />
LEDBURY<br />
The value of England’s food webs<br />
In February <strong>2012</strong>, <strong>CPRE</strong> published its <strong>Report</strong> presenting<br />
findings and recommendations from a five-year national<br />
project – Mapping Local Food Webs – to engage local<br />
volunteers across England to research their local food<br />
‘webs’: the network of links between people who buy,<br />
sell, produce and supply food sourced locally. Ledbury<br />
was one of 19 locations across England to be mapped.<br />
Its findings were...<br />
Choice, availability and access to local<br />
food are good with 25 food outlets selling<br />
local food; for the majority, local food<br />
sales represent a quarter or more of<br />
turnover<br />
Local shops are servicing public demand<br />
for fresh, high quality food, supported by<br />
short supply chains<br />
<br />
Many shops and suppliers contribute to<br />
community life by donating to local good<br />
causes and offer a friendly, personal<br />
service<br />
Local food supports, we estimate, 200 jobs<br />
at outlets and over 480 at local suppliers<br />
Local food sales in Ledbury are an<br />
estimated £1.5 million to £2.7 million a<br />
year and help to support £29.5 million of<br />
turnover at supply chain businesses<br />
A minimum of 95 local producers within<br />
30 miles supply food directly to outlets<br />
we interviewed in Ledbury, reducing food<br />
miles and related pollution<br />
Ledbury maintains its market town<br />
heritage and has a thriving High Street<br />
with a good range of independent shops<br />
Residents, visitors and tourists recognise<br />
the good availability of local food in<br />
the town<br />
Local food supports diversity in farming,<br />
which shapes and maintains the character<br />
of the local countryside.<br />
A number of challenges need to be faced<br />
to develop Ledbury’s local food web:<br />
• sourcing sufficient volume remains a<br />
problem for small outlets as suppliers<br />
prioritise bigger buyers<br />
• communication between outlets and<br />
suppliers needs<br />
• facilitation as businesses lack the time<br />
to find new suppliers or markets<br />
• Ledbury’s shoppers value smaller outlets<br />
for extra shopping but these outlets<br />
need to find ways to compete with the<br />
convenience of supermarkets, which<br />
attract most shoppers for their main<br />
shopping<br />
• environmental benefits of local food<br />
remain largely unrecognised<br />
The <strong>Report</strong> included a recommendation that<br />
<strong>Herefordshire</strong> Council’s new Local Plan<br />
policies should reflect the aims and<br />
objectives of the <strong>Herefordshire</strong> Food Strategy<br />
and also strengthen existing protection for<br />
strong town centres and a diverse retail mix.<br />
This could safeguard essential local food<br />
outlets, which broaden choice and serve the<br />
townspeople’s everyday food needs. Policies<br />
should also reinvigorate Ledbury’s status as a<br />
traditional market town by supporting<br />
proposals for a new Farmers’ Market.<br />
Additionally, procurement policy should be<br />
geared to developing a stronger, sustainable<br />
supply chain by creating opportunities for<br />
smaller local producers to tender for<br />
contracts. These measures could also serve to<br />
develop Ledbury’s relationship with its rural<br />
hinterland through its food supply.<br />
Local businesses and the community can also<br />
strengthen the local Food Web by ensuring the<br />
actions suggested in the <strong>Herefordshire</strong> Food<br />
Strategy are supported and carried out.<br />
Businesses could promote local produce better<br />
by developing a ‘local to Ledbury’ brand,<br />
promoting the town as a local food location<br />
and emphasising links to sustainable<br />
agriculture and management of local<br />
countryside, including the iconic landscapes of<br />
the AONBs (Malvern Hills and Wye Valley) and<br />
the Brecon Beacons National Park.<br />
10
Our planning watchdogs!<br />
Members of the Planning Local Network Area (PLAN)<br />
team have continued their hard work this year,<br />
responding to a number of planning applications from<br />
planning lists and others that have been drawn to their<br />
attention by concerned local residents – some of whom<br />
were already members of H<strong>CPRE</strong> and others who have<br />
since joined us.<br />
Can you help?<br />
If you feel you would like to help or could<br />
support one of our existing volunteers –<br />
please contact Barbara Bromhead-Wragg<br />
at admin@cpreherefordshire.co.uk<br />
At the beginning of the year, team members<br />
and other H<strong>CPRE</strong> volunteers attended a<br />
meeting with senior planning officers from<br />
<strong>Herefordshire</strong> Council, to discuss the Local<br />
Development Framework (LDF) which replaces<br />
the “increasingly out of date Unitary<br />
Development Plan” (UDP) County plan of<br />
2007 in the face of the then to be published<br />
National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).<br />
The NPPF was to cover any local authority<br />
areas that had no current plan in place and<br />
H<strong>CPRE</strong> had concerns over what this could<br />
mean for the county’s landscape. We learned<br />
that the final consultation for <strong>Herefordshire</strong><br />
Council’s Core Strategy (CS), the first tier of<br />
the Local Plan, was to be held in Spring 2013<br />
and the CS should be adopted in Spring 2014.<br />
Until that adoption, the UDP would remain in<br />
use when considering most planning<br />
applications.<br />
Volunteers have monitored the situation<br />
since the NPPF was published in March <strong>2012</strong><br />
and the UDP still remains the reference point<br />
for considering planning applications in the<br />
county.<br />
However, the NPPF does have an effect upon<br />
housing allocation for the county. The NPPF<br />
states that local authorities should provide<br />
five years’ worth of housing land, which the<br />
UDP does not provide. This was addressed at<br />
a recent Cabinet meeting (July <strong>2012</strong>) wherein<br />
<strong>Herefordshire</strong> Council devised an interim<br />
approach to pre-planning advice and in<br />
considering applications.<br />
This approach in effect means that we are<br />
likely to see applications for housing in areas<br />
that would not previously have been allowed,<br />
for example development outside of<br />
settlement boundaries. Each of these<br />
applications will have to be decided by the<br />
Planning Committee, as they would be<br />
inconsistent with the UDP.<br />
Most recently the team have contributed to<br />
the Branch response to a new Government<br />
consultation on the re-use of agricultural<br />
buildings vis a vis the need for planning<br />
permissions. <strong>Herefordshire</strong> is rich in old<br />
agricultural buildings, many of which are<br />
poorly sited for commercial use due to<br />
potential traffic issues.<br />
There are other considerations, such as how a<br />
local authority conservation officer might be<br />
involved if a building were of historic or<br />
aesthetic interest. Equally, we wonder how<br />
disturbance to wildlife, i.e. bats, would be<br />
prevented if no planning permissions were<br />
required.<br />
It is appreciated that a sympathetic<br />
conversion, suitably screened within the<br />
landscape, which allows those with a good<br />
business case to live on the land that they<br />
work, is an ideal. However, if piecemeal<br />
developments throughout the countryside<br />
are allowed, without the checks and balances<br />
provided by the planning system, the result<br />
could be the further erosion of the county’s<br />
spectacular countryside.<br />
We said goodbye to two volunteers this year.<br />
Thanks to David and Ann for their hard work<br />
and we wish them both well. This means that<br />
we have a smaller group of volunteers to<br />
respond to planning applications across the<br />
county. The remaining 3 volunteers are<br />
dedicated and hardworking; one covers the<br />
Ledbury area and surrounding district, with<br />
the remaining two team members working<br />
hard to split the remainder of the county<br />
between them.<br />
We urgently need new volunteers, whether as<br />
support, in checking the weekly lists and<br />
identifying potential problems, or as PLAN<br />
team members for one of the county’s<br />
vacancies.<br />
Please consider if you could spare us an hour<br />
a week to help in your area – expenses are<br />
remunerated and full training and support is<br />
provided. If you are interested please email<br />
us: admin@cpreherefordshire.org.uk<br />
The team members work from home, staying<br />
in touch with fellow volunteers via telephone<br />
and email. We have a minimum of two PLAN<br />
team meetings per year and receive support<br />
from the Branch Executive Committee, which<br />
receives a planning report at each monthly<br />
meeting.<br />
11
Our new branch website<br />
FACTS<br />
cpreherefordshire.org.uk<br />
In 2011’s <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Report</strong> we reported that we<br />
were working to revise the branch website, with<br />
the aim of the new site being up and running<br />
for the 2011 AGM. We quickly realised on<br />
discussion with our website host & designers<br />
that a complete redesign was needed in order<br />
for the new site to fulfil our requirements.<br />
However, none of us foresaw the amount of<br />
work involved in this task and, as the AGM<br />
approached, we realised that a postponement<br />
was sensible. It was more important to get it<br />
right rather than rush to complete the project.<br />
This gave us sufficient time to put in the hard<br />
work required firstly on the design of and then<br />
to create content for the redesigned site, which<br />
was no mean feat – it wasn’t simply a case of<br />
copying text from one site to another.<br />
Careful consideration has been given to the site<br />
layout, from simplifying and unifying<br />
navigation to the overall visual design. We were<br />
keen to ensure that we are recognisable as<br />
<strong>CPRE</strong>, following certain guidelines issued by<br />
<strong>CPRE</strong> National Office. At the same time, we<br />
wanted the colours used to be a palette<br />
recognisably that of <strong>Herefordshire</strong>, for example<br />
the rich brown of the county’s soil used for the<br />
navigation bar.<br />
V8 Media have worked with us patiently and we<br />
are very pleased with the redesigned site,<br />
which went live in March <strong>2012</strong>. Our new<br />
homepage has quick links to those pages<br />
identified as featuring most frequently in<br />
searches that lead viewers to the site. Overall,<br />
the new design has grouped pages together for<br />
easier navigation, e.g.. the Issues page, found<br />
in the centre of the navigation bar at the top of<br />
each page gives a synopsis of areas of concern.<br />
A further left hand navigation pane shows the<br />
individual issues.<br />
There are other changes and new features too:<br />
no more Members area. On checking the<br />
statistics for the old site, we found that this<br />
area was rarely used and so decided that we<br />
would not retain it. In the interests of<br />
transparency, information such as minutes of<br />
meetings is now available for all to see,<br />
We have improved accessibility to the site, for<br />
example at the top right of the screen – A +<br />
can be seen, which makes text larger or smaller<br />
to suit the viewer. Other information on<br />
accessibility can be found via a link at the<br />
bottom of each webpage.<br />
The Contact Us page has changed in design<br />
but the core remains the same, simply fill in<br />
the form to contact us with a query or<br />
suggestion.<br />
Some pages, such as Local Food, are still in<br />
development but we hope that the site now<br />
easily tells the casual visitor who we are and<br />
what we do.<br />
A Forum area is soon to be added, where<br />
members can share information and<br />
experiences and engage with other users.<br />
Whilst the new site went live in March, we have<br />
withheld the Forum until we familiarise<br />
ourselves with the new site’s operating system.<br />
We have volunteer moderators in place, each of<br />
whom will have been trained by the time this<br />
report comes off the press, or shortly after.<br />
Once the forum is launched at the <strong>2012</strong> AGM,<br />
our next aim will be to follow up on a link to<br />
one or more of the social media sites.<br />
As with all things H<strong>CPRE</strong> does, this redesign<br />
would not have been possible without<br />
volunteers giving their time, whether providing<br />
input on design, writing text for new pages, or<br />
occasionally as editors supporting our<br />
Administrator, who oversaw the project and<br />
wrote some of the text herself.<br />
We would welcome more volunteers to help<br />
with the website, a commitment which would<br />
not be very onerous – perhaps half an hour per<br />
week. The Branch has a small dedicated group<br />
of volunteers, each of whom has two of more<br />
‘hats’. Having dedicated website volunteers<br />
would allow current volunteers to concentrate<br />
their efforts on our core work of planning<br />
vigilance.<br />
Please do consider if you could help us,<br />
email admin@cpreherefordshire.org.uk<br />
for more information.<br />
• <strong>CPRE</strong> <strong>Herefordshire</strong>’s work is carried out<br />
by volunteers<br />
• We were founded in 1931<br />
• We are a registered charity<br />
• A team of volunteers across the county<br />
act as planning ‘watchdogs’ monitoring<br />
applications and making submissions on<br />
issues concerning protection of the<br />
landscape<br />
• We are part of a national network of <strong>CPRE</strong><br />
county and local groups<br />
• We are supported by national <strong>CPRE</strong>,<br />
whose patron is HM The Queen<br />
• Nationally, <strong>CPRE</strong> is one of the longest<br />
established and most respected<br />
environmental groups, influencing policy<br />
and raising awareness since it was<br />
founded in 1926<br />
• <strong>CPRE</strong> <strong>Herefordshire</strong> has over 400<br />
members across the county<br />
• We are supported by voluntary donations<br />
and membership subscriptions.<br />
OPEN INVITATION<br />
ATTEND OUR<br />
MEETINGS<br />
All <strong>CPRE</strong> members are<br />
welcome to attend our<br />
monthly <strong>CPRE</strong> committee<br />
and policy meetings.<br />
Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of<br />
each month (except August): see our website for<br />
venue details.<br />
Meetings begin at 1.30pm and are always a<br />
vehicle for lively and informed debate on<br />
matters both local and national.<br />
If you are unable to attend our meetings,<br />
you can keep up to date on all matters<br />
arising by visiting our branch website at<br />
www.cpreherefordshire.org.uk<br />
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