Could tranquil countryside become a thing of the past?

WITH the onslaught of climate change, an economy fit to burst and housing scarce, the modern world is impacting more and more on our countryside. Grimsby Telegraph reporter GARETH PARRY-JONES explores how tranquil countryside could possibly become nothing more than a memory.

THE end may be nigh for our countryside.

That's according to experts from the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) at least, who say a countryside free from major disturbance is all but gone in the UK.

Motorways, airports and power stations are slowly encroaching and destroying the peace of the little countryside which is left.

Findings put together by the group show 76 per cent of rural North East Lincolnshire is polluted with noise and disturbance from nearby roads and towns.

Out of 80 counties in Britain, Lincolnshire came seventh in the list of areas having the largest amount of area undisturbed.

But North East Lincolnshire came 48th – a long way off the number one spot held by Northumberland.

Promoting rural Britain, CPRE has 60,000 members, including president, author Bill Bryson, and the Queen as its patron.

The chairman of northern Lincolnshire CPRE, Arthur Franks, said: "We value our countryside in North East Lincolnshire because it is a vital part of our quality of life.

"In the modern world, this is becoming even more important, but at the same time the quality of the countryside is being eroded by the shadow of intrusion."

Intrusion maps compiled by the CPRE show 320 square miles of countryside has been overshadowed nationwide since the early nineties.

And in North East Lincolnshire, the CPRE says 12 per cent of the countryside has virtually disappeared since the 1960s.

Mr Franks said: "We are often told that new development will only take up a small part of the countryside, but the noise and light pollution that comes with it can affect a much larger area."

At the current rates, 25 square miles of greenbelt land, or 6,590 hectares – an area larger than Southampton – is developed on average each year in the UK.

And as the population increases, so does the amount of housing required, with 11.2 per cent of England now urbanised.

Only the Netherlands and Belgium are more built up in western Europe.

One of those mourning the lack of tranquility is 71-year-old naturalist Mark Tyszka.

Mr Tyszka, from Keelby, spends much of his time in the countryside studying butterflies and plant life.

But, slowly and surely, he has begun to notice the intrusion of urban life.

He said: "The places that I can go for tranquility and a bit of piece and quiet have declined and you have to search hard to find them."

Mr Tyszka, who supports the CPRE, says people must come together to protect the countryside.

"It is up to everyone. It is about alerting people to a decline which is not easy to spot."

He said the intrusion maps produced by the CPRE should go some way to opening the eyes of the Government and developers.

He points out one startling piece of evidence on the intrusion maps – the difference between the A46 and the A16.

The intrusion on the road leading to Louth is clearly wider than the A46, something Mr Tyszka attributes to the lack of trees and hedges.

He said: "It is hedges around roads which may be blocking the noise from the road.

"That might be the explanation for the difference in the A46 and the A16, because the A16 is lined with hedges and trees."

Mr Tyszka said a survey carried out by the CPRE found tranquility to be the main draw of the countryside for 72 per cent of people.

But with urban sprawl continuing at a steady pace, is that tranquility soon to be a thing of the past?

Coun Martin Vickers (Con, Scartho) is North East Lincolnshire Council's portfolio holder for the environment.

He said people should not just concentrate on North East Lincolnshire, and remember the county of Lincolnshire is just on their doorstep.

"You cannot look at these sort of things in the context of artificial local boundaries," he said,

"One of the joys of living in North East Lincolnshire is living close to the seaside and living close to areas of natural beauty, such as the Wolds."

While impact on heavily-industrialised areas, such as Grimsby and Immingham, is expected, rural areas like Market Rasen and Louth are also affected.

The CPRE's intrusion maps show an increase of noise and light pollution in and around Louth since the 1960s.

A spokesperson for East Lindsey District Council said: "We take all complaints associated to noise and light pollution extremely seriously and have an Environmental Protection Team which deals with such issues.

"We have noticed an increase in the number of light and noise related complaints we are receiving, this increased by 33 in 2006/07, over the previous financial year.

"With regard to new development, issues associated with light and noise pollution are taken into account as part of the planning process.

"If residents have concerns about noise or light pollution they should let us know."

CPRE chief executive Shaun Spiers described the group's findings as a wake-up call for the Government.

"The countryside is one of our greatest national assets," he said. "I am sure that the Government wants to protect it – but these maps show the current pace of development is seriously eroding our countryside.

"The impact of development spreads way beyond its immediate footprint. More must be done to protect what is left from further fragmentation.

"The Government must act across the board to demonstrate that it takes the future of the countryside seriously.

"Unless it does so, for children alive today, much of our remaining undisturbed countryside will become a distant memory in their lifetimes."

Find out more

For more information, visit www.cpre.org.uk www.nelincs.gov.uk and www.e-lindsey.gov.uk