Richard recently met with CPRE - The Countryside Charity - Bedfordshire.
Speaking afterwards, he said:
It was a real pleasure to meet again with the local leadership of CPRE,the Campaign to Protect Rural England. We had a lot to catch up on, and many notes to share.
This year marks the centenary of the CPRE: a century of dedication to preserving what makes the English countryside so special to those who live or visit there: be there people, animals, plants, trees, insects etc.
This centenary year is proving to be a busy and challengin one for the CPRE in Bedfordshire. I have made common cause with CPRE on promoting rooftop solar and on protecting our hedgerows. We agree on the supporting renewable energy but not when, as is the case with East Park Solar , the energy plant replaces swathes of useful agricultural land.
We discussed the CPRE’s thoughts on the impact of Universal Studios on the local environment and of course, East West Rail. On Tempsford we agreed about the particular need to integrate nature with any New Town proposal and I hope CPRE will be given a strong voice in shaping any large scale housing development there.
