A countryside organisation welcomed its national CEO to a landmark meeting as it continues its campaign to protect the countryside.

The Dorset branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) welcomed CEO Crispin Truman and Dorset president Edward Fox to its special 80th anniversary annual general meeting. 

Crispin, who was a well-regarded CEO of the Churches Conservation Trust before taking on his new role, spoke to 100-strong audience about the challenges facing the CPRE as it campaigns to protect the countryside.

He spoke in particular about the need to protect Green Belts and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) from ‘inappropriate’ housing developments, and said he wants to see “a more bottom-up community-led sensitive approach to housing from government, rather than the current adversarial top-down one”. 

Crispin stressed there will be three key themes for the CPRE in 2018.

The first, he said, is to aim to broaden the appeal of the group and present it better. 

Secondly, CPRE will focus on fewer but larger campaigns, with the intention to give a more positive image and concentrate on solutions.

One of these will be a drive to provide more affordable rural housing.

Thirdly, it will aim to collaborate with both local county branches and other campaigning organisations.

CPRE is currently urging the government to adopt a land-use strategy for England, which unlike Scotland, currently does not exist.

Richard Nicholls, chairman of Dorset CPRE trustees, spoke of the problems facing Dorset in particular. 

He said the countryside, Green Belts and AONBs are under threat from development and thinks little provision is being made for infrastructure, such as public transport, doctors’ surgeries and improved roads. 

Richard said: “There should be the right housing in the right places, for the right people in particular young people.”

He is also concerned over the loss of subsidies to farmers resulting from Brexit, with the threat of the industrialisation of farming and the adverse impact on the countryside.

Dorset CPRE says it stands for the same issues now as when the branch opened in 1937 - to retain a diverse countryside for the benefit of all residents.