News
All About Solar: your chance to join free event tackling a contentious subject
Wednesday 20 April 2022
It’s one of the countryside issues of our time: the spread of solar farms across our landscape. The subject is brought into focus tomorrow (Thursday, April 21) in a webinar entitled All About Solar, during which CPRE Essex’s own Richard Haynes will be speaking on the impact of solar farms on landscape and heritage setting. […] Read more >
Uttlesford council blocks plan for solar farm
Tuesday 19 April 2022
Uttlesford District Council has refused permission for a solar farm that would have crossed into another local authority area. The scheme, proposed by Endurance Energy, would have covered 115 hectares near Bishop’s Stortford in a development called Wickham Hall Solar Farm straddling Uttlesford and East Herts district councils. However, on Wednesday, April 13, Uttlesford District […] Read more >
Heybridge North Garden Suburb: first phase backed by councillors
Tuesday 12 April 2022
The contentious Heybridge North Garden Suburb is on the way to becoming reality with approval granted for its first phase. Maldon District Council has backed the building of 160 properties by Countryside Properties at Maypole Road – the initial tranche of a 1,138-home development that had initially been refused by councillors. They had turned the […] Read more >
Gordon gives us a taste of spring from Newport
Monday 11 April 2022
We haven’t been treated to a Gordon Ridgewell picture for a while, so let’s put that little anomaly to rest… He tells us: “I went to Newport church yesterday to photograph a Role of Honour they had found and Imperial War Museums Memorials asked if I could get a picture. “After leaving the church I […] Read more >
Last talk of our winter series focuses on the challenges of farming… and also the joys
Monday 11 April 2022
The final talk of our CPRE Essex winter series, entitled Challenges of Farming: Past, Present and Future, was presented by Christy Willett, formerly billed on these pages as an AHDB farmer but who had in fact given up that role in 2020. No matter, she stressed her time with the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board […] Read more >
Stort crossing backed by councillors
Tuesday 5 April 2022
A scheme to build a four-lane bridge over the River Stort at Harlow has been approved by councillors. The scheme, known as the Eastern River Stort Crossing, is linked to Harlow and the proposed Gilston Garden Town and aims to link housing development at Pye Corner in Gilston with Harlow’s River Way. When built, the […] Read more >
London Resort plans withdrawn…
Monday 4 April 2022
“…and for this relief, much thanks”, as Shakespeare might have said. The plans for a ‘world-class’ theme park on the post-industrial landscape of the Swanscombe peninsula have been withdrawn, just before the formal public examination was due to begin. For a whole decade the proposals have been discussed and amended and discussed again, but it […] Read more >
Planning to fail: net zero is impossible without urgent changes to planning policy, CPRE analysis finds
Monday 4 April 2022
Reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 is impossible without urgent changes to national planning policy, analysis by CPRE, the countryside charity, has found. A study of all 24 Local Plans outside Greater London that have been adopted since the Climate Change Act was updated in 2019 shows just one local authority has introduced a quantified, […] Read more >
Faith in farming? You bet!
Tuesday 1 March 2022
Faith in farming? The question mark in the title was key, said Rev Canon Janet Nicholls as she introduced her talk to a CPRE Essex audience of 26 people. Does society have faith in producing good food and looking after the environment? Indeed, did farmers have that faith? What if the answer was no? The […] Read more >
Our final talk looks at the challenges of farming… please do join us!
Monday 28 February 2022
The fourth and final talk of our CPRE Essex winter series will be given by Christy Willett on Wednesday (March 2). It begins at 6.30pm via Zoom and will be entitled Challenges of Farming: Past, Present and Future. Ms Willett is an AHDB farmer from Galleywood, Chelmsford, where she farms 475 hectares of owned and […] Read more >