Blog
Farmers café relaunch can be a win-win for everyone
Wednesday 13 February 2019
For some of us, the life of a farmer must seem close to idyllic (even if we acknowledge the amount of hard work it entails). However, there are a worrying number of people in the agricultural world who are prone to loneliness and, sometimes, resultant depression and other mental-health issues. Think about it: a day […] Read more >
Spare a thought for your property
Monday 14 January 2019
David Knight, chairman of CPRE Essex, urges us to consider the appearance of our homes if we’re considering an extension New Year’s resolutions abound at this time of year. Could it be to move house, or maybe extend your existing one? Political uncertainty probably favours the latter option. So, if you take that route, spare […] Read more >
Campaign through design
Monday 7 January 2019
This is the third blog that Ben Nourse, a graduate researcher working with the Cambridge Design Research Studio and studying to become a Master of Architecture in Urban Design, is sharing with CPRE Essex. Artificial countryside We must remember that an experience in the English countryside is not an experience with nature. The Domesday Book […] Read more >
There are other options to the car – perhaps our authorities might like to consider them
Wednesday 19 December 2018
The Lower Thames Crossing between Kent and Essex would destroy swathes of countryside on both sides of the river. This piece by Alex Hills, chairman of Dartford and Gravesham CPRE, relates to transport systems in north-west Kent, but the principles of his argument are just as pertinent in south Essex Since the 1950s, successive governments […] Read more >
We’ve got the power… the future for energy use in this country
Monday 3 December 2018
Fresh from a UK Power Networks roadshow, David Knight, CPRE Essex chairman, offers his thoughts on how our energy needs are being tackled. Early this month I visited a roadshow hosted by UK Power Networks. This organisation owns and maintain electricity cables and lines across London, the South East and the East of England, “making […] Read more >
The Lower Thames Crossing… a helping hand for a serial killer?
Wednesday 28 November 2018
With the prospect of the Lower Thames Crossing between Essex and Kent threatening swathes of countryside on both sides of the river, Alex Hills, chairman of Gravesham CPRE, offers his view on government roads policy while also asking if we’re all doing our bit to tackle air pollution By continuing to build poorly planned new […] Read more >
Red, white and grey… a standardised national landscape
Wednesday 21 November 2018
This is the second blog that Ben Nourse, a graduate researcher working with the Cambridge Design Research Studio and studying to become a Master of Architecture in Urban Design, is sharing with CPRE Essex. In 1955, Ian Nairn famously coined the phrase ‘subtopia’, a term referring to the suburban monotonisation of English landscapes. Architectural critic […] Read more >
How green is our Brexit?
Wednesday 31 October 2018
So what’s the future for our natural heritage once this country has departed the EU? CPRE environment expert Graham Warren considers the options… The natural environment barely got a mention in the pre-Brexit referendum barrage of half-truths and ‘alternative facts’ and would, even now, struggle to make the top 10 of the government’s shopping list. […] Read more >
Development disparity
Wednesday 24 October 2018
Those of you at this month’s AGM would have heard a short talk entitled Towards a New Rural in which Ben Nourse confronted the issue of the huge numbers of new homes being foisted on Essex by central government. Ben is a graduate researcher working with the Cambridge Design Research Studio and studying to become a […] Read more >