Rural Affairs

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Key national priorities

6.1.5 Key relevant national priorities for sustainable rural development are summarised below. They were drawn up to inform preparation of the Plan but deliberately go beyond the scope of measures under the Regulation to enable an integrated approach to support for rural development using both Community and national instruments. These national priorities reflect the overall needs of rural areas and the issues which are most amenable to action through financial support rather than through procedural change (i.e. joined-up government). The subsequent paragraphs 6.1.6 - 6.1.40 deal specifically with the Priorities and objectives of the England Rural Development Programme.

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Priorities for the rural economy, notably agriculture and forestry

NP1 To facilitate the development of dynamic, competitive and sustainable economies in the English countryside, tackling poverty in rural areas; by encouraging:

  • an agriculture sector which is :
    • competitive, diverse and flexible and better able to respond to changing market opportunities;
    • responsive to consumer wishes, for example concerning the welfare of animals, and the quality, source and value of produce;
    • environmentally responsible, given its major influence over the countryside, seeking to achieve sustainable land management and contribute to biodiversity, cultural and landscape targets;
    • managed as an integral part of the rural economy;
  • the sustainable management of England's existing woods and forests, and, where appropriate, a steady and landscape sensitive expansion of tree cover; to increase the benefits that forests provide, namely through their contribution to :
    • the rural economy by generating income, creating jobs and facilitating the diversification of agriculture;
    • economic regeneration by tree planting on restored or under-utilised land and by providing an enhanced environment and setting for new development;
    • providing better opportunities for recreation, access and tourism in woods and forests;
    • conserving and enhancing the environment including the delivery of Government's specific priorities set out below;
    • tourism and recreation - as economic activities and to enhance access to and enjoyment of the countryside by all;
    • an improvement in the skills base in rural areas;
    • an improvement in the infrastructure of rural areas;
    • an improvement in the provision of advice and support for those wishing to diversify rural businesses and enhance the social and environmental contribution they make to rural areas;
    • the use of environmental and heritage assets in rural regeneration.

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Priorities for rural communities

NP2 To maintain and stimulate communities, and secure access to services which is equitable in all the circumstances, for those who live or work in the countryside; by :

  • improving access to and developing facilities and services - including education, employment, training and recreation to reduce social exclusion and enhance the quality of life in rural communities;
  • encouraging the development of existing organisations to support rural life;
  • supporting co-operative working in service delivery across public, private and voluntary sectors;
  • raising the capacity of local communities to take an active role in the regeneration of their area.

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Priorities for the rural environment

NP3 To conserve and enhance rural landscapes and the diversity and abundance of wildlife (including the habitats on which it depends), to safeguard their integrity and value for future generations and to provide a source of economic opportunity; by encouraging :

Nature Conservation and Biodiversity
  • in the wider countryside, the protection, re-establishment and favourable management of priority habitats and species, including wild birds (a national headline indicator for sustainable development) and those identified through the national Biodiversity Action Plan process for which Species and Habitat Action Plans have been published. These individual Action Plans take forward the obligation to develop national strategies under Article 6 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (June 1992, Rio de Janeiro);
  • the protection and favourable management of designated and proposed international sites including Special Areas for Conservation (Habitats Directive), Special Protection Areas (Birds Directive) and internationally important wetlands (designated under the Ramsar Convention);
  • the protection and favourable management of national sites including all other Sites of Special Scientific Interest;
  • the protection and favourable management of local wildlife sites. Local Nature Reserves and other sites and features identified in development plans and Local Biodiversity Action Plans and sites managed by voluntary groups such as County Wildlife Trusts;
  • the protection and, where appropriate, re-establishment of a matrix of wildlife habitats in the wider countryside, helping to support viable natural populations and provide the natural resource to respond to environmental change;
  • the protection and favourable management of the ecological value of ancient and semi-natural woodlands;
Landscape and the Historic Environment
  • the safeguarding and enhancing of the landscape character and local distinctiveness of the wider countryside to attain targets or solve problems identified in regional Countryside Character descriptions;
  • the protection and enhancement through appropriate management of historic and archaeological features of international, national and local importance, and their settings, in particular by :
  • conservation and repair of ancient monuments and landscapes at risk;
  • repair of rural historic buildings at risk, appropriate adaptive re-use of functionally redundant buildings and maintenance of the diversity of local vernacular features;
  • maintenance and repair of traditional man-made and semi-natural features such as hedgerows and dry stone walls;
  • the conservation and enhancement of nationally important landscapes (particularly National Parks, the Broads, the New Forest, the Forest of Dean, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, heritage coasts) and landscapes close to where people live;
  • the securing of favourable collaborative management of the cultural and historic features and the valued landscapes and habitats of commons as a national resource;
Protection of air, water, and soil
  • reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, as a contribution to the UK's Climate Change Programme, including CO2 and methane;
  • reduction of agriculture's contribution to acid and eutrophic emissions to air;
  • improvement of the chemical and biological quality of freshwater, estuary and coastal waters in England, especially through reducing diffuse agricultural pollution;
  • land use practices that contribute to the sustainable management of soil.

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Priorities for countryside enjoyment

NP4 To increase opportunities for people to enjoy the countryside; through encouraging :

  • promotion of opportunities for people to enjoy all types of sustainable and appropriate informal recreation and tourism in the countryside.

Page last modified: 17 August, 2005
Page published: 10 December, 2002

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs