Chapter 15: Conclusion
15.1. Many of the measures set out in this White Paper mark the start of a process and it will take time, partnership and initiative to realise the potential of the policies we have set out. We want to see:
- a step change in improving access to, and the quality of, the essential services which rural people need;
- an economy in rural areas which can respond to the challenges of remoteness and lack of scale and which builds on the strengths and needs of small country towns and the land based sector, including farming; skills and employment levels as good in deprived rural areas as in the region as a whole;
- a protected countryside, rich in biodiversity and accessible to all, with less development pressure on greenfield sites;
- flourishing local communities taking an active part in influencing and managing the services they need, and in shaping their future.
15.2. Our countryside is vital - vital to those who live and work in it, vital for those who use and value what it produces, vital for all of us as a precious national asset. Tradition and change go hand-in-hand, as they always have. But the challenge of change in country areas is particularly pressing now. While people locally will in many cases provide the best responses to these challenges, there is a broader national perspective. Government has a responsibility to set the best possible framework in which our countryside can survive and thrive.
15.3. An integrated approach to urban and rural areas is essential. Rural and urban areas are different, with different perspectives on issues, and on the difficulties that they face. But they are also interdependent, Policies which promote development on brownfield sites will not only benefit our urban areas. But by easing pressures on rural development, they will also help to secure the future of our countryside.
15.4. The proposals put forward here offer a real way forward for the countryside. We believe in a living, working, protected and vibrant countryside, thriving rural communities, access for all to high quality public services, a diverse rural economy including farming, and a protected and sustainable rural environment which everyone can enjoy. It means a countryside which is listened to by government at all levels, and a countryside which can shape its own future. That is our vision. The measures detailed here will help put that vision into practice. They concentrate on people, and on the issues which matter most to people, in rural as in urban areas: jobs, a healthy economy, a stable and safe society, and better services. A countryside which offers opportunity for all. A countryside for people who live and work there. But a countryside, too, for everyone.
Page last modified:
19 May, 2005
Page published: 28 November, 2000