Countryside Planning

Should rural Britain continue to be dominated by farmed landscapes, or should these be transformed into managed countryside or woodland, or even into low-density exurbia on the American model? These are the issues that face an increasingly post-agricultural and post-industrial society such as Britain. Countryside Planning addresses these concerns and provides an in-depth study of the rural debate. Beginning with the key concepts and issues, the author sets out the context in which planning operates and how society has constructed its own images of the countryside. Using three theoretical perspectives, the book describes the evolution of the current planning system and provides a basis for further discussion about the possible future for the countryside. In the wake of the recent Rural White Paper, the book includes the major issues that affect contemporary rural Britain including the current reforms of the Common Agricultural Policy, the role of farmers as land managers and the hypocrisy of sustainable development and green tourism. Using boxed policy summaries throughout the text, as well as key question-and-answer sections in every chapter, the author treats policy and trends across the whole spectrum of countryside planning.

The condition of the countryside is a major issue in contemporary society. "Countryside Planning" addresses the key concepts and issues, including planning for agriculture, farmers and countryside management, the built environment, forestry and woodland, and planning for the natural environment. Each chapter considers individual countryside planning issues in a structured way, from introductory discussion of key concepts and issues to the evolution of the current planning system in Britain. In-depth analysis of widely-held theoretical perspectives is supported by commentary on future trends and challenges. Question and answer section at the end of each chapter and boxed policy summaries throughout make "Countryside Planning" an in-depth and authoritative introduction to the whole spectrum of rural planning issues.