The Countryside Agency

The Countryside Agency is the statutory body working:

1. to conserve and enhance the countryside

2. to promote social equity and economic opportunity for the people who live there

3. to help everyone, wherever they live, to enjoy this national asset

Their aim is to achieve the very best for the English countryside - its people and places. They will:

1. lead with research and advice

2. influence others, especially central and local government

3. demonstrate ways forward through practical projects

Their main priorities are:

1. ensuring that people who live in rural areas have opportunities to thrive and obtain the homes and services they need

2. reducing the impact of traffic growth on the rural environment and quality of life while overcoming the rural isolation some people suffer

3. demonstrating a new approach to agriculture, in which farmers can be at the heart of a strong rural economy, and are rewarded for creating and conserving a good environment, as well as for growing good quality food

4. creating a straightforward approach to law and policy enabling people to enjoy the countryside on foot, or horse or cycle.

The Countryside Agency resulted from the merger of the Countryside Commission and the Rural Development Commission.