CAMPAIGNING TO PROTECT DEVON’S COUNTRYSIDE
Protecting Devon’s Countryside Since 1926
A failed planning system, a government policy to build millions more houses than we need – of the wrong type, at the wrong price, in the wrong places – and a runaway energy policy targeting thousands of acres of our productive farmland mean that today Devon’s countryside is threatened as never before. CPRE was founded to preserve and protect the rural environment, and has been doing just that since 1926.
Devon CPRE is an independent local charity that fights to prevent poor planning and bad policies destroying the rural landscapes that are Devon’s unique heritage. We offer professional planning expertise and a wealth of experience to help our members fight inappropriate development throughout the county.
We’re funded solely by members’ subscriptions, donations and legacies.
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Our latest column in The Moorlander is now out. Pick up a copy if you can.
A plague on our countryside.
As we all venture out into the countryside more to enjoy the spring weather, you may notice that wildflowers aren’t the only things appearing in the grass verges. A few weeks ago, near where I live in north-west Devon, someone dumped two plastic containers by the roadside. As they are chemical-type containers, the council waste collections haven’t removed them. So, there they remain by the side of the road as a visual reminder of the fly-tipping and littering problem that’s plaguing our countryside. Not only in Devon, but up and down the land.
Earlier this year, you may have read reports about the shocking 10-metre-high mountain of rubbish which had been illegally dumped in a field between the River Cherwell and the A34 in Oxfordshire. Aerial photos of the mega fly-tip site made it look more like a river than a mountain, measuring around 150m long by 15m wide and containing an estimated 21,000 tonnes of commercial, industrial and household waste.
High-profile criminal cases like this are an extreme example of a problem that is slowly, but perceptibly, polluting our green spaces. Fly tipping seems to have increased in recent years, perhaps partly as a result of council-run waste tips getting more picky about what they will take and charging people for waste that they could previously have offloaded for free.
A lot of the stuff that gets left by the roadside or dumped in fields is builders’ waste. My vehicle is considered a van, which means I need a permit for the municipal tip, and I’m allowed up to 12 visits a year.
Other littering problems are caused in rural areas when people put out their black plastic bags on the roadside the night before a collection (because they have no wheelie bins or dustbins). Foxes and other creatures often rip them apart, and the contents go everywhere. No one picks them up, and when the wind gets up, the rubbish flies all over the place and ends up strewn along the verges. Again, I’m talking from personal experience
Devon is a beautiful county. However, the rising cost of living means people are increasingly resorting to fly-tipping to cut costs. Others are careless or simply don’t care enough about the environment to do the right thing.
At Devon CPRE, we do what we can to protect the countryside, but we are a small team, primarily volunteers, and our number one concern is inappropriate planning and the havoc that it can have on our green spaces. Raising awareness of issues like fly-tipping and wanton littering is one thing we can do. Also, letting people know that we have litter picking equipment you can borrow for free to facilitate clean-ups in your neighbourhood.
To support Devon CPRE’s work to protect Devon’s countryside, visit: cpredevon.org.uk
Wrong development, wrong location’ - Devon CPRE calls for proposed new housing on Brixham farmland to be refused.
We have submitted a comprehensive objection to Torbay Council outlining numerous reasons why proposals should be refused to build 175 homes on agricultural land within the protected South Devon National Landscape, on the western side of Brixham.
Devon CPRE objects to such a large development within the National Landscape, stating that submitted plans for Monksbridge Park in Mathill Road conflict with national planning policy and the adopted local development plan. The latter places significant emphasis on landscape-led development and high-quality contextual design; however, the scale, density, and spatial extent of the developer’s outline proposal appear to be driven primarily by maximising site yield.
The Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment identifies significant adverse effects on the South Devon National Landscape and its setting during construction and early occupation phases, including within the wider valley landscape around Brixham. Devon CPRE says the developer’s description of effects as “localised” underplays their impact and claims the plans lack robust evidence demonstrating that long-term landscape harm will be avoided or acceptably mitigated.
Furthermore, the charity says the proposal does not comply with a strong policy (Policy SC4: Sustainable Food Production and Land Protection) in favour of protecting Best and Most Versatile (BMV) agricultural land, supporting local food production and ensuring that development on higher-quality agricultural land is only permitted where there is an overriding need and no reasonable lower-grade alternative.
Devon CPRE Director Penny Mills says, “Recent CPRE research showed there was enough brownfield land in Devon for 16,700 houses. The priority should be to prioritise the use of these previously developed sites before any more green land is concreted over for housing - particularly in the setting of a National Landscape. More than 370 objections to the Monksbridge Park development have already been logged on the Torbay Council website. So the message is clear: this is the wrong development in the wrong location.”
She adds, “CPRE is celebrating its centenary this year. For 100 years our charity has steadfastly fought inappropriate development in our countryside. Here in Devon, we have so many precious landscapes and productive farmland that should be protected for future generations because there are plenty of other sites for new homes. We support communities across the county with such applications and have recently helped residents in Westleigh in North Devon successfully fight off plans for new homes on the edge of their village. We would urge people in South Devon to join us as members to support our fighting funds.”
Councils are responsible for ensuring that sufficient planning permissions are granted to meet local housing need over the next five years. At the moment, Torbay Council only meets the need for less than two years. Devon CPRE’s objection acknowledges that the absence of a five-year housing land supply is an important material consideration. However, it says the presumption in favour of sustainable development does not override the statutory and national policy protections afforded to the National Landscape.
To find out more about Devon CPRE’s work to protect the countryside and how to support the charity, visit: www.cpredevon.org.uk
Devon CPRE has learnt that National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED) has curtailed all output from Derril Water Solar Park at Pyworthy, near Holsworthy, and other renewables connected to the Alverdiscott Substation because of a fault that threatens to overload the grid. In its first summer of electricity generation, the timing couldn’t be worse for Derril Water, a solar farm that Devon CPRE and residents campaigned against.
The Board of the Derril Water Solar Co-op has sent its members an important update, dated 26 May 2026, advising them of “an unexpected electricity grid issue that requires Derril Water Solar Park and other renewable generators in North Devon to shut down…to prevent potential network overloads”.
Read more here:
Campaigners say ‘we warned this would happen’ after solar shutdown - Devon Today
devontoday.com
Devon CPRE has learnt that National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED) has curtailed all output from Derril Water Solar Park at Pyworthy, near Holsworthy, and other renewables connected to the Alver...
It's nearly here!
Celebrate Devon Day at the inaugural Edward Capern Festival in Heanton Punchardon on 4–5 June 2026
Join us in honouring the ‘Postman Poet of North Devon’ Edward Capern, known as ‘Devonshire’s Robbie Burns’, with music, poetry, art and community events celebrating Devon’s countryside and culture.
Plus, enter the first-ever Edward Capern ‘Postman Poet’ Award for the chance to win £500 for your own poetry inspired by Devon’s landscapes and way of life.
📍 St Augustine’s Church & Wrafton Hall
📅 4–5 June 2026
📧 Tickets & competition entries: sjcrowther@btinternet.com
Read more here: www.cpredevon.org.uk/edward-capern-festival-4-5-june-2026/
#DevonDay #EdwardCapern #NorthDevon #DevonPoetry #DevonCulture #CPRE #DevonCountryside
Devon CPRE and Westleigh residents celebrate fending off unwanted new homes in historic village.
Devon CPRE, the charity that campaigns to protect Devon’s countryside from inappropriate development, is delighted that a Planning Inspector has dismissed an appeal by the Christie Estate for outline permission to build a cluster of new houses in the village on a site that locals said was highly unsuitable for numerous environmental and heritage reasons.
Last year, Westleigh residents successfully opposed an outline planning application to construct nine houses on agricultural land just outside Westleigh’s Conservation Area (WCA), saying that the construction phase alone would ‘cause havoc’ in the settlement of just 69 homes, threatening the precarious existence of the community’s village hall, as well as the Grade-II-listed thatched dwelling known as Rock Cottage. They also argued that it would destroy a traditional Devon Bank hedge, a habitat frequented by ten species of bat, four of them endangered.
To the delight of villagers and Devon CPRE, North Devon District Council resoundingly refused the initial planning application, deeming it an unsuitable location for new open-market residential development that would not meet local housing need and would cause harm to the character and appearance of the area.
The Christie Estate subsequently appealed against the council’s decision (Appeal Ref 6003960) and submitted slightly modified plans, including reducing the house at the entrance of the development to a single storey to make it less overbearing and to mitigate the impact on Rock Cottage.
The Planning Inspector’s decision to dismiss the appeal has now been made public - to the delight of Devon CPRE, Westleigh Parish Council and local residents.
Devon CPRE Director Penny Mills says, “We have supported the villagers of Westleigh from the start in opposing this planning application, and the inspector’s ruling demonstrates that the planning system still has the power to preserve important landscape and heritage assets, despite the relentless political drive to build, build, build. This is a first-class example of why CPRE was founded 100 years ago and has campaigned relentlessly for all the protections that rural areas now rely on for their preservation. The main reasons the Inspector rejected the appeal related to damage to the setting of the listed cottage, the adjacent lane and an established hedge, as well as to the wider conservation area. We couldn’t agree more.”
Summarising the decision to dismiss the appeal, the Inspector stated, “Weighing against the proposal, the development would be contrary to the local development strategy, would be reliant upon the use of the car, harm the significance of a listed building and setting of the WCA, and harm the character and appearance of the wider area… planning decisions should guide development towards sustainable solutions whilst reflecting the character of an area and conserving and enhancing the historic environment.”
CPRE’s Devonian-designed garden wins Gold and Garden of the Year at RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Created to celebrate the Campaign to Protect Rural England’s centenary year, its ‘On the Edge’ garden - by Devon-born landscape designer Sarah Eberle - has been awarded a Gold Medal and the title of Garden of the Year at RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Sarah Eberle, the most decorated British designer at RHS Chelsea to date, grew up in Devon, spending much of her childhood on the edge of Dartmoor and in the town of Dartmouth. She has spoken about her long connection to the landscape and countryside and credits her rural Devon upbringing as the inspiration for her winning collaboration with CPRE.
Sarah describes herself as “a nature girl at heart.” She grew up on the fringes of a town: climbing trees, walking hedgerows, spending what she cheerfully calls her “misspent youth” in exactly the kinds of landscapes that On the Edge is about. The scrubby, overlooked, in-between places that most people walk past without a second glance – the vulnerable areas of countryside around our towns and cities that are under the most threat from developers.
Sarah’s striking ‘On the Edge’ garden features naturalistic planting that celebrates native wildflowers often dismissed as weeds, a fallen tree carved into the figure of Gaia or Mother Nature, and a dry-stone wall that snakes through the landscape like a boundary slowly being reclaimed.
Sarah says, “Having thought I had retired from creating gardens at Chelsea, the Campaign to Protect Rural England changed my mind. This garden’s mission is very personal to me. I am a country girl through and through, so I embody the same message and beliefs that the Campaign to Protect Rural England and this garden hold.”
CPRE’s ‘edgelands’ campaign seeks to protect the countryside immediately adjacent to towns and cities. These areas are vital resources for urban dwellers. Instead of developing them and sprawling willy-nilly into the countryside, CPRE believes we should focus on developing the upwards of 1.4 million brownfield sites available nationally, which it has identified so far.
To stand up for the countryside on our doorstep, add your name here: takeaction.cpre.org.uk/page/189868/petition/1
Devon CPRE sponsors inaugural festival to celebrate 'Devonshire's Robbie Burns' on Devon Day, 4 June 2026
Heanton Punchardon Residents Association and St Augustine’s Church proudly present the Edward Capern Festival 2026
Two days of activities (4-5 June) to celebrate this local literary hero, including a new poetry competition for citizen poets
We are sponsoring the first Edward Capern Festival, taking place on Devon Day (Thursday, 4 June) in Heanton Punchardon to honour the ‘Postman Poet of North Devon’, also known as ‘Devonshire’s Robbie Burns’ or ‘Devon’s Bard’.
Edward Capern (1819 - 1894) composed a wealth of poems and songs about the Devon countryside while going about his job delivering the mail to far-flung villages. He became famous throughout Victorian England. He died in Braunton and was buried in the churchyard at St Augustine’s in Heanton Punchardon, where the first day of an annual Festival to commemorate this local literary hero is being organised by the church and the residents' association.
Our Chairman, Steve Crowther, who lives in the village, is inviting people to submit their own poems about Devon’s countryside to win a £500 prize as part of the first Edward Capern Award for the ‘Postman Poet’ of 2026, sponsored by Devon CPRE.
Steve says, “As Edward Capern went about his rounds as a postman, he composed poems and songs celebrating the glory of Devon’s countryside. As an organisation that equally loves Devon, we at Devon CPRE have decided that in our centenary year, we would help to revive his memory. So, we’re working with the community and church here at Heanton Punchardon to create the first-ever Edward Capern Festival.
“We’ve decided that this year we should also introduce the very first Edward Capern ‘Postman Poet’ of the Year award. Something we can start this year and then build as a recognition of citizen poets. So if you’ve got any poetry in you, of any kind, celebrating Devon’s nature, our landscapes, our way of life, send it to me.”
A two-day programme of events will take place in Heanton Punchardon:
Thursday 4 June, 7 - 9 pm, An Evening of Music and Poetry at St Augustine’s Church
Local author Liz Shakespeare, an authority on Capern, joins musicians Mick Wyke and Becki Driscoll to celebrate the life, poems and songs of ‘Devonshire’s Robbie Burns. Tickets £10. Drinks and snacks are available.
Friday 5 June, 1 - 3 pm (schools), 3 - 7 pm (public), Capern’s Countryside Exhibition at Wrafton Hall
Art, poetry, displays and choral music created by local schools and residents based around six of Edward Capern’s best-known poems, reflecting the North Devon countryside, coasts and rural life. Announcement of the first Edward Capern Award for the ‘Postman Poet’ of 2026, with a prize of £500.
Tea and cakes are available.
Entries for the poetry competition should be emailed to sjcrowther@btinternet.com by Friday, 29 May 2026.
To book tickets for the event, email sjcrowther@btinternet.com or call 07775 787579.
To find out more about the festival and the poetry competition, go to CPRE Devon’s YouTube:
We want everyone across England to stand with us and ask that every town and city should be surrounded by thriving and protected countryside - for nature, climate and wellbeing.
Add your name today and help protect and regenerate the countryside On the Edge.
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Plans to build 39 homes near the historic Bloody Corner Viking battle site in Northam have been thrown out on appeal.
The Planning Inspector agreed the development would harm the area’s historic and rural character, including the setting of the commemorative stone tablet linked to the 878 battle between Saxons and Danes.
A great result for protecting Devon’s heritage and countryside.
Plans for 39 homes near historic Viking site thrown out on appeal - Devon Today
devontoday.com
Devon CPRE has welcomed a Planning Inspector’s decision to dismiss an appeal made by a developer who wanted to build houses on agricultural land in Northam, near a Viking battle site – a proposal ...Edward Capern Festival & The Postman Poet of the year Competition – 4/5 June 2026
Large new housing scheme proposed in Brixham in the South Devon National Landscape is the wrong development in the wrong location. #Devon #Brixham #Torquay #planning #housing @CommunityPlann1 @SouthDevonNL
Fury as plans lodged for 175 homes on protected Brixham farmland - Devon Today
The charity that campaigns against unwanted and inappropriate development across Devon has submitted a comprehensive obj...
devontoday.com
Devon solar farm and other North Devon renewable energy generators shut down to avoid grid overload. We've been warning of such eventualities for years!
#devon #northdevon #solarfarm @BBCDevon @itvwestcountry @WMNNews @Geoffrey_Cox @KathrynPorter26
Devon solar farm shut down to avert grid overload - CPRE Devon
Power ‘shut down’ at Derril Water Solar Park and other North Devon renewable generators to avert grid overload ...
www.cpredevon.org.uk
Happy Devon Day! Celebrating our beautiful county. #devonday #happydevonday #lovedevon #devon
Calling all poets! Could you win the top prize of £500 in the inaugural Edward Capern Postman Poet of the year competition. Come along to the festival on 4/5 June. #northdevon #devon #barnstaple #heantonpunchardon #poetry
Congratulations @cpre Winning a gold medal and garden of the year at @The_RHS #chelseaflowershow
Gold medal and Garden of the Year for CPRE garden at RHS Chelsea
We are CPRE, the countryside charity. Learn how we're working for a beautiful and thriving countryside that's access...
www.cpre.org.uk
Could you be the Postman Poet of the Year 2026? We're pleased to announce a new partnership with the new Edward Capern Festival, in #NorthDevon. We're sponsoring the inaugural event on 4-5 June, including the ‘Postman Poet of the Year’ competition with a £500 first prize! #Devon
Solar panels on farmland. You can’t eat solar panels.
North Devon challenges national solar strategy to protect 'productive' fields
North Devon challenges national solar strategy to protect 'productive' fields
Campaigners have welcomed the move, warning that productive farmland is increasingly being targeted for energy projects
www.northdevongazette.co.uk
Good news! North Devon Council moves to stop more #solarfarms on #farmland. We hope that other councils will follow suit & send a message to speculators that they are not welcome on our green land. #northdevon #devon @CommunityPlann1 @cpre @NoFarmsNoFoods
Block Solar Projects on Devon Farmland, Charity Urges
A Devon-based environmental charity is calling on all district councils across Devon to follow North Devon's example, ...
www.totnes-today.co.uk
Happy St George's Day! #stgeorgesday #devon
Become a member
Devon CPRE is a charity sustained by its members. By joining, you’ll not only support our campaigns to defend Devon from bad planning decisions, but also join the many thousands of CPRE members across the nation who are committed to celebrating, protecting and enhancing England’s incredible rural environments. Here’s what you get:
Individual Membership: £60 a year (only £5 a month)
Household/Group/Organisation Membership: £84 a year (only £7 a month)
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If you’re not yet ready to join, but agree with our aims and want Devon protected from badly-planned developments and misguided government policies, sign up as a Devon Defender. We’ll keep you informed about our work and major campaigns, and make sure your voice and thousands of others are heard loud and clear.
Thanks to Joe Ashworth, Peter Benson and Reinhold Staden for their superb professional photography of Devon’s glorious countryside.