OCTOBER 16, 2009: A new coalition of organisations is calling for a fresh vision for rural communities in England.

The coalition includes Action with Communities in Rural England, the Campaign to Protect Rural England, the Country Land and Business Association, the Local Government Association, the Royal Town Planning Institute and the Town and Country Planning Association. The group says: “With no change of policy and no commitment to action, much of the countryside is becoming part dormitory, part theme park and part retirement home.”