Nature and farmland equivalent in size to that of the New Forest \u2013 604 sq km \u2013 was lost to concrete and bricks and mortar in the UK between 2018 and 2023, according to an investigation by the Guardian and European partners.<\/p>\n
In the same period the loss of some of the most protected and special natural areas in England, Wales and Northern Ireland<\/a>, known as national landscapes, reached 12 sq km; equivalent to 1,680 football pitches worth of natural land.<\/p>\n The exclusive analysis \u2013 the outcome of a cross-border project<\/a> conducted by the Guardian, Arena+, the Norsk institutt for naturforskning (Nina), the Norwegian broadcaster NRK and nine other news outlets in 11 countries across Europe, estimated that natural areas equivalent in size to Cyprus were lost across the continent in the same period.<\/p>\n A map showing the<\/a>Within the High Wealds area of outstanding natural beauty, the investigation identified numerous small and large developments in the period between 2018 and 2023<\/p>\n The UK was among the countries to lose the highest proportion of green space compared to its geographic size. It ranked fifth.<\/p>\n The findings underline the tensions and economic trade-off between the environmental loss of natural capital from development and the economic gains of residential and industrial development and their subsequent value to GDP.<\/p>\n The research used before-and-after satellite imagery shots to determine the change in land use \u2013 utilising a supervised machine learning developed by Nina. The investigation revealed the significant scale of building on beauty spots designated as areas of outstanding natural beauty, now known as national landscapes in England<\/a> and Wales.<\/p>\n chart<\/a><\/p>\n Huge tracts of national landscapes are being taken for development, the data suggests, despite restrictions on the development of these natural areas.<\/p>\n The Guardian verified almost 250 of the largest developments, which covered more than 10,000 sq metres (107,640 sq ft). These were mainly undertaken in seven areas of national landscapes: the Cotswolds, Chilterns, High Weald, North Wessex Downs, Kent Downs, Dorset and the Shropshire Hills.<\/p>\n The research suggests that special protections in such areas are being trumped by local developments \u2013 including residential, transport and commercial projects \u2013 but also by national construction projects.<\/p>\n One major project \u2013 the controversial HS2 train line, once seen as a vital piece of infrastructure to connect the north and south of England, which will now connect only London and Birmingham \u2013 cuts directly through the Chilterns national landscape and is clearly visible in the satellite imagery captured for the purposes of this project.<\/p>\n An oak tree felled by HS2 within the compound in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire in 2021. Photograph: Maureen McLean\/REX\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n Most of the large projects highlighted by the analysis, beside HS2, that have spilled into the areas of outstanding natural beauty are housing developments, such as the northward expansion of Poundbury in Dorset, the Lancaster Park development near Hungerford in Berkshire, and a field of new houses to the north-east of Fownhope in Hereford. More still are small encroachments: barns, extensions and road widening projects.<\/p>\n Recent research has revealed there are enough brownfield sites in England<\/a> to build almost all the 1.5m homes that the government wants to create by the end of this parliament.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n The planet’s most important stories. Get all the week’s environment news – the good, the bad and the essential<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com<\/a> to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n Roger Mortlock, chief executive of the countryside charity CPRE, said: \u201cFor a small island we are still struggling with the idea that land is finite. It\u2019s shameful to be so near the top of this list when the countryside in this country is so valued \u2013 second only to the NHS.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is also so unnecessary when brownfield land, even with planning permission, remains unused. We should rethink our towns and cities as compact sustainable places that celebrate the countryside on their doorstep.<\/p>\n \u201cInstead land-hungry, car-dependent, identikit, unaffordable housing estates without proper infrastructure are taking green fields that could deliver the food we eat, power nature\u2019s recovery and climate solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n The Guardian revealed recently the government\u2019s new planning bill threatens 5,000 of the most protected areas in England<\/a>. The bill, currently going through parliament, is considered a regression on current environmental laws, and would allow developers to pay into a central fund in order to bypass environmental regulations on a particular site.<\/p>\n Additional reporting by Rachel Keenan, Raphael Boyd, Olivia Lee, Yassin El-Moudden, Gracie Daw, Matthew Holmes, Mariam Amini, Gabriel Smith, Dominic Kendrick and Emma Russell<\/p>\n For more, visit greentogrey.eu<\/a><\/p>\n