Our History

The Campaign to Protect Rural England was founded in London by Sir Patrick Abercrombie in 1926 and soon became a national body of recognised influence. County branches soon started to appear to support CPRE's work at a local level and on November 29th, 1933 a county meeting was held at The Stuart Hall to form the Norfolk branch.

In the 1930's the branch worked on problems with advertising hoardings, litter and the disappearance of hedgerows in rural areas. The abandonment of old cottages and barns was also reported, as well as road widening and tree felling along previously quiet country lanes. The branch also drafted a paper to guide the reconditioning of timber framed and clay lumped cottages. By 1939, 506 members had been recruited, each paying a subscription of 2s.6d (approximately 10p).

After the war, the branch was reactivated and first began to influence the design and setting of local authority housing. The branch actively supported rural housing schemes such as the Blakeney Neighbourhood Housing Society which bought and repaired vacant cottages for re-let to local villagers.

By the 1950s, population drift to the towns and increasing size of farm holdings meant that there were hundreds of farm cottages left abandoned and uninhabitable. The branch spoke of 'dying villages' and of concern for Norfolk's legacy of outstanding medieval churches, many of which were now underused and in need of proper maintenance.

Better protection of the Norfolk Broads was also on the agenda and there were calls to designate the Broads as a National Park. An expansion of the tourist industry had not only threatened the tranquillity of the Broads but also its very ecology and our members were involved in discussion over protection of this very valuable area. The branch also supported a programme to rescue many of the derelict wind and water mills across the county.

The 1960's raised calls for undergrounding of power lines which were now spreading rapidly through the countryside. Road traffic was also increasing leading to the closure of almost all of Norfolk's local rail links. The agricultural revolution continued to impact on the Norfolk landscape with the diappearance of hedgerows, the building of concrete barns and dwindling numbers of farmworkers. All this and more occupied the branch's attention in the 1960s, but it was the Bacton Gas Terminal that generated the biggest challenge to CPRE Norfolk so far.

On 2nd November 1966 the EDP reported Shell's application to build a reception and treatment plant for newly found North Sea Gas, on 60 acres of cliff top farmland between Bacton and Paston. The Branch campaigned vigorously to emphasise the scenic value of the area and for relocation of the site to existing ports or industrial centres such as Yarmouth, Lowestoft or Kings Lynn. Pressure from the Branch, Parishes and the National Trust forced two public inquiries and ensured that planning permission was granted only with a number of developmental conditions and safety precautions. The Bacton Inquiry certainly put the protection of Norfolk's landscapes into the public's attention more than ever before.

The 1970s was a time of expansion for the branch. In 1972 CPRE Norfolk merged with the Norfolk Association of Amenity Societies to form the Norfolk Society. In 1974, following local government reform, district branches were formed to concentrate on issues and development in their district council area. In 1977, the Norfolk Historic Buildings Trust was founded as a joint venture with the County Council, to identify and renovate worthwhile Norfolk buildings in danger of dereliction or demolition. And around this time, the Norfolk Society Awards was born, to give recognition to significant small-scale achievements in the field of conservation and environmental architecture.

With these new ventures up and running, the branch continued to be as active as ever in issues that threatened the countryside. Quarrying was expanding rapidly in Norfolk and there were many examples of the Branch attending public planning inquiries. There was also controversy over suggested routes for bypasses at Loddon, Holt, Reepham and Wroxham. 'European Year of the Tree' in 1973 saw the branch organising tree planting, school projects, talks to local groups and a conference in Norwich to celebrate the countryside.

The 1980's brought fresh campaigning to protect two of Norfolk's most beautiful areas. The Broads Bill was welcomed in 1987, although it highlighted the difference between those managing the ecology of the area and those with vested tourist interests. The branch was involved in consultation throughout the devlopment of the Bill. Halvergate Marshes was also under threat and the Branch campaigned intensively with Friends Of the Earth and other groups to prevent drainage of the wetlands for large-scale ploughing. The eventual conservation scheme that was launched by the Agricultural Ministry encouraged farmers to maintain traditional cattle grazing on the marshes and protect and area with special scientific and wildlife interest. The campaign was seen as a turning point in the relationship between farming and conservation and the scheme pioneering scheme became a model for the rest of Europe.

In the early 1990s, CPRE National Office suggested that branches should form 'campaign groups' to publicise and address contentious issues across their county. In 1992 the Branch formed a Transport Group to deal with perhaps the county's most serious problem and later a Housing Group was kept busy in discussing the need for affordable housing for Norfolk. The Branch increased its membership to over 1000 members and our volunteers monitored planning applications in every district of the county, making statements and appeals where necessary.

The branch continues its work today and has recently changed its name from the Norfolk Society back to its original name CPRE Norfolk. In 2003 we celebrated our 70th Anniversary .