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| Predecessor | Countryside Commission Rural Development Commission |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1999 |
| Defunct | 2006 |
| Successor | Natural England Commission for Rural Communities |
TheCountryside Agency was a statutory body set up in England in 1999 with the task of improving the quality of the rural environment and the lives of those living in it. The agency was dissolved in 2006 and its functions dispersed among other bodies.
The agency was formed by merging theCountryside Commission and the Rural Development Commission. Its powers were inherited from those bodies. The agency was based inCheltenham with smaller offices in London and the regions. Total staff numbers were around 600.[1]
The Agency was a government-funded advisory and promotional body; it owned no land and managed no facilities. Its funding came from theDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) as an annual budget of around £100 million. The Countryside Agency worked with other bodies, such as local authorities, landowners and other public agencies, to provide grants and advice to conserve the natural beauty of the landscape, promote rural economies and make the countryside more accessible to the public.
The Countryside Agency had special responsibility for designatingnational parks andAreas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, definingheritage coasts, and establishinglong-distance trails for walkers and riders. In 2003, it initiated the designation of England's newest national park, theSouth Downs National Park.
In 2004, the Agency partnered with theCountryside Council for Wales to introduce The Countryside Code, an updated version ofThe Country Code.
The Agency inherited a project to createMillennium Greens, and 245 out of the 250 planned were created by the end of the project, just after 2000. Minimal government responsibility for these greens was then passed toNatural England on its creation.
Following a review byChristopher Haskins of several Government organisations involved in rural policy and delivery, theNatural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006[2][3] dissolved the agency. Those parts of the Countryside Agency charged with environmental activity were merged withEnglish Nature and parts of theRural Development Service to formNatural England. The socio-economic functions of the Rural Development Commission had already transferred to theRegional Development Agencies in 1999 (they were in their turn replaced bylocal enterprise partnerships in 2012). The remaining parts of the Countryside Agency, largely research and policy functions, became theCommission for Rural Communities which was abolished in 2013.
The average number of permanent staff employed during the year (including those on fixed term appointments) was: 2005/06 639 2004/05 519
