The Countryside Agency in England was a statutory body set up in 1999 with the task of improving the quality of the rural environment and the lives of those living in it. The Agency was formed by merging the Countryside Commission

Countryside Commission

The Countryside Commission was a statutory body in England and Wales, and later in England only...

 and the Rural Development Commission. Its powers were inherited from those bodies.

Its main aims were to 'conserve and enhance England's countryside, spread social and economic opportunity for the people who live there and help everyone, wherever they live and whatever their background to enjoy the countryside and share in this priceless asset more'. Funding came from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is the government department responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture, fisheries and rural communities in the United Kingdom...

 (Defra) as an annual budget of around £100 million. The Agency was based in Cheltenham

Cheltenham

Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...

 with smaller offices in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 and the regions. Total staff numbers were around 600.

Following a review by Christopher Haskins, Baron Haskins of Skidby

Christopher Haskins, Baron Haskins of Skidby

Christopher Robin Haskins, Baron Haskins , is a British/Irish businessman, and former member of the British Labour Party....

 of several Government organisations involved in rural policy and delivery, the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 merged those parts of the Countryside Agency charged with environmental activity with English Nature

English Nature

English Nature was the United Kingdom government agency that promoted the conservation of wildlife, geology and wild places throughout England between 1990 and 2006...

 and parts of the Rural Development Service

Rural Development Service

The Rural Development Service was formerly part of the UK Government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs . It ceased to exist on 1 October 2006 following the creation of Natural England.- History :...

 to form Natural England

Natural England

Natural England is the non-departmental public body of the UK government responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, freshwater and marine environments, geology and soils, are protected and improved...

. The socio-economic functions of the Agency were merged with the Regional Development Agencies

Regional Development Agency

In the United Kingdom, a regional development agency is a non-departmental public body established for the purpose of development, primarily economic, of one of England's Government Office regions. There is one RDA for each of the NUTS level 1 regions of England...

. The remaining part of the Countryside Agency, largely research and policy functions, became the Commission for Rural Communities

Commission for Rural Communities

The Commission for Rural Communities was established as a division of the Countryside Agency on 1 April 2005, and became a non-departmental public body on 1 October 2006, following the enactment of the . The current chair man of the commission is Stuart Burgess...

.

See also

• Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
  Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
  An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an area of countryside considered to have significant landscape value in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, that has been specially designated by the Countryside Agency on behalf of the United Kingdom government; the Countryside Council for Wales on...
  
  
• Heritage Coast
  Heritage Coast
  A Heritage Coast is a strip of UK coastline designated by the Countryside Agency in England and the Countryside Council for Wales as having notable natural beauty or scientific significance.- Designated coastline :...
  
  
• Doorstep Green
• Country Park
  Country park
  A country park is an area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment.-History:In the United Kingdom the term 'Country Park' has a special meaning. There are over 400 Country Parks in England alone . Most Country Parks were designated in the 1970s, under the...
  
  
• Maps of the UK and Ireland
  Maps of the UK and Ireland
  Maps of the UK and Ireland are available in various media.-Maps on CD ROM:ISYS OUTDOORS, Anquet Maps and Fugawi offer a series of 1:25,000, 1:50,000 and 1:250,000 scale UK Ordnance Survey maps including agazetteer of place names...
  
  
• Community Forests in England
  Community Forests in England
  England's twelve community forests are afforestation-based regeneration projects which were established in the early 1990s. Each of them is a partnership between the Forestry Commission and the Countryside Agency, which are agencies of the British government, and the relevant local councils.Most of...
  
  
• Rural community vibrancy index
  Rural community vibrancy index
  The Rural Community Vibrancy Index is a statistical measure designed by the British Government's Countryside Agency which is meant to measure the potential for, or reality of, community participation in rural settlements...