Countryside should be graded to protect it from development, says National Trust chair

If the countryside was graded it would be clear to developers which areas are untouchable for development and which areas are potentially suitable, which would save everyone time,

Jenkins told the Telegraph Hay Festival, according to The Daily Telegraph.

Britain is in danger of becoming "increasingly ugly" as a result of development, wind farms and pylons, Jenkins said, according to The Telegraph.

Speaking at the festival, Jenkins said that current planning laws do not do enough to protect our most beautiful greenspaces, "if you graded the countryside it would be easier to save it", he said.

Jenkins proposed introducing a grading system which would require local authorities to grade their local landscape from one to six, according to how beautiful it is, as well how often the public use it for leisure and how important it is for wildlife.

“I cannot believe we have so little concern for the beauty of the landscape to allow wind farms to be built in areas of outstanding beauty,” said Jenkins.

Director General of the National Trust Fiona Reynolds agreed with Jenkins and said that the countryside is more under threat than ever due to housing pressure.

The idea of ‘beauty’ should be brought back into public planning discourse around the countryside, as it is so important for the physical and mental health of the nation, said Reynolds, according to the Telegraph report.

Local planning authorities must take more account of the ‘beauty’ of the landscape in the new local plans, which are drawn up to determine future development of each area under the new rules, said Reynolds.

“The idea of beauty needs to be revived in planning," she said. "We would like to see beauty recognised in policy and practice.”