National CPRE chooses Danes Moss for On The Edge campaign launch

Macclesfield’s at-risk Danes Moss has been chosen by national CPRE as a featured ‘edgeland’ for the launch of its On the Edge campaign.

Edgelands – urban fringe green spaces – are under constant threat of development despite their role as vital nature corridors, buffers against climate change, and as the primary point of contact with nature for the 85% of UK residents who live in urban areas. On the Edge sets out to celebrate this precious but undervalued countryside and calls for government action to protect it – with targets for brownfield-first development being a key ask.

Danes Moss – a rare lowland raised peat bog – was nominated for the campaign by the team here at CPRE Cheshire, and demonstrates clearly the need for stronger protection for the urban fringe.

Set just on the edge of Macclesfield, Danes Moss is rich in biodiversity, is one of the biggest carbon stores in Cheshire, and is a valued green space for the local community. Yet over 200 acres are allocated for development in the Cheshire East Local Plan – development which could release up to 262,000 tonnes* of CO2 as the peat is excavated.

Local people have been fighting the development plans since the start. The Danes Moss Trust (now a registered charity) has campaigned, fundraised, and built a detailed restoration vision in partnership with Cheshire Wildlife Trust – which called the original proposals among the most environmentally damaging ever put forward in the region.

The future of the Moss continues to be on a knife edge as the council weigh up plans.

“We are so pleased that the importance of Danes Moss has been recognised by CPRE,” says a Danes Moss Trust spokesperson. “Danes Moss is a mosaic of wildlife-rich peatland habitats, including rare wet woodland. Its value to our community is reflected in our determination to protect it. Irreplaceable areas like this are so precious; they transcend politics and economics and must be safeguarded.”

For CPRE Cheshire, the site was the obvious choice as an edgeland nomination. “As soon as we saw the call for nominations, we immediately thought of Danes Moss,” confirmed our Chair, Jonathan Clarke. “The site is quite simply unique, and development would be devastating for both nature and the community.”

On the Edge is one of a series of centenary campaigns for CPRE, marking 100 years since the organisation was first founded. In addition to brownfield-first housing targets, the campaign is also calling for Green Belt protection via a reversal of the most damaging impacts of grey belt policy, bespoke support for edgeland farmers, support for Community Land Trusts and Local Green Space designations, and a commitment to ensure that everyone lives within a 15 minute walk of green space or water.

In addition, CPRE are asking the public to share stories of their local edgelands to help build what it believes will be the first-ever interactive map of England’s urban fringe countryside. The campaign has been showcased at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026 in a prize-winning garden due to be relocated to a Sheffield housing development.

*Calculated using formula and data for carbon content/m3 taken from Lindsay, R. (2010)