The idyllic image of living in the countryside could change

The study for the Countryside Agency predicts more and more farmers are leaving the rural landscape, while city dwellers are moving in to escape the fear of terrorism.

It warns that economic needs must be balanced with environmental and social concerns to prevent a huge divide taking place.

The report looks at what rural England could be like in the year 2020 - depending on what policies are followed in the next few years.

It suggests that the nature of the countryside will change and that although farming will survive, food production will no longer dominate many areas.

'Urban sprawl'

For many people, the desire to escape from cities in search of a better quality of life may be intensified by fear of terrorism.

This could bring about a revival in the countryside - with people choosing to live and spend money in rural areas.

But the downside is the affect of traffic - with roads becoming choked with cars and crime continuing to increase.

The report warns that more cars could bring rural traffic problems

Launching the report, Countryside Agency Chief Executive Richard Wakeford said: "People moving to the countryside isn't a new phenomenon. It's been happening for quite a long time and it's been set at around 90-100,000 people per year over the last decade.

"I believe that when we come to build the houses that will be needed over the next 20 years, they won't be the sort of houses that were controversial and caused images of urban sprawl in the countryside, in the middle of the last century.

"We need to look hard to understand how those people who do use the countryside and do value the environment, how they live their lives and how they get access to services.

"All of those things will have an impact on road traffic. There is a real need for management, because if we don't, we will have road congestion and a lack of services that will flow if you leave things unaltered."

The ideal future, says the report, is one which balances the needs of a changing rural economy with protection of the environment and provision for the less well-off.

But the report acknowledges this could be a wish that is difficult and expensive to achieve.