Howard said, "I am very pleased and honoured to carry on Terry's good work and we
certainly have enough on our plate. The new Regional Spatial Strategy must avoid breaking into the Green Belt around Bournemouth and Poole. We need to improve
protection of the Dorset AONB from unwanted development and seek to ensure that the changes in farming practices enhance our precious landscapes. We will be working to gain more members, especially in urban areas, in order to allow us to counter the many threats to rural Dorset."

Howard’s professional background is in leading information projects in transport and distribution during a 25-year career. These projects served railways, airlines, supermarkets and port container handling functions. His technical expertise was in data analysis and database. Much of this work was done after moving to the Netherlands in 1977 with his wife Lorraine and two daughters. He founded an information systems consultancy with five partners that grew to become a 150 man strong company.

Howard retired from this company in 1992, having been chosen as its chairman, and oversaw a "management buy out". Thereafter he returned to England together with Lorraine and a young son, Martin and settled at Whitchurch Canonicorum in the beautiful Marshwood Vale.

In 1993 Howard joined friends to fight a dual carriageway proposal through the Dorset AONB and Heritage Coast, including the SSSI’s of the National Trust Golden Cap estate. The victory finally arrived in 1996 when the scheme was withdrawn from the Roads Programme. Howard specialised in traffic analysis for the objectors and produced evidence that 85% of the traffic was locally orientated, thus there was no need to cater especially for long distance traffic. It is believed that his submission was the first time that origin and destination data had been so analysed and promoted. The qualitative analysis approach forms a significant area for transport campaigners today.

Introduced to CPRE Dorset’s Transport Committee by that redoubtable campaigner Mary Rose Mangles, he served under the formidable chairmanship of Charles Bowen and then Terry Stewart, before taking over the chair himself.

His goal has been to protect the SW’s precious countryside and landscapes and to promote sustainable and effective transport solutions. Howard was a West Dorset District Councillor from 1999 until 2003 and served on two Planning Committees and greatly improved his knowledge of spatial planning issues.

In 2000, he was nominated to serve as a Member of the South West Regional Assembly as a Social, Economic and Environmental Partner. He sits on the two most influential committees, namely the Regional Spatial Planning & Transport Group and also the Regional Development Agency Scrutiny Panel.

Howard can be contacted by telephone on 01297 489445 or e-mail at thomascpre@onetel.com.