LAND on the edge of Basingstoke earmarked for 2,500 new homes should be protected, according to a countryside charity. The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) carried out an assessment of the countryside around Cliddesden set to be home to the Upper Swallick development. It claims that the 296 hectare site is classified as valued landscape and it should be protected. CPRE Hampshire claims it has an important contribution to the characteristics of the Basingstoke Open Downs. Christopher Napier, of CPRE Hampshire, said: Landscapes play a vital role in tackling the climate emergency by capturing carbon, cleaning the air, helping to slow flood waters and providing habitats for wildlife.