Country dwellers older than townies

LONDON, July 17 (Reuters) The average age of people living in the countryside is now nearly six years higher than in urban areas as growing numbers of young people head for the towns, according to a report today.

The rural landscape is changing too, with more vineyards and wind farms replacing traditional crops, the annual ''State of the Countryside'' report says.

It noted that the exodus of young people was caused partly by a shortage of affordable housing.

There were now nearly 400,000 fewer young people aged 15 to 29 in rural areas compared with 20 years ago.

''This is pointing towards a demographic divide between rural and urban areas and is putting a severe strain on the viability of rural services, such as schools, the provision of youth services, healthcare and housing,'' said the report by the independent Commission for Rural Communities.

Rural areas had seen a 200 per cent growth in the number of migrant workers in the past three years, it said.

The scale and speed of immigration was putting a big strain on rural local authorities, both in their ability to provide services and ensuring that new migrants are successfully integrated into their communities, the report said.

Nearly 40 per cent of people buying farmland in England are now non-farmers, it added.

About 400 vineyards have started up in England and Wales, while 2.2 per cent of all farmland was now being used for industrial crops, including energy crops, which have doubled in the past year.

There has been a 3.6-fold increase in wind power capacity over the past three years, enough to supply around 300,000 homes, and it will continue to expand, the report said.

Reuters SKB GC1443