The Isles of Scilly is the third most unspoilt county in England, a survey has revealed.

Just 26% of land on the Islands is disturbed by buildings, transport and noise.

A ‘tranquillity map’ compiled by the Campaign to Protect Rural England shows that more than half of the country is affected by nearby roads, towns, pylons, aircraft and trains.

The map does not include areas within two-and-a-half miles of a power station, two miles from large roads or towns, or half a mile from a main railway line.

Northumberland is the most unspoilt county with 17% of land disturbed, followed by Herefordshire with 21%.

The charity warns that the last remaining tranquil areas may disappear by the end of the century if the current trend continues.

CPRE chief executive Shaun Spiers told the Daily Mail: “The findings are a wake-up call for the Government. The impact of development spreads way beyond its immediate footprint. More must be done to protect what is left from further fragmentation.”

In the early 1960s, 26% of England was disturbed by the sight and sound of urban development, growing to 41% by the 1990s and to about 50% by this year.

Penwith District Council has decided that the sternboard from the HMS Association, which was wrecked near the Islands in 1707, should remain in Penzance.

The vote confirmed a decision by Penzance Town Council in July not to return the artefact to the Islands.

In April, the Policy and Resources Committee of the Islands’ Council had resolved by 6 votes to 1 that the sternboard - currently in Penzance Magistrates’ Court - should be displayed in the council chamber as part of a commemoration of the 300th anniversary of the disaster later this year.

The latest decision was welcomed by Cllr Gordon Bilsborough, who had argued that retrieving the sternboard would cost the average Scilly taxpayer £20 per head.

He said: “I am delighted that common sense has prevailed. There was a real danger that the sternboard could have fallen to pieces when being removed from the wall in Penzance.

“But more importantly, it means that it will save council tax payers on the Isles of Scilly £20,000 which had been allocated from our dwindling reserves.  We have far more important priorities to deal with.”

Radio Scilly has launched on the Islands on a permanent basis.

The station began full-time transmission from its Porthmellon studio on September 3.

Check out the live streaming at  http://www.radioscilly.com/