London Docklands: A Case Study of an Urban Redevelopment Scheme in a MEDC

Background Information

Solutions to the Problems

1. Improve Social conditions (create new housing and recreation facilities).
2. Improve Environmental conditions (creating open space and cleaning area up).
3. Improve Economic conditions (create jobs and improve transport).

What was Actually Achieved?

What were the Problems or Redevelopment?

• Socially there were several issues. Whilst the area had new housing and modern amenities, it had split up a close community. Many rich outsiders had migrated to the area which diluted the community but also housing was still too expensive for unemployed local people. Also, the inflow of wealthy people has led to an increase in prices which has had a negative impact on poorer locals. Many believe there are still insufficient services eg care of elderly, and money would have been better spent on this.
• Environmentally the projects of the LDDC were considered a success.
• Economically there were some problems, new firms wanted relatively few numbers of highly skilled/qualified people (locals mainly unskilled). Most jobs went to outsiders.
• Socially approximately 20,000 new homes were built, many of the derelict warehouses were turned into flats. Low cost housing was provided for poorer people but with modern amenities.
• Environmentally there was the largest tree planting scheme in Europe and the setting up of 17 conservation areas. A national indoor sports centre was built and the docks have become one of Britain's major watersports venues. The Millennium Dome has recently been added as a leisure facility.
• Economically many new businesses were established creating around 10,000 new jobs before 1992. Most industry was financial (banks), high technology or media such as large newspaper organisations (The Guardian, The Telegraph). Transport links were much improved by the new Docklands Light Railway and the City Airport both opened in 1987. Roads have been improved as has the underground links with central London. Additionally several large superstores have opened in Canary Wharf and a luxury shopping complex at Tobacco Wharf.
• By 1981 the Chancellor Geoffrey Howe recognised the Docklands need help and set up Enterprise Zones in the area. These gave 10 year exemptions on local taxes and allowed easy unrestricted development in order to attract new businesses.
• 1981 the London Docklands Development Corporation was set up with 3 aims:-
• During the nineteenth century the port of London was the busiest in the world with one quarter of all world trade going through the docklands. The docks were surrounded by warehouses, import/export and shipping industries and high density housing for the workforce.
• By the 1960’s things were going wrong. Increasing use of technology was causing unemployment eg containerisation—this meant ships were getting so big the channels into the docks were not deep enough to take them, so trade started slipping away.
• By 1980 trade had switched to Tilbury docks and other deep water channels, the London Docklands were derelict eg housing in a state of disrepair, abandoned warehouses, massive unemployment rates in manual/unskilled and next to no services being provided.

Factors Affecting the Location of IndustryWhilst this is not a case study – you need to know what things influence the location of industrial activity. These can be split into 2 sections PHYSICAL and HUMAN.Physical Factors Influencing the Location of Industry.

ACCESSIBILITYCLIMATE:LANDPOWER:RAW MATERIALSHuman Factors Influencing the Location of IndustryCAPITAL (MONEY)COMMUNICATIONSGOVERNMENT POLICYLABOUR SUPPLYMARKETS

DESIGN A MIND MAP SHOWING ONE HALF THE HUMAN FACTORS AND THE OTHER HALF PHYSICAL FACTORS – TRY AND USE IMAGES FOR EACH OF THE SECTIONS AND USE COLOUR. 

Case Study of the Location of Hi-Tech Industry: M4 Corridor ‘Sunset Strip’What is Hi-Tech Industry?

These are relatively young industries in the UK and are made up of things like telecommunications, defence and aeronautics. What are ‘Footloose’ Industries?

These are industries that have grown along lines of communication eg the M4 motorway; they are ‘footloose’ as they are not tied down to locating near raw materials.

These industries do improve the prosperity of an area but not as much as the traditional heavy industries that are now in decline – largely because new industry does not employ as many people.What are the locational advantages of the M4 corridor?

• Easy access to the Channel Tunnel to get into European markets – EXPORTS.

• Airports of Gatwick, Heathrow, Luton and Stanstead means access to global exports.

• Hi-Tech industry needs a highly skilled workforce which the University towns of Reading, Bristol, Cardiff, Oxford and Bath provide.

• Close to London where most trade occurs. The business capital of the UK.

• The concentration of ‘similar’ type industries means shared ideas and knowledge.

• The location is environmentally attractive for workers eg the Cotswolds and Mendips are in easy reach of ‘Sunset Strip’ so people have attractive living environments.

In the nineteenth century industry had to locate near markets so they were fairly local due to the cost/difficulty of transportation. With improved transport the market is now a global one and location has again become less important – the eve of the internet has also meant freedom of location.

Historically industry that required many people needed to locate near people. In modern Britain mechanisation has resulted in fewer people being needed in secondary industry so locating near people has become less important. In some secondary and tertiary industry however specialist labour is still important eg hi-tech industry along the M4 needs graduated from Oxford, Bristol, Bath and Reading.

Location can be influenced by incentives like tax free rent, or tax free profits eg in Enterprise Zones. These are often areas that have high unemployment so the government wants to attract industry to solve employment problems. On the other hand government policy has been responsible for the closure of heavy industries eg coal mining in South Wales L .

One of the most important aspects of industrial location. Most industry needs access to the rest of the world and so needs roads, motorways, railways, ports, airports. Increasingly also is the need for great telecommunications access eg internet and phones. As communications improve so does the ability of industry to become more foot-loose.

The posh word money in industrial circles is ‘capital’ and industry likes to be near institutions eg banks or people eg investors that have lots of money. You can’t set up an industry without lots of capital.: Old heavy industry needed coal and so had to locate on or near a coal field (because coal was very expensive to move due to limited transport technology). Today materials are easier and cheaper to transport due to rail and road technology, and also industries use the national grid for energy. Industry needs POWER. This used to mean locating next to rivers for water power – or steam power (which also needed a location near a coal field –or a forest if you go back even further!). Now we have the National Electricity Grid which provides energy pretty much anywhere thereby allowing industry a choice of location.

Land is very important, it needs to be flat (eg North Italian Plain!). This is essential to most heavy industry; there will also need to be space to expand in future years. In the past factories often located around the centre of towns and cities eg Victorian times, this was because workers could then walk to work easily. Today, due to cars industry can locate in out-of-town places. Whilst this is not a massively important factor the climate needs to be acceptable to the workers.

The site of industry needs to be accessible to get either raw material to the factory and/or the finished product out to the market place. Additionally workers need to be able to get there. Originally industry needed to locate close to the raw materials eg in a coal field or next to a river for the water. Modern industry now locates near routes of communication eg ports, motorways, main roads.

The motorway system means accessibility to the whole UK eg M4 and M5.

Case Study of a Weather Event: The 1984 UK Drought Caused by an Anticyclone

CAUSES OF THE DROUGHT An ANTICYCLONE is an area of HIGH PRESSURE that brings with it STABLE weather conditions of CLEAR SKIES, SUNSHINE, NO CLOUDS, NO PRECIPITATION (rain, snow, hale, sleet) and VERY LIGHT (anticlockwise) WINDS. Between May and August 1984 an ANTICYCLONE settled over the UK and we saw one of the driest summers of the century.

How did the Drought affect People and the Environment?

• Ban on watering sports pitches was introduced eg gold clubs, football pitches.

• Commercial car washes banned, as well as domestic car washing.

• Fountains turned off.

• Water supplies in Devon and Cornwall shut off for 2 days at a time.

• South West England customers had to reduce consumption by 30% or run dry eg in Devon, Venford reservoir came close to running dry.

• Hose pipe ban introduced to gardens could not be watered with fines of up to £1000 if breached.

Other Steps Water Companies can take to Reduce Water Shortages

• WATER METERS – customers can be made to install water meters that measure consumption and force people to pay for what they use, thereby reducing waste of water.
• HOSE PIPE BANS – no use of hoses or sprinklers for garden or car cleaning.
• DROUGHT PERMIT ORDERS – these allow companies to take water directly from rivers and put it into reservoirs thereby boosting supplies.
• NON-ESSENTIAL WATER PERMIT ORDERS – water for sports grounds is restricted eg football, rugby and bowling greens, window cleaning on buildings restricted and automatic lavatories eg in schools may need to be turned off.
• IMPORT WATER FROM ABROAD – railway mounted water tankers can be brought into Britain via the Channel Tunnel in order to boost supplies.
• MEND LEAKING PIPES – the Government body that regulates water companies in the UK is called OFWAT allied with the Environment Agency has called for leaking pipes to be repaired as quickly as possible. Many pipes in the South East of England are 150 years old and require immediate replacement with new PVC pipes eg Thames Water loses an estimated 915 MILLION LITRES PER DAY THROUGH LEAKING PIPES.