Transport

1
Transport
Transport effects rural areas as the growth of
rural traffic is greater that the growth of
traffic in urban areas! this can be explained by
the declining levels of public transport in rural
regions.

• The problems
• The loss of landscapes though the construction of
  roads
• pollution from cars and buses
• the loss of tranquillity in rural areas

• Solutions
• Improve bus services
• Restrictions on roads and number of cars
• Toll roads
• Reduced speed limits

By Mozz and Peirskin PART OF THE LAZY inc. COMPANY
2
Leisure and Tourism
Many people now have the money and leisure time
to spend in the countryside. The expansion of
leisure parks, conservation holidays and so on
have focused on rural areas. The effect has been
to make rural areas the playground for
Britains urban population.

• There are a number of trends to explain the
  increased pressure on rural areas for leisure and
  tourism
• Incomes for the majority of people have grown
• Car ownership is still increasing
• The countrysides popularity is growing
• A higher proportion of intellectual people exist
  these days
• Many people desire the open space of the
  countryside, in contrast to the stress and
  pollution of urban areas.
• These factors have led to increased pressure on
  the countryside and introduce a whole series of
  conflicts
• Coastal marinas- Since the late 1980s there has
  been an increased demand for new marinas in
  England and Wales. Groups such as the RSPB and
  WWF raised concerns about the impact on wildlife
  habitats. Example Cardiff Bay redevelopment
  scheme was approved by Parliament in 1993. This
  involved a major transformation of the estuary,
  and the destruction of an SSSI (Sites of Special
  Scientific Interest).
• Access to private land- Most of rural Britain is
  privately owned. The issue of general access to
  the countryside, the right to roam, is a source
  of friction between landowners and the general
  public.
• Golf courses- The 1980s saw a rapid expansion in
  new golf course development, mainly on
  lower-grade farmland. These tend to be local
  conflicts, but raise questions because they are
  often in Green Belt areas.
• Holiday cabins- The economic pressure on farmers
  to diversify has led many to create on-farm
  tourist facilities, such as holiday cabins. These
  are sometimes created in AONB which causes
  controversy as they involve changing land use.
• Mountain bikes- Since 1992 the Lake District has
  been the site if conflict between mountain bikers
  and other recreational users, over what is
  appropriate use of the area. This has resulted
  in bans on biking in certain areas.
• Paintball- The growth of war games is a result of
  farm diversification. Bonny Wood near Stowmarket
  is used for war games and has come into conflict
  with the group English Nature as they found
  damage was being done to rare vegetation in the
  area.
• Holiday villages- Center Parcs Holiday Village at
  Longleat, Wiltshire is a 160 ha development which
  gained planning permission in 1992. The site lies
  within an AONB.
• Since 1945 a number of measures have been taken
  to make rural areas more accessible to people for
  leisure and recreation
• Seven designated National parks in the more
  remote areas, and two specially designed areas in
  the Norfolk Broads and the New Forest.
• 34 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)
• 29 Heritage Coasts
• Around 192,000 km of public rights of way,
  including ten National Trails.

3
Changes in Agriculture

• 88 per cent of England is countryside, meaning
  that it is free from residential, industrial and
  transport use. In terms of land use most of rural
  Britain is agricultural.
• Farming as an economic activity has undergone
  important changes since 1945.
• These changes are linked to processes of
  specialisation- where farms focus on producing
  one product, for e.g. rare poultry farming and
  intensification- where more production is
  squeezed from the same area of land.
• This has resulted in fewer people engaged in
  farming and larger farm sizes.
• Changes in national and international
  agricultural policies have encouraged farmers to
  find other ways to increase their income.
• Post war policies stating that land should be
  preserved for agriculture has been replaced with
  the notion of a post-productive countryside.
• In the period after the Second World War, the
  main goal of the agricultural policy was to
  increase food production, and farmers were given
  support to modernise their activities.
• CAP introduced quotas, in which farmers were
  given a set price for a certain crop that did not
  change with decreased demand or over production.
  This led to food mountains of over produced and
  unwanted food, that could only be sold at a loss.
  
• However now that food production in Europe has
  expanded, farmers have been asked to reduce their
  production.
• Many farmers have been paid to set aside land
  from farming to reduce over production.

4
Counterurbanisation

• The reduced importance of farming in rural areas
  has opened the door to new rural residents as old
  agricultural buildings and cottages have been
  converted into executive houses an even small
  businesses. For e.g. The Cotswolds.
• After years of population decline many rural
  areas have experienced population increases. For
  e.g. The New Forest.
• This pattern is known as counterurbanisation.
  There are two major sets of explanations of this
  trend.
• Job Led. There has been a significant in the type
  of work in developed countries. In the past firms
  used to cluster together, whereas now they tend
  to be dispersed, as they are no longer tied to
  specific locations.
• The shift from large-scale mass production to
  small firms allows them to locate in more rural
  areas.
• In these areas they can take advantage of pools
  of green labour (largely female and
  non-unionised), low rents, and improving services
  and communications.
• These firms would find it hard to recruit
  specialised managers, and thus they usually move
  with the firm.
• People Led. This suggests that counterurbanisation
  is the result of the preference of people to
  live a rural way of life. For e.g.
• The rural area is a more open and less crowded-
  there is a more human scale to things.
• It is a more quiet and tranquil place, with less
  traffic and hustle and bustle.
• The area is cleaner and less polluted, with
  fresher air than urban areas.
• The rural lifestyle allows people to escape the
  urban rat-race.
• There is a slower more peaceful pace of life,
  with more time for people.
• The rural life offers a community atmosphere and
  a sense of togetherness.
• There is less crime, social problems and
  vandalism in rural areas.
• The environment is said to give children a more
  stable upbringing.