Edge of town development NAT4/5

Title: Edge of town development  12/06/2016  Aims:  To find out what type of development is going on at the edge of settlements.  To find out what greenbelt land is.  To evaluate whether we need it or not.  To find out the conflicts that are occurring because of development in the greenbelt.  To find out solutions to the conflicts.

Lesson starter  What type of development happens at the edge of a settlement?  Take 2 minutes to discuss and be ready to feedback to the class.

Development at the edge of settlements New housing Out of town shopping centres (Braehead) Motorways and transport New industry Golf courses and other recreational land New business parks (call centres and banks)

Why is it appealing to locate at the edge of a city?  Land prices are far cheaper than the CBD. This means that companies save money and can make the site more attractive (landscaping)  Many people now own cars and transport links are good so people can travel to work or shop.  The environment is nicer than the busy inner city. Lot of greenery and open space.  There is often a lot of flat land to expand on to.  Commuter towns have appeared due to people’s willingness to travel for to work in exchange of living in a nicer environment.  Supermarkets and how they face problems building on the edge of a town Supermarkets and how they face problems building on the edge of a town

Greenbelt land  What do you think that we mean by greenbelt land?  Greenbelt land is land around a settlement that is not meant to be developed on. Why do you think that is?

Map showing Greenbelt Land in England

Greenbelt facts:  Glasgow has 109,933 hectares of greenbelt land  82% of Britons believe that greenbelts should be protected at all costs  3% of Scotland is built upon  In the next 10 years Scotland will need an additional 250,000 new homes.  A recent UK study found continuing migration away from towns and cities into the countryside  Not all greenbelt land is green, some sections are derelict or neglected  Most greenbelt land is privately owned  28% of people believe more industry or office buildings should be allowed in greenbelts if it creates jobs

Discussion  Should we be allowed to develop on greenbelt land?  What are the arguments for and against it?  Discuss – don’t write down.  eld-sites-pt-1-2-narration/1513.html eld-sites-pt-1-2-narration/1513.html  should-cambridges-new-housing-go/530.html should-cambridges-new-housing-go/530.html

Why do some people think that we have to develop on the greenbelt?  Need for new housing  BBC - Learning Zone Class Clips - Environmentally friendly housing developments - Construction and The Built Environment Video BBC - Learning Zone Class Clips - Environmentally friendly housing developments - Construction and The Built Environment Video  Industrial estates are required to provide jobs  New roads to cut down on congestion  People are wanting to live further away from the city  Recreational land such as golf courses are required

Conflicts in the rural/urban fringe areas  As with all developments and land use not everyone will be happy. This in turn causes conflicts to occur.

Conflicts in the rural/urban fringe areas  What conflicts could you see happening at the rural urban fringe?  2 minutes – write your ideas down.

Conflicts in the rural/urban fringe areas  As the commuter belt expands there is an increased demand for new housing – people who want to preserve the greenbelt will not be happy with this.  This in turn has led to huge increases in the volume of traffic on rural roads – causing conflicts with previous local residents and causing pollution.

Conflicts in the rural/urban fringe areas  Property developers have bought up a lot of farmland that they want to develop, when they get the planning rights to do so – this has led to a loss of farmland, recreational land and a decline in the quality of land due to derelict farms being unattended.  The loss of population from the cities due to new commuter settlements has caused a financial problem for city councils and caused a loss of business from the CBD shopping areas.

Conflicts in the rural/urban fringe areas  Developments on the fringe and greenbelt have led to urban sprawl and the loss of land for rural purposes.

Reasons for building on Greenbelt  Housing stocks need to grow due to changes in family dynamics – higher divorce rate has led to two house ‘families’ Some developments are seen to be essential on greenbelts.  The new Hermitage Academy (Helensburgh) was built on greenbelt land because there was no other land deemed to be suitable.  Waitrose has recently been built on green belt land opposite Hermitage Academy. The concern is twofold – demise of green land and the impact on Helensburgh’s town centre.

Site of Hermitage Academy and Waitrose

Farming land must be maintained  Some of the farmland around Glasgow is owned by property developers who purchased the land some years ago. The farmers rent the land in the knowledge that if planning permission is given, housing will be built on the land.  As a result such farmers are not willing to invest in their land and buildings. The buildings are often in a poor state of repair, fences and gates are not mended and it can become an eyesore.  Near to most ‘urban farms’ are residential areas. This can cause conflict as people use the farm for walking their dogs. They may drop litter, leave gates open and vandalise crops growing.

Farm on Rural Urban Fringe

Location of Flenders Farm

New roads to cut down on congestion  The building of the M77 caused a great deal of conflict during its planning and construction stages.  The motorway, which was built to improve links from the Ayr road to the M8, has been built through part of Pollok Country Park and on designated greenbelt land as well as farmland.  Conservationists vigorously campaigned about the route as many ancient woodland areas had to be cleared to make way for the link.

Route of M77 through Greenbelt Land

What are the solutions?  Working in small groups come up with some solutions/management techniques that you think could be employed to stop the conflicts described.

 Key word:  Brownfield site:  Land that has been developed on before and is now being re-developed. This means that it will have some features such as plumbing and electricity already there. It can cost a lot to demolish the old buildings though.

MEASURES TO REDUCE CONFLICT  Stricter controls on the greenbelt. Planning guidance needs to be updated so that only essential development is allowed and where ‘nibbling’ occurs, the greenbelt should be ‘added to’ from elsewhere.  All brownfield sites should be developed upon before building occurs on greenfield sites. Continued regeneration of inner city areas may encourage a population move back into these areas.  More investment on methods to reduce the volume of traffic instead of building more roads.