4A.7 Flashcards
Describe the characteristics of infrastructure projects
Infrastructure projects have high cost but also high longevity
- recently there has been an increase in private sector developing infrastructure
- Withoit the correct infrastructure, regional growth can be more difficult
- there is regional disparity within infrastructure projects with £2595 being spent per person on infrastructure in London compared with £5 in the north east
What is the HS2 case study related to infrastructure development
- HS2 is a high speed railway line linking North and south of england
- There are two phases to the route with the midlands to manchester leg and midlands to leeds leg
What will the proposed positive impacts of HS2 be
- HS2 will radically improve journey times with the journey of birmingham to euston going from 80 minutes to 49 minutes
- 60,000 construction jobs will be created
What are the negatives however of HS2
- It will pass through Chilterns hills AONB and so have a damaging effect on the environment
- There will be no intermediate stations and so commuters on the line will not be benefitted
- It will cost an estimated £56 billion (already over ) from which the government are hoping to gain via an economic multiplier affect resulting from improved transport links
What is an update on HS2
-The leg to leeds has now been scrapped due to its high cost
What is another case study of an area hoping to improve accesibility with an infrastructure project
Case study- airport development
- In 2015 after 12 years of debate, the airport commision gave a clear and unanimous verdict for an expansion plan at Heathrow including a third runway
- The cost is £18.6 billion with some of the supporting infrastructure being paid for out of public money
What are the arguments for and against expansion
Pro expansion
- could create 70,000 jobs
- 1000 billion of benefits
- Heathrow claims it operates at capacity
Anti expansion
-the mayor of london is opposed to the expansion as are green groups such as greenpeace
What is another case study of an infrastructure investment to maintaining
Growth
- The northern hub project was a project that initiated a series of improvements to rail networks around manchester
- It started when in 2011 when ten local councils came together to form the greater manchester combined authority and took control of Manchesters transport policy(among other things). A short curved section of track (ordsall chord) has been built to connect manchesters two main stations and the airport south of the station
- Joruney times have since decreased
- The government is funding electrification projects in manchester, leeds ans liverpool to allow for cheaper,longer electruc trains
- This £600 million pound investment is expected to yeild a 2.4 billion pound return
How do national and local interests interact woth planning laws
- national and local governments generally control development in land
- national interests may however clash with local interests and since 2010 planning policy has foccused on economic growth
- Place marketing can be used by both types of player to rebrand and reimage a place
- Plans have to be submitted to the local authority for approval and so they hold much of teh power
How can planning blight and gain be used and created to help/ hinder development
- planning gain can be used by planners which is where they allow development if there is benefit to the local community e.g adding social housing as part of a new housing development scheme
- planning blight can be created by slow decision making leading to economic stagnation and a downward spiral with decisions unable to be made by developers
Who are the other players in planning laws
The EU has a say in planning and has made envronmental impact assessments compulsory for some developers
-developers may use political,parts
How have changes to the DCLGs planning inspectorate affected economic regeneration ans planning laws
From 2013, the DCLGs planning inspectorate was able to be directly applied to which the government saw as good for economic growth but has negative side effects e.g persmission granted to intrusive flats
Why is fracking in the UK being increased
- There is a national priority on increasing energy security and economic prosperity
- The UK were projected to have to import 70% of its gas vpby 2020 so there is national interest in increasing fracking
- Government regulations in the Uk being loosened have made it easier for fracking to be approved by local cluncils
What are the social impacts of fracking
- fracking could bring new job opportunities to rural areas where shale deposits are located
- In 2014 it was thought to have created 60,000 new jobs for rural areas
- It provides secure energy
- overall the economic benefits may increase social situation
- Howver there is no community consultation in the planning
- it results in noise pollution
- the chemicals in fracking liquid can contaminate water supplies (methane found in water near fracking sites by Duke uni in the US
What are the environmental impacts of fracking
- fracking sites risk destroying local habitat
- shale gas still emmits fossil feuls
- earthquakes due to fracking have been recorded near blackpool in 2011 ( a 2.3 magnitude one was recorded at preston new road in April 2011)
- Fracking refuced the amount of coal which is one of the dirtiest forms of fossil fuel
- there is also less water used than in coal production