KIELDER FOREST case study Flashcards
What type of regeneration took place?
Leisure, Tourism and Diversification led regeneration
Why was there a need for regeneration? (evidence needed)
“-previously the area has a lack of industry meaning the residents had few employment opportunities which led to depopulation of the area and eventually it decreased below the threshold population which meant that services were sparse and the area had little to offer its residents but a poor QOL
Who were the stakeholders involved in the regeneration?
“-The local and national government are involved as they helped with planning and sourcing the funds for regeneration schemes
-the energy company were also involved as they decided to build a hydroelectric damn in the area
What conflicts occurred between the stakeholders?
-preservation societies didn’t want the local environment to be destroyed by the HEP plant yet the government and private investors were backing the idea as it would diversify the area’s economy and provide new employment for people living in the area
What was done for the economy, people and environment?
“ENVIRONMENTAL
-the HEP plant provided employment for the local people, but also boosted the economy of the local area as the plant generates 12MW from 4 turbines. However the man made lake has flooded areas of the woodland eating into the surrounding habitats, but does provide the conditions for other ecosystems diversifying the area.
-rare wildlife from the forest attracts tourists of different demographics e.g. 11 osprey chicks fledged in 2017 attracting bird watchers
ECONOMIC
- The HEP plant is the largest in the UK showing how the industry is diverse meaning if the tourism industry collapses they have a fallback and are economically stable
SOCIAL
-leisure activities have been a huge success as inland water sports and lakeside/forest activity zones are attractive to families young people ands sports persons. This attracts 300,000 people annually
What was done to rebrand the area?
“the area has utilised its environment to attract a wide range of tourists and has been reimaged as the UK’s largest forest
This means that the area has moved places on Clokes index of rurality, moving from an extreme rural area to an intermediate non-rural area
-large rebranding took place to tap into the tourism industry however less emphasis was needed compared to urban case studies as the regeneration project also set out to improve the QOL of local residents
Was the regeneration a success? (evidence needed)
Economic:
• Re-imaging took place around the idea that Kielder Forest is now the largest forest in England. This helps to employ locals as around 200 people are employed both directly and indirectly in the timber harvesting. This combined with other attractions such as a man mad lake, which cost £167 million to build and was opened by the Queen in 1982 has helped to attract tourism. For example and expected 300,000 visitors annually whilst also winning ‘gold’ to be officially recognised as the best tourism experience in the country.
• Investment has increased in the area to utilise the environment. For example, it is home to the largest hydroelectrical power plant in England with total water release set at a maximum of 1.3 million meters cubed a day and a total output of 12MW. This has not only increased employment and therefore local tax revenue but has also increased dependency on Kielder nationally as it is now a major source of energy.
• Observatory for dark skies has helped to attract a different subsection of tourism such as those who are interested in astro-tourism.
• Increased employment will generate more tax revenue and therefore will satisfy the government. Tourism also helped to increase localised spending so local businesses around the tourist attractions will also benefit.
Social:
• Received a £500,000 government grant for a four-year programme to rebuild the community. This has benefited local people through improved services and leisure activities, improving quality of life.
• Voted the most tranquil place in England by the campaign to Protect Rural England. This demonstrates that despite efforts to attract tourism and urbanise the area, it has still maintained its innate nature that locals moved there for. This will satisfy resident stakeholders.
Environmental:
• The wildlife in the area has thrived. For example, nine endangered osprey chicks have already fledged with a further two set to fledge soon. This would mean that since 2009 a total of 42 osprey chicks will have fledged in Kielder forest, increasing biodiversity.
• Investment into hydroelectric power is an environmental success as it has helped to convert local energy sources towards cleaner methods. This helped to reduce CO2 emissions and therefore the associated risks with climate change etc.
• However, hydroelectric power does have may damaging effects on the environment. For example, it floods and starves certain areas of water, whilst blocking aquatic migration routes and destroying certain habitats. Unless, future methods are taken to combat this, it could pose serious threats to biodiversity.
• Increased tourism into the area has increased air pollution emissions and litter, both of which can damage the environment.
-formal perceptions show a large increase in tourism, economic output and employment and informal perceptions display an increase in affluence suggesting the local people were content with situation of the regeneration scheme
