Rural and Urban regeneration schemes

Question 1

Why did the Lower Lea Valley need regeneration?

Answer 1

1. The closure of the docklands in the 1980s resulted in industrial decline in the area of East London. Unemployment rates rose to as high as 66%.
2. The industrial decline meant that industrial waste was not properly disposed of. Coupled with dereliction, the environmental quality in the area was incredibly poor.

Question 2

What were the strategies used and outcomes of the London 2012 Olympic Regeneration Project?

Answer 2

350 hectares of abandoned and derelict land was converted into sports and residential facilities

100 hectares of new green space, with 4,000 trees and 600,000 tonnes of soil cleaned as well as 3km of rivers and canals were cleaned and 230,000 cubic metres of contaminated groundwater was removed.

Sport-led regeneration - London Stadium Velodrome (60,000 capacity) and Aquatics centre still host sporting events after the 2012 London Olympic Games

Retail led regeneration - Construction of Westfield (Europe’s largest shopping centre)

Tourism/leisure-led regeneration - The orbit (a viewing platform providing a view of the entire Olympic Park)

Conversion of the international broadcasting centre to a tech and innovation centre - attracting tenants such as BT.

Construction of a culture education quarter which has attracted BBC and University College Oxford

The rail, bus and cycle routes in Stratford were improved to cater for the volume of people visiting during the Olympics and for residents afterwards.

A new rail station was built at Stratford International.

Question 3

What were the aims of the London 2012 Olympic Regeneration Project?

Answer 3

1. Regenerate and transform Stratford and the surrounding area
2. Improve sustainability
3. Create a long-lasting legacy encouraging inward migration and investment
4. Increase supply of affordable housing - The development of Athletes village aimed to create homes for 4000 people, of which 3000 would be able to obtain at affordable rates.

Question 4

What are tensions caused by the 2012 Olympic Regeneration Project?

Answer 4

1. House prices in the area rose from 51% to 79% of the London average between 2012 and 2020 (However this may reflect a greater desire to live here)
2. Athlete’s village only provided homes for 2800 people, including affordable housing for 2000 people (lower than both targets)
3. People with incomes as high as £60,000 are eligible to purchase affordable housing - it Is therefore often occupied by young professionals rather than lower-income families.
4. Only 22% of housing units complete since the project have been deemed affordable
5. 450 tenants of Clays Lane were forcibly evicted and displaced in emergency flats for 6 weeks.
6. Despite the creation of green space and decontamination of the River Lea, over 311,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide were emitted as a result of the regeneration.

Question 5

What was done in Powys, Wales?

Answer 5

To tackle rural deprivation (roughly 50% of communities in Powys were among the 10% most deprived in the country) The LEADER programme (Links between actions for the development of the rural economy) - funded by the Welsh Government and EU provided £4 million worth of grants to 310 businesses between 2011 and 2014. This created 36 jobs and safeguarded 80 more. This encouraged sustainable tourism as grants allowed for farm diversification into glamping sites, welding workshops, wildlife spotting areas and equestrian.

In phase 2 (between 2014 and 2020), a further £3.75 million was invested to develop renewable energy, and help bring together older citizens through community dinners and cinemas to tackle loneliness) and improve broadband connections.