West Oxfordshire and Eastern Cape (development and decline)

Question 1

What are the functions inb west Oxfordshire?

Answer 1

● Farming (Grass and for sheep farming, pockets of woodland, coppice and wood for fire and trade)
● Traditional rural industries of wool, E.G. Witney, furniture, quarrying
● Recreation and tourism, e.g. college sports grounds, golf courses, football stadium. Bladon is the burial place of Sir Winston Churchill. Woodstock has Bleinhem Palace and Estate
● Woodstock – secondary school, doctors’ surgery, chemist and other high order functions
● Small industry (Windrush industrial park – 28 acres (multi-national packaging company Smurfit Kappa, furniture manufacturers Corndell Furniture, Witney Business & Innovation Centre
● Historical (Duke of Marlborough’s)
● Settlement Yarnton dormitory sett;eemt (close to Oxfordshire)
● Begbroke – residential & a high-tech firm

Question 2

What are opportunities in West Oxfordshire?

Answer 2

● Grass and for sheep farming
● Pockets of woodland, coppice and wood for fire and trade
● Increase in hi-tech and science parks, e.g. Begbroke
● Increase in tourism, e.g. Blenheim
● Increase in second homes and commuter homes, e.g. Charlbury
● Increase in high yielding cereals but sheep in remoter high areas.
● Growth of mini-industrial areas, e.g. Chipping Norton
● Increased arable farming
● Recreation, e.g. college sports grounds, golf courses , football stadium
● Relatively prosperous population – high disposable income
● Villages with market towns such as Chipping Norton
● Traditional rural industries of wool, E.G. Witney, furniture, quarrying
● Group B (12 medium sized villages) contain a school, community hall and atleast 1 pub
● Since 2003, 5 villages in group B have seen an improvement in bus services. All village have a daily bus service that is more frequent than one hour

Question 3

What are the economic factors that influence the development of West Oxfordshire?

Answer 3

● Increase in service jobs – often skilled and well paid
● New business parks, e.g. nanotechnology at Begbroke
● Increased housing, e.g. Blackbird Leys
● Two main roads AQ40 and A44
● Railway line to Oxford
● Good link to London via train or M40
● Traditional rural industries of wool, E.G. Witney, furniture, quarrying
● Increase in tourism, e.g. Blenheim
● Relatively prosperous population – high disposable income

Question 4

What are the social factors that influence the development of West Oxforshire?

Answer 4

● Villages with market towns such as Chipping Norton which draws in workers
● Increased social activities e.g. music groups
● Park and ride schemes
● Increase in second homes and commuter homes, e.g. Charlbury
● Increase in hi-tech and science parks, e.g. Begbroke

Question 5

What are the political factors that influence the development of West Oxfordshire?

Answer 5

● Expansion of Oxford beyond its green belt
● Historically land ownership has been crucial – large estates such as Duke of Marlborough’s
● Since 2003, 5 villages in group B have seen an improvement in bus services. All village have a daily bus service that is more frequent than one hour

Question 6

What are the environmental factors that influence the development of West Oxfordshire?

Answer 6

● All but six villages include a Conservation Area
● Attractive scenery
● Nine villages are located within the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
● Since 2003, 5 villages in group B have seen an improvement in bus services. All village have a daily bus service that is more frequent than one hour

Question 7

What are functions in Eastern Cape of South Africa

Answer 7

● Farming (fertile Langkloof Valley in the southwest has enormous deciduous fruit orchards, while sheep farming predominates in the Karoo). Stuterheim timber plantation
● Historical (Afrikaans area was resettled as ‘homelands’)
● Welcomewood is a rural resettlement camp (2000 people) with mixed housing that permit subsistence agriculture
● Port Elizabeth
● Recreation and tourism. Coastal boat tours spot whales and rare seabirds, while wildlife reserves outside the metropolitan area are home to elephants, rhinos and other big game.
● Conservation: Swartkops Valley Local Authority Nature Reserve (Swartkops river), East London Nature Reserve

Question 8

What are opportunities in Eastern Cape of South Africa

Answer 8

● Farming
● Many commute to work in coastal cities
● Increase in tourism
● Some areas of fertile soil (FARMING)
● Manufacturing in East London)
● Historical (Afrikaans area was resettled as ‘homelands’)
● Welcomewood is a rural resettlement camp (2000 people) with mixed housing that permit subsistence agriculture
● Port Elizabeth
● Recreation and tourism.
● Conservation: Swartkops Valley Local Authority Nature Reserve (Swartkops river), East London Nature Reserve
● Peelton has a regular bus service to Bisho which leads to King William’s Town and Zwelitsha making employment easier
● Use of natural vegetation, for fuel, fences and money

Question 9

Describe farming in Eastern Cape.

Answer 9

● Farming (fertile Langkloof Valley in the southwest has enormous deciduous fruit orchards, while sheep farming predominates in the Karoo). Stuterheim timber plantation
● Largely poor-quality pastoral
● Subsistence with some arable near rivers – vegetables and maize

Question 10

Describe recreation and tourism in Eastern Cape.

Answer 10

Coastal boat tours spot whales and rare seabirds, while wildlife reserves outside the metropolitan area are home to elephants, rhinos and other big game.

Question 11

Describe the use of natural vegetation in Eastern Cape.

Answer 11

● Natural vegetation used for fences, fuel and forage (frequent use of wood collection from woodlots near Mount Coke 6km away)
● Wood as a fuel (majority use in Welcomewood, 13% in Peelton). People can make money by selling wood

Question 12

What factors that influence the development of Eastern Cape? (economic, social, political and environmental factors)

Answer 12

● Road improvement – more all weather roads and bridges means more could migrate for work
● Increase in tourism
● Two main roads
● Youthful population so high birth rate
● Some areas of fertile soil (FARMING)
● Increase in tourism
● Development of the port (Port Elizabeth) as it is on the coast – Indian/ South-African Oceans
● Areas of conservation (due to rare rhinos, elephants and birds). Land hasn’t been developed upon previously
● Wood as a fuel (majority use in Welcomewood, 13% in Peelton). People can make money by selling wood
● Tenure system (entitles rights to people on the land, e.g. ownership or rental). Welcomewood residents have 34% land holdings
● Peelton has a regular bus service to Bisho which leads to King William’s Town and Zwelitsha making employment easier
● Natural vegetation used for fences, fuel and forage (frequent use of wood collection from woodlots near Mount Coke 6km away)

Question 13

What factors lead to growth in West Oxfordshire?

Answer 13

● Two main roads AQ40 and A44
● Railway line to Oxford
● Villages with market towns such as Chipping Norton
● Increased social activities e.g. music groups
● Park and ride schemes
● Increase in service jobs – often skilled and well paid
● New business parks, e.g. nanotechnology at Begbroke
● Increased housing, e.g. Blackbird Leys
● Good link to London via train or M40
● Attractive scenery
● Expansion of Oxford beyond its green belt
● Increase in tourism, e.g. Blenheim
● Increase in second homes and commuter homes, e.g. Charlbury
● Increase in hi-tech and science parks, e.g. Begbroke
● Relatively prosperous population – high disposable income
● Traditional rural industries of wood, E.G. Witney, furniture, quarrying
● Historically land ownership has been crucial – large estates such as Duke of Marlborough’s
● Since 2003, 5 villages in group B have seen an improvement in bus services. All village have a daily bus service that is more frequent than one hour Facilities of villages promote employment opportunities
● Nine villages are located within the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
● All but six villages include a Conservation Area

Question 14

What factors lead to decline in West Oxfordshire?

Answer 14

● Ageing population with high population of retired people
● Closure of rural services, e.g. primary schools as few young children
● Decline in primary jobs
● The city of Oxford is close by promoting rural-urban migration

Question 15

What economic and social problems associated with growth and development in West Oxfordshire?

Answer 15

● Traditional rural values under threat
● Friction between locals and wealthy newcomers
● Soaring house prices
● Increased road congestion as more traffic
● Increase in second homes and commuter homes, e.g. Charlbury
● Removal of vegetation and heavy use of machinery in the development of the Oxford Science Park (30 hectare site in green belt) contributing to soil erosion
● Industrialisation of Oxford University’s Begbroke Science Park (factory 230m away from the nearest houe & is 14km high) which has destroyed the character of Horspath, angering local residents
● Increased housing demand increasing house prices resulting in a lack of afforadable housing for young people
● Change in employment structure

Question 16

Describe the change in employment structure in West Oxfordshire.

Answer 16

● Change in employment structure decline in primary industry (farming, forestry, mining and fishing) and an increase in services (such as Oxford Science Park, Oxford Business School, Long Hanborough Business Park). Service jobs are more skilled resulting in fewer less-well-paid jobs for locals = social differences and problems between original residents and newcomers

Question 17

Describe the economic and social problems with decline in West Oxfordshire.

Answer 17

● Low birth rate
● Ageing population with high population of retired people
● Decline of employment in farming
● Loss of rural services as many commute, e.g. post office petrol station and village shop loss at Freeland
● Only 6/12 medium sized villages have their own petrol stations
● Stonesfield and Milton under Wychwood have lost their full-time GP surgeries
● Fewer job opportunities (areas such as Carleton are located away from the centres), have older populations and fewer new housing estates
● Change in employment structure

Question 18

What factors lead to decline in Eastern Cape?

Answer 18

● Subsistence farming replaced by cash so less labour is needed
● Impoverished population isolated on remote former homeland area – overcrowded and high natural increase
● Increased freedom to move
● Low rainfall contributes to diminishing land, population growth and resettlement has also contributed to this
● Many commute to work in coastal cities
● Many men migrate for work causing a gender imbalance
● Few local tracks
● Few local services
● High cost of water, high cost of seeds, lack of fences, no use of manure
● Limited employment
● Poor soil at Welcomewood
● No industry
● No houses have piped water in Welcomewood, people forced to carry 20kg water containers from one tap in the village which is physically demanding and takes up a large amount of time
● Hostile with low rainfall so much is uncultivated scrubland
● Peelton- only one borehole for the Kwarini site so people travel 1-3km to reach it. People also forced to collect water from the dam which has a bilharzia risk from contamination from animals
● No bank or post office at Peelton or Welcomewood meaning communication and receiving pensions is limited

Question 19

What factors lead to growth in Eastern Cape?

Answer 19

● Road improvement – more all weather roads and bridges means more could migrate for work
● Increase in tourism
● Two main roads
● Youthful population so high birth rate
● Tenure system (entitles rights to people on the land, e.g. ownership or rental). Welcomewood residents have 34% land holdings
● Peelton has a regular bus service to Bisho which leads to King William’s Town and Zwelitsha making employment easier
● Peelton – alluvial soils
● Some recreational facilities at Welcomewood (a field with a goalpost in it)

Question 20

What are the economic and social problems associated with growth and development in Eastern Cape?

Answer 20

● Townships of resettled people.
● Limited employment
● Little infrastructure put in place to support growth (Peelton is a largely pastoral area which has experienced little development due to its limited water supplies)
● Small amount of agricultural land given to Welcomewood residents (1.7 acre areas)
● Labour shortages affects agricultural production (large number of female-headed households, migrants and commuters contributes to low productivity) so land cannot support the rural population
● High cost of water, high cost of seeds, lack of fences, no use of manure
● 2002 – 70% of people live in poverty, higher than in any other province
● Wealth in Eastern Cape occurs in west, around Port Elizabeth, with a divide of poverty at Ciskei and Transkei (41% of households had no income in 2001) contributing to economic decline
● Former homeland areas (Ciskei and Transkei) have been marginalised from South African society as a result of development. Economic activity has declined, unemployment has risen and poverty is more endemic.
● Prevalence of HIV and AIDS and isolation of local communities

Question 21

Describe the Prevalence of HIV and AIDS and isolation of local communities in Eastern Cape.

Answer 21

Prevalence of HIV and AIDS (10% are HIV-positive) Transport improvements have simply isolated and trapped local communities with poor road infrastructure. They are in poor condition, maintenance is hampered by the lack of clarity of role and responsibilities (lack of hierarchy). 435km are in poor condition,50% of gravel roads in poor condition

Question 22

Describe townships of resettled people in Eastern Cape.

Answer 22

No real hierarchy. Welcomewood is a rural resettlement camp (2000 people) with mixed housing that permit subsistence agriculture. There are poor quality road network, water is provided by a tap along the roadside and there is no electricity provision or refuse collection

Question 23

What are the social problems associated with decline in Eastern Cape?

Answer 23

● Traditional rural values under threat
● High incidence of HIV and AIDS
● High percentage of women and elderly as young men migrated for work
● Traditional culture in decline
● Youthful population – high birth rate
● Many men migrate for work causing a gender imbalance
● No recreational facilities at Peelton
● Little water (e.g. 3km walk to get it), power or sanitation
● Few local services
● Theft by other villagers
● No houses have piped water in Welcomewood, people forced to carry 20kg water containers from one tap in the village which is physically demanding and takes up a large amount of time
● Lack of land rights (tenure system)
● Peelton- only one borehole for the Kwarini site so people travel 1-3km to reach it. People also forced to collect water from the dam which has a bilharzia risk from contamination from animals

Question 24

What are the economic problems associated with decline in Eastern Cape?

Answer 24

● Rising unemployment
● Rising poverty
● Very poor road maintenance
● Farms too small to support decent herds of animals
● Peelton- permanent unemployment
● Welcomewood unemployment due to remoteness and lack of alternative opportunities (distance from sources of employment)
● Lack of skills (only 4%)
● Most work as migrant labourers
● Agriculture in decline (30% uncultivated)
● Farms and houses left derelict
● Only 20 jobs available in Peelton from clinics, schools and police departments
● People forced into the informal sector
● No industry
● No bank or post office at Peelton or Welcomewood meaning communication and receiving pensions is limited
● Little infrastructure put in place to support growth (Peelton is a largely pastoral area which has experienced little development due to its limited water supplies)

Question 25

What are the environmental problems associated with decline in Eastern Cape?

Answer 25

● Loss of wildlife (Used for food)
● Soil erosion for clearing the bush for fuel etc
● Water pollution