An examination of policies and issues relating to the management of industrial land in core and peripheral urban areas

Abstract

The principle focus of the research is on the demand for industrial
land and premises and the dilemmas that flow from an inadequate
comprehension of the demand component in the industrial development
process at the local level.

This lack of understanding is borne out by the problems encountered in
the traditional core industrial areas which are not capable of
providing the appropriate supply response to the changing requirements
by manufacturing industry for land and premises. There are therefore
repellant forces active in the traditional core areas.

What emerges from the research is a framework for assessing and
managing complex inner area and peripheral urban sites that could help
form the basis of an Industrial Land Strategy. A cost-benefit
methodology is adopted for assessing the viability of renewal of
certain areas. The author advocates the local authority as_ the
appropriate agency for implementation of such a strategy though there
are certain policy implications attached to this.

The whole concept of a viable Industrial Land Strategy rests on an
understanding of both the nature and characteristics of Demand and
Supply. Whilst considerable work has and is being undertaken on the
Supply side very little is understood of the demand side of the
equation. The framework as discussed above explicitly involves
greater comprehension of demand side characteristics.

In addition and within the context of this review those factors
affecting the demand for industrial land and methods to determine in a
quantitative sense this demand are analysed.

The geographical backcloth to the whole of this study is the West
Midlands Conurbation which has formed a convenient microcosm of the
problems and issues to be found. But these should not be considered
unique to the area rather they are symptomatic of the general economic
malaise affecting the majority of the United Kingdom's principal
industrial centres.

Date of Award	1986
Original language	English