Valuable resources
The English countryside’s natural and cultural resources attract large
numbers of visitors, and
tourism supports many jobs and businesses, notably in and around country towns. Driven by
increased earnings, more single people, and, perhaps, more leisure time, the demand for tourism
will continue to grow, bringing jobs and money to the countryside. But there are uncertainties: a
decline in farming may make the countryside less attractive to tourists; providers may not innovate
sufficiently to meet new consumer demands; and there will be strong competition from cities and
from overseas.
Growing markets
The rural population could leap by four million over the next 20 years.
Many will live in currently expanding country towns. Planning policy may encourage
others to move
to other smaller towns giving them a new lease of life and easing pressure on the urban fringe. This
growing population will create great opportunities for goods and service providers.
Many services need to be close to their customers – from retailing to
healthcare to take- away food
– while some (eg. supermarkets) require a substantial population to be viable. Many new arrivals
will be comparatively well-off, with plenty to spend in the local economy, and will continue to want
many of the services they had in cities. On the back of a housing boom, the demand will soar for
fittings, furniture and garden products. Public spending and services will also increase - government
spending represents around 40% of the rural economy and is a major source of employment. ICT
will enable medical and educational services, for example, to become more dispersed and no
longer concentrated in large population centres.
Good places to do business
For relocating or new firms, country towns and their surroundings offer a good ‘image’,
relatively
unrestricted space, pleasant working environments and often cheaper labour, without the physical
decay and social problems of older industrial areas. Further outsourcing will favour the growth of
small specialist firms, many of which will be attracted to rural locations. The arrival of experienced
middle and higher income groups will provide a pool of skilled labour. Advances in ICT, leading to
more effective virtual networking and home- based working, will enable organisations to downscale
their centralised operations and disperse their activities over a number of smaller units, including
in
rural locations.
However, as with tourism above, there are obstacles to realising these opportunities.
- Housing costs and insufficient low-cost
housing may create a shortage of key workers in the
public services, education and middle management, as well as of ‘old economy’ low-paid
personnel, such as security workers and cleaners.
- Good transport will be vital if country
towns and their hinterlands are to attract investment. The
travel crunch will prove such a risk to economic growth that almost certainly roads will be
improved.
Despite opposition, some motorways and trunk roads will be widened, and a number of
by- passes
built.
