Urban sprawl

• Urban sprawl has been a problem in the past as London grew outwards, to prevent this growth, the government brought in a 'green belt' around major cities in the UK, which prevented development and kept the city contained

  However, there is a shortage of housing and land in London to meet this demand, the number of new homes given planning permission on London's rural fringe has tripled. These homes have been built on the opposite side of the green belt and created commuter towns such as Luton
• Decentralisation of offices 


  • some offices take advantage of the cheaper land with room to expand and so relocate to business parks on the outskirts of the city beside main roads for access
  • The green park business centre, reading is now home to 3 mobile centre office which combines its offices from Maidenhead and Reading
• Transport changes 


  • many main roads, motorways and train lines link the suburbs with the city centre to allow commuters easy access to work, shopping and entertainment
  • park and ride schemes have been particularly important to enable people to travel to events without taking their cars e.g. football matches
• Housing developments

  • form 1960 onwards, new towns, were built on greenfield sites on the outskirts of the city to deal with overcrowding in the inner-city slums
  • high rise towers were popular but cut communities off from one another and some were badly erected and became dangerous within a few years
  • social housing estates were developed on the urban fringe and new housing developments continue to add to the problem of urban sprawl today Small villages like Wennington in Kent have been turned into commuter settlements
• New industry and new business districts

  • industrial estates, retail parks, large supermarkets and shopping centres e.g. Westfield Stratford are located on the edge of the city
  • They take advantage of the cheaper land, room for expansion, access links, market share and labour force
  • the developments increase urban sprawl, which further impacts farmland and the loss of wildlife habitats
• Environmental impact


  • loss of land and habitat as new buildings, homes, roads and railways are built in the commuter belt
  • increased light pollution around London
  • increased noise pollution
  • increased traffic congestion and air pollution in once countryside areas
• Social impacts 


  • Increased cost of housing in once cheaper areas, local feels squeezed out
  • Resentment builds between newcomers and locals
  • Increased traffic in the local area which increases road accidents and pollution