Unit 5

• Extreme non-rural areas


  Areas which are within 30 mins travelling distance from a large urban area
• Extreme rural areas


  Areas which are more than 90 mins from a large urban area
• Issues faced by many rural settlements

  • Ageing population and Population Decline
  • Service Provision
  • Transport Provision
  • Telecommunication/Broadband Provision
  • Housing Availability and Costs
• According to 2001 census data, the median age of people in urban areas is 36, in rural areas it is 42
• According to 2011 census data, the median age of people in urban areas is 37, in rural areas it is 45
• Spiral of decline in many rural settlements

  1. People, especially the young leave for more opportunities in urban areas

  2. Employers find it difficult to recruit labour

  3. Less investment happens in the area and businesses shut

  4. Less money, less employment and fewer people leads to shops and services declining

  5. People notice the decline and the lower quality of life. 6. Steps one to 5 continue.
• Services in rural areas are having to be community owned and support local village stores in order to survive, examples include: Village Hall, Cafes and pubs
• Between 2011 / 12 and 2016 / 17, overall bus mileage fell by 6.2%
• In St John's Chapel: 21% of households are without a car, In 1991 there was a population of 442 people booked by 2001. The population had diminished to 270. The library is 22 miles away and the cost of transport is high. according to 2011 census data, The National percentage of 16-24 year olds is 12%, however, in St John's Chapel, it is just 4%. The National percentage for over 60s is 21% but was 36% in St John's Chapel. There was a lower percentage of superfast broadband average in more rural areas. This can result in separation from urban areas poor social life as public services can't be accessed lack of accessibility to education, to little earnings via online means.
• Second homes tend to be purchased in physically attractive locations in the country such as National Parks and AONBs (Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty)
• The more affluent members of society, particularly based in the London area, purchase such properties to use as a holiday home
• In Norfolk, Devon and Northumberland second home ownership is more than 5% of properties. in 2011, in Cornwall 11.2% of homes were classified as second homes
• Coastal communities struggle to get onto the property ladder as a result of second homes, average cost of a house in Cornwall in September 2012 was £183,179 which was higher than the England and Wales average of £162,561
• In Helford, a Cornish village with second homes just one percent of the population was aged between 16 and 24 in 2011. Furthermore 25% of homes were second homes compared to the national Percentage of 3%. 70% of homes are empty, local supported jetty to be built but second Home owners reject it, Demand is too low for the post office which only sees significant use in summer months
• It has resulted in the creation of top quality high demand restaurants which generates job opportunities, Locals can have an additional source of income from holiday, lets
• 83% of Saint Ives residents want to ban second home owners from buying new builds
• Arguments for and against controlling second home ownership

  • Addresses housing shortages
  • Solves property price issues
  • Fixes ghost towns
  • Supports the local economy (tourism)
  • Infringes on personal freedom and free choice
• Counter-urbanisation


  Social and demographic process in which people move from urban settlements into rural areas
• Counter-urbanisation became an important process in the UK in the 1970s and 1980s and was facilitated by increased mobility of the population due to: Increased vehicle ownership, Improvements to road systems ( motorways and dual-carriageways)
• In the UK in 1990 88% of the population lived in urban areas, by 2014 this had fallen to 82%
• The Village of St. Ives in Cambridgeshire is an example of a suburbanised village
• From 1951 to 2011 the population of St. Ives, Cambridgeshire has risen from 3078 to 16,348. In 1951 the settlement covered an area of 0.5 km² whereas today it is 4 km²