NEW INDUSTRIAL LOCATIONS

Silicon Glen

• In the United States it's called the Silicon Valley, but in Scotland it's called Silicon Glen.

• The big electronic companies like IBM,NEC, WANG and Motorola were attracted to Scotland by government-provided financial and material inducements.

• By the 1980's there was a big enough concentration of electronics firms in Scotland's Central Belt to merit a nickname: Silicon Glen.

• The new jobs created here replaced those haemorrhaging from the traditional industries of coal, steel and shipbuilding. The demolition of Ravenscraig steel mill in 1996 was symbolic of the near death of Scottish heavy industry.

Choice of location• Government policies

• IBM at Greenock Fig 9.6

• Road network

• Universities

• workforce

The Alba Centre, LivingstonIn the heart of Silicon Glen, this modern business park has many technology companies in residence. This building has Epson Design and Motorola's Global Software Group.

Types of economy

• Scewdriver- basic assembly

• Knowledge- research

• In 1996 the new electronics sector produced 35% of Europe's PCs and 12% of the world's semi-conductors and directly employed 55,000 people.

• The heavy dependency on electronics manufacturing hit Silicon Glen hard after the collapse of the hi-tech economy in 2000. National Semiconductor, Motorola and Chunghwa all laid off substantial numbers of employees or closed factories completely.

• Since then the Glen has been losing jobs as companies look to cut costs by moving production overseas, particularly to eastern Europe and China.

• Emphasis has now moved away from the assembly to a balance of manufacture and research, e.g. circuit boards and pcs.Cadence in Livingstone is an example, p298.

Notes to include:

• Location of Silicon Glen and its factors for its location especially role of government

• Main characteristics of industry here- see Diagram 9.56 p310.

• Changes that have occurred (Dia 9.56 p310 summarises this well).

Enterprise Zones

• An area that became known as an Enterprise zone could offer:– Special tax allowances

– Fewer planning controls and simplified planning procedures.

• This made areas very attractive to many high-tech, foreign firms.

• Many industrial estates/business parks were created as a result of EZ’s

• http://www.channel4.com/news/budget-enterprise-zones-on-the-way-back

Britain's assisted areas

• KEY:

1. Invergordon2. Tayside3. Clydebank4. Londonderry5. Belfast6. Workington7. Tyneside8. Hartlepool9. Middlesborough

10. North East Lancs11. Salford12. Glanford13. Scunthorpe14. Wakefield15. Rotherham16. Speke17. Delyn18. Milford Haven

19. Swansea20. Telford21. Dudley22. Corby23. Wellingborough24. Isle of Dogs25. North West Kent

Name areas 1, 3, 5, 8, 11, 19 , 23 and 24 on your map

OLD INDUSTRIAL LOCATIONS

Scottish Iron and Steel Industry :Ravenscraig

In the 1980’s, the biggest Steelworks in Scotland were found in Motherwell –

Ravenscraig.• It was an integrated

steelworks i.e. it had an ironworks and steelworks on the same site

Location of Ravenscraig

• Central Scotland, where Motherwell is located was not an ideal location for a steel works.

• Ravenscraig, the last big steelworks, was inland and therefore had extra costs in transporting the iron ore and coal by rail

British Steel closed down Ravenscraig in 1992.

• It caused massive unemployment in the area,

• Jobs in industries which used the steel also were faced with job loses, as they had to look to obtain dearer steel.

• Standards of living for those living in the area fell as income dropped.

• It affected shops, leisure facilities and other organisations.

• Many people had to leave the area in search of new employment.

In 1992, the closure of the Ravenscraig steel works signified

the end of 30 years of steel making in Scotland.

The European Structural Funds have played a significant part in helping the government to tackle industrial restructuring over a number of years, With around £23 million of European money being invested.

The New Ravenscraig

Set in the heart of Scotland’s Central Belt in North Lanarkshire, Ravenscraig will be the country’s first new town in

more than 50 years.

This is one of the largest regeneration projects in Europe, covering 450 hectares (1,125 acres) - an area equivalent to 13 London Canary Wharfs, 700 football pitches or twice the size of Monaco.

Ravenscraig will become home to over 10,000 people, and is expected to create 12,000 jobs and attract in excess of £1.2 billion of private sector investment over the next 15 to 20 years.

This is one of the largest regeneration projects in Europe, covering 450 hectares (1,125 acres) - an area equivalent to 13 London Canary Wharfs, 700 football pitches or twice the size of Monaco.

Ravenscraig will become home to over 10,000 people, and is expected to create 12,000 jobs and attract in excess of £1.2 billion of private sector investment over the next 15 to 20 years.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Jv1KE6362I

A project of national significance, Ravenscraig will provide many local and national benefits - it will lead to the

construction of:

• Around 3,500 new homes• A new town centre with 84,000 sq m of retail and leisure space.• Major parkland areas

A new transport network• New sports facility• A new college campus• Two New schools.

an athletics hall featuring a track and field/dance studios

outdoor football and training pitches /a strength conditioning area

a café

• A new college campus:

includes a teaching block, workshop block for engineering students, nursery , conference facilities, a public learning centre, performing arts space and a job shop.

• Up to 216,000 sq m of business and industrial space

Scottish innovation park which will be used as a housing demonstration project incorporating new technology in energy performance and sustainability such as the use of groundbreaking technologies such as wind turbines, rainwater harvesting, heat recovery systems and recycled waste timber within individual homes.

Notes to include

1. Situation- what factors important in its location and growth. Mention existing infrastructure, raw materials such as coal, iron ore and strip steel, the site itself.

2. Its importance to local area-jobs, and innovation and the effects of its closure (deindustrialisation) (see newspaper extracts). Diagram on p309 shows some of the effects of deindustrialisation

3. Notes on the regeneration of the area- what are the proposals?