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CORNWALL

Why does Cornwall need rebranding?


Core and Periphery Theory: remote and rural areas such as Cornwall are poorly served
by transport infrastructure i.e. 5 hours drive time to London. They are a long way from
core markets and job opportunities are fewer. This can lead to Depopulation due to the
outmigration of the economically active the brain drain. An ageing (regressive)
population is being created due to retirement migration to coastal locations and rising
second home ownership creating a lack of affordable housing for locals.
Deprivation caused by lower wages Cornwall has the lowest weekly wages in Britain
(25% below weekly average). 79% of workforce is tertiary many in tourism which is low
paid and seasonal, 67% of tourism revenue leaks out of county.
Lack of rural services; there is opportunity (level of services), mobility (lack of public
transport) and household (low income) deprivation (Shaw, 1979) 29% of UK villages dont
have a village shop, 29% of all rural settlements have no bus services. Lack of a threshold
population to sustain such services.
Deindustrialisation in the post production countryside decline in traditional
employments e.g. exhaustion of tin reserves and decline in overall fish stocks caused by
previous over-fishing. This creates a negative multiplier effect, low spending power and
less business opportunities.

Rural rebranding schemes in Cornwall funded by Objective one:


Extreme sports academy at Watergate bay, targeting a younger age

group, offered courses in surfing and wave skiing. This has attracted more
people to Watergate Bay hotel which employed 50-60 people all year in 2006,
compared to 15-20 in 2003, as a result of increased trade.
Jamie Olivers fifteen restaurant, trains local young people from
disadvantaged backgrounds in catering skills, therefore encouraging social
inclusion. Profits fund further training and development.
To develop a knowledge economy, University College Falmouth an Exeter
University joined forces to create the combined Universities in Cornwall
(CUC). The CUC helps graduates set up businesses or secure jobs in knowledgebased companies in Cornwall, trying to cut the brain drain of graduates
leaving Cornwall.
Investment in Arts, culture and industrial heritage has been used to help
attract tourists, from the Hall for Cornwall in Truro, to the opening of Tate St Ives
in 1993.
For small farmers income is low due to imported food becoming cheaper and
the power of supermarkets forcing prices down, therefore farmers have had to
diversify in an attempt to increase incomes e.g. by embracing tourism,
focusing on higher value products which are directly marketed, adding value
(valorisation) and adopting eco-approaches. For example Lobbs farm shop
which generated over 600,000 in additional sales in three years and created
14 jobs, with more in the summer months.
In March 2001, the Eden project which was built on a brownfield site (china
clay Quarry), opened to visitors. 1.9 million People came in the first year; within
six months it was the UKs third most visited attraction. It has created a
positive multiplier effect for the local economy; each visitor to the Eden
project spends on average 150 in Cornwall. The Eden project employs 400 full

time staff, 75% of these were previously unemployed. In 2003, an average of


80% of Cornwalls businesses said they felt that Eden had brought positive
impacts for them and the Cornish economy. HOWEVER, there is huge traffic
congestion, very high carbon footprint, NIMBYISM objections to proposed mega
wind turbine and ironically it is a major source of pollution.
However, it hasnt all been successful e.g. South west film studios which
received 2 million from objective one and was to create 200 permanent jobs,
went bankrupt in 2004.

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