A geographical examination of the twentieth century theory and practice of selected village development in England Thesis submitted to the University of Nottingha~ for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, JlX\e 197q. By DAVID JOHN PARSONS TABLE OF CONTENTS VOLUME I Page Table of Contents ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• (i) Abstract •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 0 ••••••••••••• (i v) Acknowledgements •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ( v) List of Figures ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• (vi) List of PhotographR ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• (ix) List of Tables •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• (xi) Foreword •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• (xiv) Chapter One Introduction ••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 1 Chapter Two The Development of Planning Legislation 22 1!lguzte s •••••••••••••••••••.••••••••••••• S 8 Chapter Three The Development of a Conceptual Basis for Rural Settlement Planning •••••••••• 61 Tab~e8 and ~e8 .0.0................. 115 Chapter Four The Planning of Rural Settlement in Practice ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 119 Tab~es and ltgures ••••••••••••••••••••• 162 Chapter Five The Relationship of Central Place Theory to Selected Village De·velopment ••••••• 169 Tabtes and ~es •••••••••••••••••••• 207 Chapter Six The Case Studies of South Nottinghamshire and North Norfolk ••••••••••••••••••••• 215 Tabtes and ~res •••••••••••••••••••• 242 Chapter Seven Rural Settlement and Official Planning Categories •••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 246 Tabtes and ltgures •••••••••••••••••••• 287 TABLE OF CONTENTS (cont.) VOLUME II Page Chapter Eight Patterns of population change - II: Growth and depopulation in the case study areas •••••••••••••••••••••••••• 296 TabZes and Etgures ••••••••••••••••••• 351 Chapter Nine Patterns of Population Change - II: The Structure of the Rural Population 364 TabZes and Etgures •••••••••••••••••• 440 Chapter Ten Social and Economic Facilities in South Nottinghamshire and North Norfolk'- I: Patterns of mobility and employment 454 TabZes and ~~es ••••••••••••••••••• 505 Chapter Eleven Social and Economic Facilities in South Nottinghamshire and North Norfolk - II: Distribution and Use of Shops, Services, and Recreational Fcailities •••••••••• 513 TabZes and Figures •••••• Q •• ~......... 618 Chapter Twelve The Rural Communities: Social Interaction and Attitudes to Growth within the study villages ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 639 TabZes ••••••••••••••.•••••••••••••••• 713 Chapter Thirteen Conclusion: An Assessment of Selected Village Development Policies ••••••••• 723 APPENDICES Appendix One Inter-War Regional Planning schemes (and their principal authors) .0...... 785 Appendex Two A Comparison of the Standards of Shopping and Service Provision between the New . Villages of New Ash Green, Kent, and Bar Hill, Cambridgeshire, and Established Settlements of a Similar Size •••••• 0. 789 TABLE OF CONTENTS (cont.) APPENDICES (cont.) Page Appendix Three Counties Surveyed in the Detailed Exam- ination of the Period of Formal Adoption of Selected Village Development Policies 797 Appendix Four The Questionnaire Survey ••••••••••••••• 799 Appendix Five The Study Villages in South Nottingham- shire and North Norfolk •••••••••••••••• 817 Appendix Six Social Polarisation: Some problems of Measurement •••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 837 Appendix Seven The Community Bus Service Scheme ••••••• 844 Appendix Eight Selected Bibliography of Further Reading Material •••••••••••••••• 0.............. 856 Postscript ••••••••••• 0.................................... 871 ABSTRACT This thesis is concerned with the planning of rural settlement in England during the twentieth century, and in particular with the application and the impact of the principle of selected village development. Both the development of planning legislation and the 'philoso- phical basis of rural settlement planning are examined in detail. Since 1947 the concept of selected village develop- ment has come to dominate the planning of rural settle- ment. This concept is examined at length with particular attention paid to the relationship between selected village development and central place theory. The prog- ressive adoption of policies of selected village develop- ment since the early 'fifties, has usually been related to systems of settlement classification. The operation of classification schemes is examined at length and is supplemented with an examination of the spatial inequal- ities between five different classifications, in the Isle of Wight, Huntingdonshire, Norfolk, Nottingha~ shire, and West Sussex. The impact of selected village development policies is studied in detail through two case studies, one of a 'pressure' area (South Nottinghamshire), and the other of a 'remoter' rural area (North Norfolk). Besides a more general study of these areas, twelve villages are studied in considerable detail through a questionnaire survey of a sample of households in each village. The results of nearly four hundred household interviews form the basis for a detailed discussion of socio- economic patterns and processes in the study areas. The concluding chapter presents a summary of the thesis and also an assessment of the principle find- ings. Specific suggestions for consideration as improve- ments to the planning system are presented. together with the general conclusion that selected village deve- lopment policies, appropriately· modified, represent the most practical policy alternative for planning rural settlement in England. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am most grateful to the many people who have helped me during this research study, especially my parents who have provided constant encouragement, and in the last two years the environment in which the work could be completed. A very special debt is due to my tutor, Dr. P.T.Wheeler, without whose advice and guidance this study could not have been completed. A variety of planning authorities have helped in the study,but I would like to acknowledge in particular the help of the Nottinghamshire, and Norfolk County Planning Authorities, and the technical advice of Mr. D.Fosh, Senior Planning Officer at Basildon Planning Authority. Dr. J.Giggs and Mr.D.Ebdon at the Department of Geography at Nottingham have also advised on some methodological aspects of the study, and their colleague Dr.P.Mather.has given valuable advice with the initial stages of the computer analysis. The libraries at the University of Nottingham and also the Department of the Environment,were most helpful in locating some of the more obscure planning reports. I am especially grateful to the Social Science Research Council, without whose finnancia1 support this study may never have commenced. Thanks are also due to nearly four hundred households in the study villages of South Nottinghamshire and North Norfolk, who were willing to be interviewed in the house- hold survey, and in addition to various local officials who contributed information at this phase of the study. Finally, I would like to acknowledge the technical assistance of the Institute of Manpower Studies at the Universt~y of Sussex, and also the technical staff at the Department of Geography at Nottingham, who produced some of the photographic plates in the thesis. Mrs. H. Chapman, assisted by Mrs.S.Bead1e. Last but not least my .mother has had the doubtful priveledge of proof-reading the text. LIST OF FIGURES VOLUME I Figure Pag~ Chippenham, Cambridgeshire ••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 58 Swaffham Bulbeck, Cambridgeshire ••••••••••••••••••••• 59 The development of modern planning legislation ••••••• 60 The pressure areas of England Wales as identified in a government planning bulletin ••••••••••••••••••••••• 116 3.2 An interpretation of the pressure areas of England and Wales based on 1961-1971 population change ••••••••••• 117 3.3 The conceptual development of rural settlement planning 118 4.1 Southwater, Sussex: An example of state influence in village planning ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 166 4.2 Local government in England after the 1974 revision •• 167 4.3 A simplified model of the process of development con t ro 1 •.••.• 0 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 168 5.1 A central place lattice according to Christaller ••••• 209 5.2 A simplified central place lattice according to Losch's marketing principle •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 210 5.3 The rank-size relationship for civil parishes in the South Nottinghamshire case study area •••••••••••••••• 211 5.4 The rank size-relationship for civil parishes in the North Norfolk case study area •••••••••••••••••••••••• 212 5.5 The relationship between functional status (as measured by no. of retail outlets) and popUlation size of civil parishes in South Nottinghamshire •••••••••••••••••••• 213 5.6 The relationship between functional status (as measured by no. of retail outlets) and population size of civil parishes in North Norfolk •••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 214 6.1 The case study area of South Nottinghamshire ••••••••• 244 6.2 The case study area of North Norfolk ••••••••••••••••• 245 7.1 The spatial structure of the settlement classification in Huntingdonshire ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 291 7.2 The spatial structure of the settlement classification in the Isle of Wight ••••••••••••.•••••••••••••••••••• 292 7.3 The spatial structure of the settlement classification in Norfolk ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 293 7.4 The spatial structure of the settlement classification in Nottinghamshire •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••