Case Study: Telford and Wrekin, Shropshire.

Case Study: Telford and Wrekin, Shropshire

“It is a county of wide-ranging appeal both for residents and the many visitors who come each year, with outstanding natural beauty and great historic interest as well as modern developments.”

However, there are an increasing number of people moving to Shropshire for a permanent residency. Shropshire is England's largest inland county, covering an area of 1,347 square miles. To the west it, borders Wales and to the south, Herefordshire. In the north is Cheshire and to the east, Staffordshire. With a population of less than half a million, it is one of England's most sparsely populated counties and agriculture is an important part of the local economy. Some two-thirds of the population live in Shrewsbury, Telford or one of the ten main market towns, while the county's 600 villages and many scattered hamlets are home to the rest. Much of the population growth in the Borough occurred because of net in migration. In the 12 months preceding the Census.

So, what are the effects of migration on the environment and population of Shropshire?

The rural are of the Borough of Telford and Wrekin covers around 20,951 hectares and the lowest population density is 0.7 people per hectare.
The population of the rural area grew by 1,883 people, which is 15.8% between 1991 and 2001 whilst the average rate is 11.95% in the borough.
The age structure of the rural area was older than that of the Borough, only 17.8% of the population were 15 years or under.

The graph shows the number ...

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So, what are the effects of migration on the environment and population of Shropshire?

The rural are of the Borough of Telford and Wrekin covers around 20,951 hectares and the lowest population density is 0.7 people per hectare.
The population of the rural area grew by 1,883 people, which is 15.8% between 1991 and 2001 whilst the average rate is 11.95% in the borough.
The age structure of the rural area was older than that of the Borough, only 17.8% of the population were 15 years or under.

The graph shows the number of in and out-migrants entering and leaving Shropshire.

Population

An estimated 153,000 more people migrated to the United Kingdom in 2002 than migrated away. This net in-migration is slightly lower than the estimates for the previous three years. This has an inevitable effect on the UK as a whole as well as individual regions. The population pyramid above demonstrates the data for Telford and Wrekin and not just the rural area. However, it gives an idea of the ratio of males to females and age structure of the area compared to the United Kingdom average. Between 1991 and 2001, the population of the rural area grew by 1,883 people, which is

3.9% above the borough average. This means that migration into rural areas in Britain is continuing, as it becomes more popular to move away from built-up cities and into more peaceful places.

Age Structure

The bar chart to shows the number of people in each age group in Telford and Wrekin from the 2001 census. The graph shows that 15.8% of the rural population were over 65 years of age in 2001, compared to 12.4% in the borough . Again, this reflects that rural areas are becoming increasingly preferred to urban cities as places for retirement. Also, the relatively low percentage of young people may be due to migration out of the area for employment and other opportunities.

However, having said that, there is a relatively even distribution of people of all ages in Telford and Wrekin. These are also above the English average and this shows that counter-urbanisation to rural areas and migration has not ceased being popular.

Employment and Quality of Life

In 1991, 10.6% of the population worked in agriculture, forestry, fishing or some sort of primary industry. By 2001, it had fallen to 6.4%.
13.7% of the people in the rural area worked from home, compared with 7.8% borough-wide. Also, 17.0% of people were self-employed.
The proportion of households in the rural area without access to a car was at 8.6%, which is less than half that of the borough. Also, 53.2% of households had access to two or more cars.
Below are a series of tables that reflect the types of employment and the living standards of people in the rural area.