Describe and explain how and why the London Docklands were in need of rebranding
Rebranding is “a change of image through the development of a marketing strategy.”
The London Docklands needed rebranding because it in decline and couldn’t get out of the spiral of decay. This was occurring in the 1970s. A major reason why the Docklands were in decline was because of containerisation. This meant that the London Docks and the River Thames were not large enough for the sheer size of the new ships. As the ships couldn’t get into the docks trade and transport were restricted. Furthermore, the export and import opportunity ended up with other areas such as Felixstowe and Tilbury so therefore the Docklands were making massive losses. So since this industry was lost for the Docklands, the spiral of decay began, many people became unemployed. In 1985 there was 7600 people unemployed which was more than the half the population as the population was only 15500 people. This clearly shows how much the Docklands has suffered due to decline because the population in 1900 was 21000. Further factors of why the Docklands needed rebranding was that there were many narrow roads and high levels of congestion meaning that accessibility and transport was poor. Also the high levels of unemployment lead to an increase crime as people didn’t have disposable income. This also meant that poverty levels were at an all-time high above 50%. This further leads to fewer people leaving education with qualifications. Overall, all these factors gave the Docklands a very poor image and that’s why rebranding was needed.
To Rebrand the Docklands the London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC) was formed. The purpose of the LDDC was to improve economic, social and environmental conditions of the area. The environment was very poor back in the 1970s due to dilapidation and derelict sites but the LDDC was able to reclaim 728 hectares of derelict land and plant around 160000 new trees. Another major environment improvement was access to the waterside. Part of this improvement was when the LDDC contributed £1.3 million towards the Docklands sailing and water sport centre. This improves the environmental side of the Docklands and also provides recreational activities for the residents. Social improvements made by the LDDC include 19800 new homes being built and another 7900 homes being refurbished. Many were flats. This was reducing poverty as the cheaper homes were affordable to the public. Also the LDDC gave the residents of the Docklands a better life style to live in as they began transforming shopping facilities. For example: in 1983 the Asda Superstore was built and many other areas such as Crisp street market were further refurbished and developed as they were a key part to east end life. This cost more the £2 million pounds but it was a major success as it provided better services for the residents which further attracted more people to the area. The major economic changes needed in the Docklands was its transport problem. The narrow roads meant that accessibility was poor. The high levels of congestion was causing pollution and further adding to the poor standards of accessibility. The Docklands light railway was built which is a track of 29km and carries 320000 passengers each week. This railway line has expanded over the years connecting to the Jubilee and the waterloo lines. This means that transport is easier to access as there are more transport hubs linked meaning that accessibility has been improved thanks to the LDDC. These are some of the actions the Docklands took on how to rebrand and they have all been a great success.
In conclusion, The Docklands needed Rebranding because of the various problems within the area. It contained very poor housing and transport facilities. Also the dilapidation of industries such as manufacturing lead to unemployment. This meant that the crime levels rose and the number of people leaving with qualifications decreased. These factors gave the Docklands a poor image and the solution was the LDDC. It contribute millions pounds worth into developing and refurbishing. Transport and housing quality was improved and many jobs were created as the Docklands creeped into the tertiary sector providing high quality services. These are the reasons why The London Docklands needed Rebranding and how it came to achieve this.