Name: Cornwall
According the Andrew Mitchell, Cornwall remains one of Europe’s most deprived areas. This is despite the 4 million tourists who visit Cornwall every year. There are two main reasons as to why Cornwall is need of rebranding and they are; deprivation caused by low wages and decline in the rural (primary) economy. There have been many schemes put in place to try and alleviate the crisis in Cornwall.
In 2001, a flagship scheme known as the Eden Project opened to visitors. What was once a quarried area used for the collection of China clay, has now been transformed into a conservation site where 3 biomes are home to 1000 plants representing 5000 species. Just by building the Eden Project at the bottom of the quarry has been successful in reimaging the area of Cornwall, which is important because Cornwall has the highest percentage of derelict land in the UK. Success of scheme has been seen through number of visitors and the improvement of employment opportunities for the local people. Within 6 months of its opening the Eden Project was the UK’s third most visited attraction.
In addition, the first year saw a 1.9 million visitor count – considerably higher than the estimated 750,000 before it opened. This has also seen an increase in the amount money being spent in the surrounding area as it has been estimated that an average visitor to the Eden Project will spend around £150 in the Cornwall area. This has generated a multiplier effect where those coming over long distances spend money on accommodation, food and other leisure activities which creates a ripple of benefits within the local area. In addition, success can be seen through the fact that the Eden Project created 400 full time jobs which were all filled with local people in a 15 mile radius to the area. The project has improved the unemployment rate of Restormel – 75% of those employed by the project were previously unemployed and 40% of the total work force are over 50. This shows success because those who were once draining the resources and services for example, job seekers allowance are now putting money back into the economy through both taxes and disposable income.
However, you could question the environmental success because although they promote themselves as sustaining ecosystems, the 3500 cars that fill the car park provide more CO2 emissions than all other sources in St Austell combined. Thus indicating that success can vary depending on when it has improved on a social, economic or environmental basis.
In the UK, 69% of farmers solely rely on the produce they receive from the animals. However, due to the decline in the farming industry and buying from UK farmers, the farmers have had to seek ways to diversify to supplement their incomes. Near to the Lost Gardens of Heligan, Lobb’s farm shop has diversified to create a shop to the sell their beef and lamb to a potential market of 463,000 visitors a year visiting the Gardens. This localised scheme has been successful because it has been able to provide 14 new jobs to the area, with more being created during the summer months. In 3 years, this scheme has generated £600,000. Also, not only has it diversified to benefit the farm, it has also created opportunities for the visitors to taking part in ways to improve the area, for example, improving environmental quality by planting in ways that will attract birds and insects to the local area which will in turn help the pollination of plants for harvest seasons. Most importantly, Lobb’s Farm has created an opportunity for tourists to observe the farm and understand the processes in which provides them with their meats and dairy products.
Overall, success of rebranding is dependent on the size of the scheme and therefore the amount it can contribute to the local area.