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Rural areas change as people move in or out
Industry gives us jobs, money and the things we use every day. But it can also damage the land, air and water around it. Examiners want you to give a clear impact and explain it in a sentence.
Key terms:
Torr Quarry (also called Torr Works) is a limestone quarry at East Cranmore, near Shepton Mallet, on the Mendip Hills in Somerset. It is run by Aggregate Industries and is one of the largest quarries in the UK. The rock is crushed and used as crushed rock (aggregate) for building and road making. It shows how modern industrial development can be more environmentally sustainable.
About 80% of the stone leaves the quarry by train rather than by lorry. Each train carries about 1,500 tonnes, and the rail link takes hundreds of thousands of lorry journeys off the roads every year. That means less traffic, less noise and fewer exhaust fumes.
Of the 205 hectares of the site, around 60 hectares have been landscaped so that they blend in with the surrounding countryside.
When the quarry closes it is planned to flood the site to create a large reservoir, which can be used for leisure and wildlife.
The quarry employs over 250 people, so it still brings economic benefits to the local area.
Do not say a quarry has no impact. Torr is only more sustainable because it reduces damage. Always say what is done and what the benefit is, for example "rail instead of lorries, so fewer fumes and less noise".
Rural areas are the countryside: villages, farmland and small towns. Some are growing fast, while others are losing people. Both bring social change (changes to people's lives and communities) and economic change (changes to jobs and money).
Key terms:
New housing estates bring more people into rural areas
South Cambridgeshire is a mostly rural district around the city of Cambridge, in the east of England. It has more than a hundred villages and hamlets. It is an area of population growth because people want to live near the jobs in and around Cambridge, but in a quieter, greener place.
Cambourne is a good example. It was approved in 1996 as a brand new settlement. Building started in 1998 and the first residents moved in a year later. It is now the largest village in the district, with more than 12,000 people.
Describe one social change in South Cambridgeshire. Answer: New settlements such as Cambourne have been built (1), so villages have grown and more people travel into Cambridge to work, which makes the roads busier (1).
The Outer Hebrides (also called the Western Isles) are a chain of islands off the north west coast of Scotland. They are remote, windy and reached by ferry or plane. The population is about 26,000 and is falling. Between 2009 and 2019 it fell by about 700 people (2.6%), and local plans expect it to keep falling.
The main reason is that young people leave for university, training and better jobs on the mainland, and many do not come back. The people left behind are older, so fewer babies are born and the population keeps shrinking.
Do not just say "people leave". Explain why (jobs, education), then the effect (ageing population, falling school rolls, shops closing). And do not mix up the two places: South Cambridgeshire is growth, the Outer Hebrides is decline.
(a) Describe one way industry can damage the physical environment. [2 marks]
(b) Explain how an example of modern industrial development you have studied is more environmentally sustainable. [4 marks]
(c) Compare the social changes in one rural area of growth and one rural area of decline. [4 marks]
(a) Quarrying destroys habitats (1), so wildlife loses its home and food supply (1).
(b) At Torr Quarry in Somerset, about 80% of the stone leaves by train (1), which takes lorries off the roads (1), so there are fewer exhaust fumes and less noise (1). Around 60 hectares have been landscaped (1) and the site is planned to become a reservoir after closure (1). [Any 4]
(c) South Cambridgeshire has grown as new homes such as Cambourne have been built (1), so schools and shops have opened (1) but house prices have risen (1). In the Outer Hebrides, young people leave for jobs and education (1), so the population is ageing (1) and school rolls are falling (1). [Any 4]
In a 4 mark "explain" question, use the pattern point, then "so", then "which means". Each link in the chain earns a mark, and naming the place (Torr, Cambourne, the Outer Hebrides) stops your answer being too general.