geography : 2.2.2 rural urban

brownfield site

A site that has been built on before. Normally associated with urban areas.

greenfield site

Sites that have not been built on before. Often rural / countryside areas.

positives of brownfield sites

New employment opportunities if Brownfield sites are developed, Infrastructure already exists in urban areas so no roads or electricity or foundation would have to be built which reduces costs, redevelopment can help rebuild local businesses and attract more people

negative of brownfield sites

 an issue of contamination and making sites safe for development e.g. asbestos, house prices would increase in inner city as more people move to are so local people may be unable to afford

positive of greenfield

often on the edge of cities so have more space and more pleasant environment, new housing can lead to gentrification so are improves and crime rates improve, easier to build on as fresh start so nothing needs to be cleared

negatives of greenfield

less sustainable, need new foundation electricity and roads to be produced

issues of building Gullane greenfield sites

• They do not want building on valuable arable (farm) land.

• Residents do not want new developments built, as they believe the current infrastructure cannot support it, they believe there will be too much pressure on the health service, schools and transport

• Want to keep community feel, they do not want it to be turned into a 'giant executive housing estate'

• Ever since the new homes have been built, the average price in the past year was £588,853 (Zoopla), whilst the average earning yearly in East Lothian is £23,770, not including income tax or deducting the cost of living. This shows the houses are unaffordable for the typical resident of East Lothian.