8/11/2019 INTRO Business Park

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Introduction (Business Parks)

A few decades ago most businesses, whether they were retailing, commercial or offices,were located in town and city centres. Increasingly in the 20th century, employees travelled to workfrom suburbs as rail and road links to city centres improved and the process of suburbanisation

gathered pace. This gradually led to growing problems, many associated with commuting, includingcongestion and pollution.

Our town and city centres were also changing. A great deal of redevelopment occurred afterthe Second World War; much of this was new building, sometimes as a response to bomb damage.Much of this building used the latest construction techniques, often involving prefabricated concretestructures. Many urban centres became very similar, with buildings that may have been quick andeasy to construct but that many regarded as being ugly and lacking character. Redevelopment alsocost a great deal of money, and business rates (local government tax) increased. City centresbecame less attractive to business activities, from both economic and environmental points of view.People were finding traditional town and city centres less attractive, with problems of noise, air

pollution, travelling, and difficulties of car parking. These combined effects gradually led to aprocess called decentralisation.

From around 1980 many businesses, including offices, commercial activities and retailing,started to relocate or decentralise away from traditional Central Business District (CBD) locations.They were drawn to the rural urban fringe. Many activities located together on what became knownas parks. Shops congregated on retail parks and high technology industries on science parks.Business parks have been rapidly growing in number around the world, and there are frequentannouncements of new parks being planned and built.

At first glance, the term business park appear contradictory. Business is associated with

commerce, financial transactions, concentrated effort and urban life. A park on the other hand, is aplace generally within a town or a city devoted to leisure, pleasure, sport and the enjoyment ofnature. Yet major developers in the west are turning their attention to and investing their skills andresources in the development of the Business Park, where work and recreation are integrated inwell-crafted buildings set in a man-made landscape that provides the visual and interactiveamenities of a rural environment, as well as the facility of automobile access to the front of theoffice.