case study: an urban area (including changing land use and urban sprawl)

•case study: Monks Cross

•location: 3km North East of York City Centre, north of A1036 Malton Road and inside York outer ring road

•history: •prior to late 1990’s it was rural in nature 

              •lies East of Huntington - a once free standing village being absorbed by York’s eastern urban sprawl 

              •area was mainly farmland, with arable fields, gentle slopes and hedgerow boundaries 

              •poorly drained areas near streams used by livestock or nature - most woods are gone

              •Brockfield Park is the site of the housing and development of Monks Cross

•new houses south of Huntington e.g Geldof Road 

•considerable loss of green space due to development and road construction 

•recent developments 

          •continued population growth led York to follow a trend of geographical expansion 

          •new housing and residential facilities such as schools and clinics were built in Huntington as it’s population increased by 3000 in 10 years

          •in 1998, the first phase began, comprised of well known chain stores for goods and clothing

          •it was accompanied by building fast food outlets, petrol stations, roundabouts and car parks

          •the Vanguard Shopping Park, costing £90 million, opened in 2014

          •has been expanded to 31 outlets with 100,000 visitors in peak weeks

          •reorganising of existing stores, to create a large Primark (45,000 sqft) in 2016

          •Vangarde shopping centre 339,000 soft is among the highest ranked developments in the UK

          •the shopping park as the North’s first flagship John Lewis and the region’s largest M&S with a 30,000 sqft Next and 1340 parking spaces

          •boasts a picturesque Community Plaza for shoppers to relax, using trees and plants to ensure the park is environmentally-friendly and is sustainable 

          •new York Community Stadium will provide an 8000 seat stadium for the football and rugby league, a swimming pool and new cinemas etc. 

•impacts of urban sprawl at Monks Cross

          •loss of farmland due to large scale development 

                    •3km2 of farmland built on since 1998 - replacing crop and arable land 

                    

          •permeable surfaces replaced by impermeable ones

                    •combined with reduced vegetation means less interception and infiltration 

                    •surface run off increases amount and speed of drainage into River Foss, increasing

                     flood hazard 

          •traffic congestion 

                    •many use Malton Road to travel to Monks Cross and many in Huntington expanded

                     to commute to work in the city

          •atmospheric pollution from increased traffic along Malton Road

                    •emissions of nitrous oxide, carbon monoxide and dioxide meant reduced air quality

                    •First Buses who operate the Park and Ride have introduced a fleet of electric buses

          •habitats destroyed by developments 

                    •many hedgerows destroyed, containing many bats, birds and woodland and insects

                     e.g the Great Crested Newt (protected species) and Primrose 

                    •ponds were relocated following rules of Nature England

          •much spending by visitors

                    •creation of hundreds of jobs at Monks Cross with a regional catchment area

                    •free parking and increasing customer choice, high class shopping and leisure 

                    •turnover of £568 million in York, with 10% leakage to Monks Cross

          •new housing and services built in Huntington 

                    •many new homes built e.g New Road

                    •services like Huntington Health Care Centre, Yearly Primary School and Fisheries