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Hi-Tech Industry. M4 Corridor. The Corridor. New industrial regions in Britain have tended to grow up along main communication routes. The best example of this is the "Sunrise Strip" , which takes in the area around motorways such as the M11, M23, M3 and, most importantly, the M4.
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Hi-Tech Industry M4 Corridor
The Corridor • New industrial regions in Britain have tended to grow up along main communication routes. • The best example of this is the "Sunrise Strip", which takes in the area around motorways such as the M11, M23, M3 and, most importantly, the M4. • These industries are described as being footloose. They have generally grown up over the last 25 years in "growth areas", along communications routes. • Although they do bring prosperity to regions, the new industries actually employ few people in comparison to the older, declining, heavy industries. • Traditional location factors have been super-seeded by newer ones.
Other Factors • As access to raw materials is relatively unimportant nowadays, location, although dominated by communications considerations, also can increasingly take into account the social needs of its employees. • Thus climatic, scenic, health and entertainment factors have to be included. • In turn the industries try to locate near to places where a skilled workforce could be employed, such as around the university towns of Oxford or Cambridge.
Sunrise Strip Advantages • The motorway system, which allows easy access to all parts of the United Kingdom. • Easy access, via the roads, to the Channel Tunnel and ports to allow export abroad. • The close proximity of Heathrow, Gatwick, Stanstead and Luton airports, all of which could be used to export products. • The skilled workforce found in university towns of Oxford, Cambridge, Reading and Bristol.
Sunrise Strip Advantages • Close proximity and good access to London, where the major government functions and financial trading occurs. • The concentration of other industries means that ideas and knowledge could be shared, there will be a concentration of suitable skilled labour and transport costs may be reduced between agglomerated industries. • A very attractive natural environment, which would provide a very pleasant place to live for the workers. • Areas such as the Cotswolds and the Mendip Hills are in easy reach of the Sunrise Strip.
Examples Of Similar Industries • 1. Silicon Glen in Central Scotland. • 2. Silicon Valley in California, USA.