Corby: New Town planning and imbalanced development

Abstract

Grieco M. S. (1985) Corby: New Town planning and imbalanced development, Reg. Studies 19, 9–18. The object of this paper is to present an anatomy of the imbalanced development of Corby in the post-war period. The consequences of this imbalanced development, which caused a small Northamptonshire village to grow into a major steel town, are now reflected in the grim economic and social problems of Corby following on from the closure of major sections of the steel works. The paper focuses, in particular, on the role of planning in this failure. It is argued that the principle of balance which was at the heart of the New Town ideology found no place in the development of Corby New Town. Indeed, it is shown that the New Town status worked against regional and structural balance in Corby—a striking contrast with the common view of the role of New Towns. The paper concludes by drawing out the policy implications of this planning failure.