Economic characteristics of the South West region of England
<\/strong>Bristol is one of the largest cities in the United Kingdom, located in South West England on the border of the counties of Avon, Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire, on the banks of the River Avon (Avonmouth), by the Bristol Channel. In 2004, it had a population of 400,000.
Geographical conditions, and in particular access to the sea and its location on the River Avon, were the main factors for the location of industry in the Bristol area. By the beginning of the 20th century, the city was already an industrial and commercial hub. Agriculture also played a significant role. A significant acceleration in the city’s growth rate occurred after 1960, following the opening of the M4 motorway connecting London to Bristol. Since then, there has been an influx of industrial companies. More and more companies began to take an interest in locating production in the vicinity of the city due to easy access to good transport infrastructure.<\/p>
Currently, the city plays an important role in the economy of the South West region; it accounts for almost 25% of the region’s employment and generates 25% of the region’s GDP. Bristol is a centre for business, trade, entertainment, and education in the region, and is also a major industrial hub with a concentration of automotive (Honda, Rolls Royce), aerospace, mechanical, and chemical industries. There is a growing importance of high-tech industries, mainly due to the operation of companies such as British Rail or British Aerospace, which invest in research and development. The city is also a centre for telecommunications and electronics thanks to the presence of Orange, British Telecom, Telewest Communications, and Hewlett Packard. Bristol is also growing into one of the largest financial centres in the UK, serving as the headquarters for many financial groups, insurance companies, capital funds, and pension funds, such as Lloyds TSB, NatWest Life, and Sun Life Assurance.<\/p>
Linear and point transport infrastructure
<\/strong>Bristol is situated at the intersection of transport routes. Access to the sea plays a key role. For over 1,000 years, the city’s development as a commercial and industrial centre has been linked to the development of the port. In 1991, the port docks were privatized; the company First Corporate Shipping purchased them from Bristol City Council, creating the Bristol Port Company (BPC), now considered one of the most productive and technically advanced ports in Europe. This is evidenced by the volume of expenditure incurred between 1991 and 2005. According to data available on the BPC website, this amounted to 330 million pounds during that period. The number of transported cargoes also increased significantly (from 4 million tonnes in 1991 to 12 million tonnes in 2005), as did revenue (from 22 million pounds in 1991 to 63 million pounds in 2005).
Bristol Port is the third fastest-growing port of the last decade in the UK in terms of cargo growth. It is surpassed only by the ferry ports in Holyhead and Heysham. Bristol Port consists of two ports: Avonmouth, on the north side of the River Avon at its mouth, and the Royal Portbury Dock (RPD), south of the River Avon. The port covers an area of over 1,000 hectares. It can accommodate ships of up to 130,000 tonnes. It specializes mainly in the handling of general cargo, fuel, timber, forest products, cars, and motor vehicles.<\/p>
The article comes from the magazine “Logistyka” 3\/2008.<\/p>