LANDOWNERSHIP AND RURAL-DEVELOPMENT IN THE NORTH PENNINES - A CASE-STUDY

The aim of this paper is to contribute to the on-going debate about rural development in Britain, more specifically upland Britain, with a case study of the North Pennines, an upland region of Northern England. It is argued that, in order to fully understand the rural development process in any locality, it is necessary to analyse local social and economic structures, and their interaction with the state. In the North Pennines landownership plays a major role in the local economy and society, and the paper explores the effects of landownership on the region's development. Changes in the balance of power at national level are having an effect on the politics of development at local level, and the paper examines two recent policies which affect the interests of landowners in the North Pennines.