An Environmental History of Twentieth-Century Britain

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1 An Environmental History of Twentieth-Century Britain

2 An Environmental History of Twentieth-Century Britain John Sheail

3 John Sheail 2002 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4LP. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The author has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act First published 2002 by PALGRAVE Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS and 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y Companies and representatives throughout the world PALGRAVE is the new global academic imprint of St. Martin s Press LLC Scholarly and Reference Division and Palgrave Publishers Ltd (formerly Macmillan Press Ltd). ISBN ISBN (ebook) DOI / This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Sheail, John. An environmental history of twentieth-century Britain / John Sheail. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN (cloth) 1. Environmental policy Great Britain. 2. Great Britain Environmental conditions. 3. City planning Environmental aspects Great Britain. 4. Human ecology Great Britain. HC260.E5 S '0941'0904 dc

4 To the memory of Gordon E. Cherry,

5 Contents Preface ix 1 Histories of Their Time 1 Introduction 1 A Twentieth-Century Conspectus 5 2 The Management of Change 12 Introduction 12 Housing and Town Planning 17 Local Planning 20 National Planning 27 Political Laboratories 33 A Vision Lost 41 3 Nature Incorporated 46 Introduction 46 The Sanitary Authorities 48 Sewering the Suburbs 56 New Towns and Oysters 62 The Multi-Purpose Use of Water 72 4 New Beginnings in Forestry 82 Introduction 82 The Forest Authority 90 Forest Parks 94 Multi-Purpose Forestry 98 5 A Third Force 103 Introduction 103 The Agricultural Context 109 vii

6 viii Contents National Parks 115 Nature Reserves 122 Coastal Preservation 131 The Challenge of Leisure Environmental Conservation 146 Introduction 146 Agricultural Improvement 151 Arresting the Engine of Destruction 158 Towards Creative Conservation Transport and the Environment 177 Introduction 177 Mixed Blessing 182 London s Third Airport 191 Commercial Pipelines 196 The Pipe-Lines Act 204 Environmental Assessment Environmental Hazards 218 Introduction 218 Dereliction 227 Before Silent Spring 235 Air Quality The Century of the Environment 257 Introduction 257 Raising Awareness 262 Movers and Shakers 271 Bibliography 283 Index 301

7 Preface The study of environmental history has grown apace since the 1970s. Much of the stimulus has come from contemporary concerns for the natural environment and, more particularly, the human impact on its life-giving resources. The book breaks new ground by providing illustrative accounts of how some of the most pressing concerns came to be recognised, and a response formulated. In as much as one of the most notable features of the twentieth century has been the increasing importance of government in everyday life, highly relevant insights are to be found in the further sub-field of planning history. The book makes considerable use of the archives of central and local government, business, and the professional and voluntary bodies. Far from there being a single twentieth-century environmental history, there were many such histories that overlap and intertwine in the most intricate way. Only a few can be pursued in a book of this size, which seeks, largely through a thematic approach, to convey some sense of the skill and experience gained in coping with, if not mastering, environmental issues. Rather than exploring further the theoretical dimensions, which have already received so much attention, the book illustrates the range of situations and practices alluded to in such debate. The book sets out especially to encourage those who want to know more fully where and when, and how and why, environmental initiatives were taken, and the significance to be placed upon them. Through such closer study of the original printed material and documentation, there is the possibility of identifying more exactly the role of personalities and events in determining the course of policy-making. I am grateful to Professor Mike Roberts, the Director of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, and colleagues at Monks Wood for the opportunity to write the book, and, as always, to Gillian and ix

8 x Preface our family. Professor Jeremy Black and Terka Acton, my Commissioning Editor, have given much encouragement and support. It will be obvious to readers the extent of my gratitude to the Cambridge University Library, the Public Record Office (PRO) and Scottish Record Office (SRO), and the numerous record offices cited. The Confederation of British Industry and Esso UK kindly gave access to material in their keeping. Hilton Census Night 2001 JOHN SHEAIL Note References to archival sources are given in the text, both for convenience and to emphasise where such evidence has been found. The abbreviation PD refers to material in the relevant volume and columns of the published Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). PP denotes Parliamentary Papers, the full citation of which is given in the Bibliography. The measurements cited in the text are those used in the original source.

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