The A55 CorridorLocalities in North Wales

WISERD Localities @ Bangor

Dr Robin Mann

Dr Alex Plows

Dr Yvonne Tommis

The Wales Spatial Plan distinguishes between North West Wales and North East Wales. The North West Wales plan describes a natural and physical environment as well as a cultural and knowledge based economy which supports a strong Welsh language culture. Lack of opportunities for young people and the sustainability of Welsh speaking communities receive specific attention. Equally, the area is seen to attract people for tourism and recreation, as well as offering quality of life that can lead to permanent settlement. In some contrast, the North East Wales Plan is described as a highly industrialised cross-border area. Central to the plan is the Wrexham-Deeside-Chester hub which is distinct from the north coastal belt towns as well as the rural hinterland surrounding Llangollen. It is evident from the plan that cross-border linkages have particular importance to the economic prosperity of this area.

Micro-LocalitiesAnglesey

The Arfon (North Gwynedd) site includes the triangle of Caernarfon, Bangor and Llanberis. Bangor and Caernarfon are the administrative bases of the region and host a number of key public sector employers such as the Countryside Council for Wales, Gwynedd County Council and Bangor University. It also encompasses the northern fringes of the Snowdonia National Park. Here lies Llanberis and other former slate mining villages which have historically looked towards Caernarfon. The area has some of the highest proportions of Welsh speakers in Wales.

The Wrexham site focuses principally on the town itself. Wrexham is the largest town in North Wales, and the fourth largest in Wales. The area has experienced a shift from a heavy manufacturing base to more high-technology industries. Wrexham, as with the north east of Wales generally, has been an area of comparatively high economic activity and employment over recent decades. But it is also one which has experienced significant job losses and closures of several major local employers over the last 12 months.

Wrexham

Arfon

Language and Identity

Cross-border relationships

In North Wales, there appears to be a strong correlation between Welsh identity and the ability to speak Welsh. Looking at UA-level data from the Annual Population Survey, the suggestion is that the majority of people who consider themselves Welsh are those who can speak Welsh. This trend is also evident in Flintshire, where Welsh identification is particularly low. The exception is Wrexham, where the pattern is similar to the national picture.

It is also interesting that in Gwynedd, and to a lesser extent in Anglesey, the proportion of people who say the can speak Welsh is higher than those considering themselves as Welsh.

2001 Census data on country of birth reports that a quarter of the Welsh resident population were born outside of Wales in the UK. The map below shows this percentage for local areas across North Wales. There are numerous districts where the non-Welsh born population is over 45%. In Flintshire, these figures are accentuated due to births in hospitals across the English border. Yet there are also notable pockets of non-Welsh born people in remote parts of Anglesey and in the south west of Gwynedd.

The above table shows the percentage of 16-74 year olds in employment who work in England. Over 1 in 10 of those living in North Wales travel to work in England. This is more than double the national Wales percentage. Furthermore, as much as 24% of those living in Flintshire have their workplace across the English border.

Percentage who consider

themselves Welsh

Percentage who say they can

speak Welsh

Gwynedd 64.7 71.9

Wrexham 61.9 21.0

Anglesey 60.5 63.1

Denbighshire 48.3 30.8

Conwy 46.2 34.1

Flintshire 38.9 30.7

Wales 64.2 26.5

16-74 yr olds in employment who work in England

Place of Residence % n

Flintshire 24.0 16644

Wrexham 15.2 8700

North Wales 11.4 32214

Denbighshire 7.1 2697

Wales 5.4 63764

Conwy 4.7 2054

Gwynedd 3.1 1439

Anglesey 2.6 680

Source: Annual Population Survey 2008

Source: 2001 Census..

% of People born in the UK, outside of Wales

Source: 2001 Census.

A defining feature of localities research in North Wales is the A55 Corridor. Running “east-to-west” from Chester to Holyhead docks, it epitomises the significance that is often placed on the cross-border relationship between North Wales and the North West of England. As a site, it is characterised by both heterogeneity as well as connectivity, with diverse localities relating to each other both along and beyond the corridor. It cuts across six unitary authorities (from east to west these are Wrexham, Flintshire, Denbighshire, Conwy, Gwynedd and Anglesey). It comprises a mixture of “deep” rural, coastal and industrialised landscapes. It holds some of the least and most deprived districts in Wales; areas with both high and low proportions of Welsh speakers; as well as areas of significant in- and out-migration. Taking into account the rural hinterlands to its south, the A55 Corridor provides a broad framework for the identification of micro-localities for subsequent ethnographic study.

Taking care of interpreting aggregated data, this may suggest the emergence of people who are able to speak Welsh but who do not necessarily consider themselves as Welsh. Further qualitative research would be needed in order to corroborate these trends.

The Anglesey micro-locality area incorporates the triangle of Llangefni, Holyhead and Wylfa Power Station. There are significant economic changes taking place with the closure of Anglesey Aluminium; the possible reprise of Wylfa Power Station; the expansion of Anglesey Airport; and the ongoing 10-year regeneration plan for Holyhead. The area contains the two Anglesey districts that are in the most 10% deprived in Wales. It also includes districts of both high and low Welsh speaking and Welsh born percentages.