ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the change in policy by examining one of the local initiatives, the London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC), which was set up by the Conservative government in 1981. In the mid-nineteenth century, London was the busiest port in the world, by value and volume of trade. The serious decline of London Docklands soon prompted planning concern and a steady stream of reports and plans emerged from a succession of agencies during the 1970s. The marketing schemes of the LDDC and the developers have succeeded in adding social desirability to the intrinsic benefits of a location adjacent to the City of London. The LDDC seems to have made little impact in terms of job numbers – although it claims that projected developments on Canary Wharf and in the Royal Docks will add up to 100,000 jobs. The Enterprise Zone on the Isle of Dogs has been the principal focus of the LDDC’s attempt to regenerate the economy of Docklands.
