ABSTRACT
West Yorkshire has experienced profound economic restructuring in recent years as traditional industrial sectors such as woollen textiles and coal mining have declined. At the same time, there have been marked changes in the pattern of governance of the metropolitan area and in the opportunities for strategic planning and management. The various bodies concerned with West Yorkshire or wider regional regeneration in the 1960s and 1970s commonly focused on the problems of its older industrial areas. The Yorkshire and Humberside Economic Planning Council underlined the issues of environmental degradation following the decline of traditional industries. The newly-created West Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council (WYMCC) straightaway sought to capture the political pre-eminence in the sub-region which the former county council had enjoyed. The key themes of the West Yorkshire Structure Plan for the metropolitan area of 1980 were a focus on urban regeneration, a priority for economic growth and development, and protection of natural resources, particularly countryside and environment.
