Appointed the task of venturing to Coxside and evaluating the urban land use in the area, we soon discovered that landscapes are easily subject to change. This post comes from geographers George Barnes and Edward Anderson, and identifies the first impressions we received in Coxside while comparing it to our “confined” view that is the inner city of Plymouth
After visiting Coxside with the intention of observing how the urban land use has changed in recent years, it became apparent that the landscape has moved from an area used predominantly by industry, to a residential community. Large amounts of the land in the Coxside area have been used for industrial purposes such as the gas works and warehousing. Many of these used gasometers in Coxside are incredibly old and unstable structures with some dating back to 1884.
Under further observation it became clear to us that the area has recently undergone a large degree of urban re-development in the form of deindustrialisation, as new apartment flats and modern services such as the Barbican Leisure Park had occupied large industrial brown field space. The addition of attractions such as the Vue Cinema and Oceana Club Lounge encourage students and families alike from the centre of Plymouth to venture out of their inner city comfort zone.
Although the rebranding has succeeded to some extent, the majority of the area still needs investment. There are large amounts of old council houses that appear to be in very poor quality. The area has a very uninviting feel to it with high walls and barbed wire fencing out the public. Compared to the city centre, Coxside was not very well maintained, with overgrowing weeds obstructing pathways and hanging over the pavement.
However, Coxside is not all disused warehouse space and post-industrial landscape. Rows of terraced housing (most likely used as cramped accommodation for factory workers during WWII) were obstructing the sea views the area provided. Were it not for the concrete landscape and deemed “hazardous” gasometers (such as the two demolished structures in 2008), Coxside could be a highly desirable area for tourists and investors alike. Away from the CBD, this land has the potential to be cheap and possess some resonating qualities an industrial firm would admire, such as waterfront access and a communal industrial site plan.
Coxside did show resilience to this apparent deindustrialisation, as some industrial areas were being used for scrap yards. It was also apparent that some industry was still present as we observed men working heavy machinery such as cranes transporting what seemed to be empty gas canisters (GOK).
Residential quarters were being developed upon our visit, proving that re-branding within the area is occurring and providing an effective alternate of land use over shutdown industrial sites. The refurbished flats nearer the Barbican bestowed a modern flicker or hope over the receding grey zone that descries Coxside, a landscape slipping away from the modern design of the rest of Plymouth.
