 | |
| Formation | 1981 |
|---|---|
| Dissolved | 1998 |
| Type | Development Corporation |
| Headquarters | Liverpool |
Official language | English |
Key people | Basil Bean |
The Merseyside Development Corporation was a central government-appointed Development Corporation set up in 1981 by Margaret Thatcher's government to regenerate the Mersey docks of Liverpool, Bootle, Wallasey and Birkenhead.
The corporation was established as part of an initiative by the future Deputy Prime Minister, Michael Heseltine, in 1981 during the First Thatcher ministry. [1] Board members were directly appointed by the minister and overrode local authority planning controls to spend government money on infrastructure. This was a controversial measure in Labour strongholds such as East London, Merseyside and North East England. [2] [3]
Actitivies undertaken by the Corporation include the Liverpool International Garden Festival in 1984, [4] and the redevelopment of the Albert Dock complex, which included the opening of Tate Liverpool. [5] During its lifetime 7.6m sq.ft. of non-housing development and 486 housing units were built. Around 22,155 new jobs were created and some £698m of private finance was leveraged in. Circa 944 acres (3.82 km2) of derelict land was reclaimed and 60 miles (97 km) of new road and footpaths put in place. [6]
The chairman was Donald Forster, who had previously been Chairman of Warrington and Runcorn Development Corporation, [7] and the first Chief Executive was Basil Bean, who had previously been general manager of the Northampton Development Corporation. [8] The corporation was wound up in 1998. [9]
Michael Ray Dibdin Heseltine, Baron Heseltine, is a British politician. Having begun his career as a property developer, he became one of the founders of the publishing house Haymarket. Heseltine served as a Conservative Member of Parliament from 1966 to 2001. He was a prominent figure in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major, and served as Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State under Major from 1995 to 1997.
Richard Edward Geoffrey Howe, Baron Howe of Aberavon,, known from 1970 to 1992 as Sir Geoffrey Howe, was a British politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1989 to 1990. A member of the Conservative Party, he was Margaret Thatcher's longest-serving Cabinet minister, successively holding the posts of chancellor of the Exchequer, foreign secretary, and finally leader of the House of Commons, deputy prime minister and lord president of the Council. His resignation on 1 November 1990 is widely considered to have precipitated the leadership challenge that led to Thatcher's resignation three weeks later.
David James Fletcher Hunt, Baron Hunt of Wirral, is a British Conservative politician who served as a member of the Cabinet during the Thatcher and Major ministries, and was appointed to the Privy Council in 1990.
The London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC) was a quango agency set up by the UK Government in 1981 to regenerate the depressed Docklands area of east London. During its seventeen-year existence, it was responsible for regenerating an area of 22 square kilometres (8.5 sq mi) in the London Boroughs of Newham, Tower Hamlets and Southwark. LDDC helped to create Canary Wharf, Surrey Quays Shopping Centre, London City Airport, ExCeL London, London Arena and the Docklands Light Railway, bringing more than 120,000 new jobs to the Docklands and making the area highly sought after for housing. Although initially fiercely resisted by local councils and residents, today it is generally regarded as having been a success and is now used as an example of large-scale regeneration, although tensions between older and more recent residents remain.
Sir John William Frederic Nott was a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Defence from 1981 to 1983, during the Falklands War. A member of the National Liberal and Conservative parties, Nott was Member of Parliament (MP) for St Ives from 1966 to 1983.
The Royal Albert Dock is a complex of dock buildings and warehouses in Liverpool, England. Designed by Jesse Hartley and Philip Hardwick, it was opened in 1846, and was the first structure in Britain to be built from cast iron, brick and stone, with no structural wood. As a result, it was the first non-combustible warehouse system in the world. It was known simply as the Albert Dock until 2018, when it was granted a royal charter and had the honorific "Royal" added to its name.
The 1990 Conservative Party leadership election was called on 14 November 1990 following the decision of Michael Heseltine, former defence and environment secretary, to challenge Margaret Thatcher, the incumbent Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, for leadership of the Conservative Party.
The Toxteth riots of July 1981 were a civil disturbance in Toxteth, inner-city Liverpool, which arose in part from long-standing tensions between the local police and the black community. They followed the Brixton riot earlier that year and were part of the 1981 England riots.
Sean Francis Hughes was a British history teacher and Labour politician. He was the local successor to Sir Harold Wilson as a Member of Parliament, and served as a whip and a spokesman on defence issues for his party. Respected for his parliamentary abilities and able to use his historical knowledge in Parliamentary speeches, he played a role in changing Labour's defence policy from unilateral nuclear disarmament to a multilateral approach. His Parliamentary career was cut short by his early death from cancer.
The Leeds Development Corporation was established in 1988 to develop South Central Leeds and the Kirkstall Valley.
The Tyne and Wear Development Corporation (TWDC) was established in 1987 to develop land on the banks of the River Tyne and the River Wear in England.
The Trafford Park Development Corporation was established by the Second Thatcher ministry as part of an initiative to develop land in the Trafford Park area of Trafford and Salford.
The Teesside Development Corporation was a government-backed development corporation that was established in 1987 to fund and manage regeneration projects in the former county of Cleveland in North East England.
The Black Country Development Corporation was an urban development corporation established in May 1987 to develop land in the Metropolitan Boroughs of Sandwell and Walsall in England.
The Bristol Development Corporation was established in 1989 to develop parts of eastern Bristol, England.
The Central Manchester Development Corporation was established in 1988 to develop parts of eastern Manchester.
Sir Kenneth Pugh Thompson, 1st Baronet was a British company director and politician from Liverpool. He served fourteen years in Parliament but is most known for his contribution to local government where he was chairman of Merseyside County Council and deputy chairman of the Merseyside Development Corporation. He had a son, Sir Paul Thompson and a daughter, Patricia, with his wife, Lady Nanne Thompson.
Philip Pedley is a British Conservative activist who held a number of positions in the Conservative Party at local, regional and national level and was appointed Deputy Chairman of one of the largest quangos in Wales.
Irwin Norman Bellow, Baron BellwinJP DL was a British Conservative politician.
