Executive Summary
The executive
summary draws together some of the salient points presented
under each theme, to give a general overview of Eden as a place
to live, work and visit.
Population and Social Characteristics
Under Defra's new definition of rural, all towns
(except Penrith), villages and hamlets in Eden are described as
'rural sparse' and 'rural less sparse'. Penrith is not considered
rural but is classified as 'urban sparse'.
In 2004, the population of Eden was 52,007.
Eden's population continues to grow and is expected to increase by
10-15% over the next 25 years. This level of growth is greatly
driven by in-migration due to the attractive lifestyle and
environment of the District.
The District has a slightly older age profile
than that of England (26% over 60 as against 21%) and 31% aged
under 30 against 37% in England. In Cumbria, Eden and South
Lakeland have the oldest age profile and the smallest number of
young people.
According to the 2001 Census, Eden has a low
percentage of ethnic minority groups living in the area, only 0.4%
of the population; this is significantly lower than the national
average of 8.7%.
Health and Well-Being
Statistics show that people living in Eden tend
to be healthier on the whole than elsewhere in the Country. The
life expectancy of males and females living in Eden is also higher
than the national average.
In 2003, a health and lifestyle survey of the
three Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) in the North of Cumbria revealed
that respondents living in the Eden PCT area reported better health
than those living in the other PCTs.
Economy
The Economy of Eden tends to specialise in
consumer services, due to the importance of tourism to the area.
Public services and distribution also comprise major parts of the
economy. By contrast, the District is under-represented in finance,
IT and other business activities.
The importance of tourism to the area means that
self-employment and part-time employment are more important in Eden
than regionally or nationally. This also means that Eden is
predominantly a 'small firm economy' and has a low number of large
businesses. In Eden the majority of tourism businesses are small
rural operations. Many are sole traders and over 50% of
accommodation stock consists of operations of three bedrooms or
less.
Eden's economic structure provides the context
for why earnings in the District are below the regional and
national average. The gross annual pay of Eden residents is
£16,010; this is significantly lower than the regional and national
average and lower than the Cumbrian average.
Annual visitor numbers to Eden now stand at
almost 2,000,000 per year - around 1,200,000 are day visitors and
the reminder are staying visitors with an average length of stay of
3.6 nights.
In 2004, the revenue brought into Eden by
visitors was £146,000,000. The majority of this money was spent on
accommodation, food and drink, shopping, transport and
recreation.
Education
The qualification profile of Eden is higher than
for the North West and Great Britain. When compared with the other
districts in Cumbria, both Eden and South Lakeland have a
relatively greater proportion of residents with degree-level
qualifications.
The percentage of adults that have low literacy
skills in Eden is lower than in the North West and England, but the
percentage of adults that have low numeracy and ICT skills is
slightly higher than in the North West and England.
Housing
In 2001, there were 23,369 household spaces in
Eden, of which 21,143 households were occupied. 775 households were
unoccupied and vacant. There were 1,451 (6.2%) second homes or
holiday lets; this is much higher than the national average of
0.96%.
In 2005, the average price of a house in Eden
during July to September was £193,813. When comparing average house
prices with average income, housing is much less affordable to
local residents than is the case for the County or Region as a
whole. This can have an adverse affect, particularly on first time
buyers, key workers and existing residents.
Environment - Access to Services
The Indices of Deprivation 2004 identified that
people in Eden have difficulties accessing services. Eden was
ranked 11 out of 354. This makes it one of the most deprived
districts/unitary authorities in England for this indicator.
Crime and Disorder
From April 2004 to March 2005, Eden accounted for
only 7.6% of all crime in Cumbria. The most prevalent crime in Eden
was criminal damage, followed by theft.
Eden has the lowest percentage of child road
casualties ie killed or seriously injured, compared to any other
district in Cumbria. However, it has the highest percentage of
adult road casualties ie killed or seriously injured.
During Autumn 2003, Cumbria Police Authority and
Constabulary conducted a public consultation survey which revealed
that 76% of respondents felt that crime in their area had stayed
the same, 13% felt it had got worse and 5% felt it had
improved.
Public Perceptions of Eden
According to the 2003/04 Best Value General
Satisfaction Survey, respondents would like to see the following
improved in Eden; Affordable housing, public transport, road and
pavement repairs, wage levels and local cost of living and
activities for teenagers.
The North Cumbria Health and Lifestyle survey
revealed that 89% of respondents living in the Eden Valley PCT area
agreed that they were very attracted to the area in which they
live. This figure in other PCTs was 77%. There was also a low
number of respondents agreeing that they would like to move out of
the area, and a high proportion of respondents agreed that the Eden
Valley PCT area is a good place to bring up children.
Read 'Eden in
Profile' (PDF: 1.7Mb / 101pages)
