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Rural Development Area

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ow superceded by other designations and political developments, Rural Development Areas (RDAs) were those parts of rural England suffering a concentration of economic and social needs, where rural regeneration activities were focused. There were 31 RDAs, covering 35% of England’s land area, and some 6% of the population (2.75 million people). (1999 figures)

Rural Development Areas (RDA’s) covered parts of 29 counties of England and 109 districts, including about 35% of the land area of England and some 6% of the population. RDA’s were first introduced by the Rural Development Commission (RDC) in June 1984. They were initially based on a review of the data obtained in the 1981 Census of Population and on local information. During 1992/3 the RDC carried out a comprehensive review of its priority areas, based on a set of socio-economic indicators and local information not captured by the indicators. In addition to the advice and assistance provided across the whole of rural England, the RDC provided two main types of assistance in the RDA’s: support for integrated rural development programmes and assistance to individual enterprises.

To see the latest developments and the designations and schemes which superceded RDAs, visit Natural England.

Text partly taken from Natural England's pages about RDAs.