Declining industrial region Sambre-Meuse Valley – Belgium
• Easily accessible coal – major industrial region in 19th century – attracted iron and steel and engineering industries – industrial towns evolved
• Major centre of employment – Wallonia became the dominant economic and cultural region in Belgium (see Cultural regions: language)
• Decline in 20th century – coal mines exhausted – imported coal cheaper – reduced demand due to competition from oil and gas – over 100,000 mining jobs had disappeared
• Iron and steel decline – competition from modern coastal plants, lower-cost and higher productivity – using imported coal and ore
• Socio-economic impact – economy of Wallonia declined – unemployment – coincided with industrial growth in Flanders – out-migration
• Environmental impact – waste heaps – abandoned industrial plants – industrial pollution – unattractive • Redevelopment – classified ERDF Objective 2 region – provision of low interest loans, grants and tax incentives to attract investment – retraining for former miners – new transport infrastructure – new industrial estates and technopoles linked to technological institutions – decaying buildings cleared, coal waste heaps removed, sites landscaped
• Some elements of industrial heritage preserved, others have been restored and have new functions, e.g. Blegny-Mine
