A number of authors have suggested that the decentralization of manufacturing employment in metropolitan areas has largely resulted from spatial variations in plant openings. However, the use of establishment level data covering the 1966 to 1975 period for Greater Manchester indicates that the process which exhibited the greatest spatial variation was plant closures. This contrast with the conventional wisdom is due, at least in part, firstly to the internal structure of Greater Manchester, and secondly to its lack of regional policy assistance which in the Development Area conurbations has resulted in the opening of new plants in suburban locations. The implication is that attempts to revive the inner-city economy will be relatively unsuccessful unless steps are also taken to combat its high level of plant closures.
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