0 an area with many unemployed people where the government encourages new industries to start so that more jobs will be created
1 an area of a country, especially a poor area with a lot of unemployed people, where the government tries to encourage economic development by offering financial advantages to people who start companies, factories, etc. there:
It is a government development area with tax advantages.
2 an area that a local government decides will be used for new businesses, industry, housing, etc.:
Within the development area itself, smaller 'artisan' units will cater for more specialist professional companies, such as lawyers and architects.
Many countries are involved in this research and development area of military robotics.
The book gives a valuable introduction to what is obviously an extremely important development area.
The development programme also foresaw the widening and improvement of a 500 m long strip of beach north of the development area.
We have also lost development area status and objective 2 status.
Tees-side is a perfect industrial development area with a river-rail transport and—though admittedly it needs improvement—road transport.
I should like to know the position if the area in which the mine is being developed ceases to be a development area.
These, however, may be precisely the areas that should come within the development area.
That brings me to a point that has already been raised: namely, the question of de-scheduling a development area.