the "countryside'', the 1991 Census shows.

The Census reported that between 1980-1991, the population of the City fell from 1,617 to 1,100, a decline of 32 percent, while Pembroke, which includes Hamilton, dropped by 567 people from 12,060 to 11,507.

The movement continued a trend which began in 1960 when 14,156 -- or 33 percent of the population -- lived in Pembroke.

That proportion fell to 20 percent last year as other parishes -- especially Southampton, Hamilton Parish, Smith's Parish and Warwick -- continued to register fast growth.

While Pembroke lost population, Southampton added almost 1,200 people, growing 26 percent; Hamilton Parish grew by 900 people or 24 percent, Smith's added almost 600 people and grew by 18 percent and Warwick added almost 1,000 or 14 percent.

Assistant Director of Forward Planning Mr. Brian Rowlinson said the trend was a mixed blessing.

He said it showed people were moving away from the heavily populated middle parishes and into the less populated outer areas, meaning people were living in less dense surroundings.

But it also meant more open space was being used for housing while Hamilton in particularly was being used more and more for office and commercial use.

He said Government efforts, notably in the 1984 Hamilton Development Plan, to encourage people to live in the City had not been fulfilled because of the expense of building residential units.

The 1984 plan zoning encouraged residential development of Hamilton north of Victoria Street and also introduced mixed zoning for buildings which would feature shops, office space and apartments.

Although several schemes were submitted to the Development Applications Board, few were completed, mainly because of cost problems. "Offices are cheaper to develop,'' he said.

Contributing to the problem was the fragmentation of properties in the back of town, with some properties having several owners and other lots being too small to develop.

"In some cases you would need four of five owners to get together to produce a new development,'' Mr. Rowlinson said. "The City Plan committee also recommended that a corporation be established to help with land acquisition.'' But there had been an increase in the establishment of services and businesses in the area north of Victoria Street, using renovated buildings.

Forward planners will examine the 1984 plan next year, but zoning changes were unlikely.

"We will look at the old plan but there is not much more the planning process can do. We are relying on market forces to take up the options we have provided,' he said.

Planners would look more closely at traffic control, street improvements and urban design, he said.

Pembroke and Hamilton in particular remain the major place of work.

Forty percent of the working population, or 13,340 people, worked in Hamilton while an additional 3,382 people or 10 percent worked in the rest of Pembroke.

Of those people working in Hamilton, 25 percent went to work alone by car.

Another 24 percent traveled in a car with others while 30 percent came by motorcycle.

The remaining 21 percent came by other forms of transport, including nine percent by bus and just two percent by boat or ferry.