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Some basic facts
about the City (Source: Sheffield
City Council website)
- One third of
Sheffield's 36238 hectares lie within the Peak District
National Park (no other UK city has part of a national
park within its boundary). Another third is agricultural,
with some scattered villages, and the other third is
urban.
- Sheffield is
England's greenest city, containing 150 woodlands and 50
substantial public parks
- Half of the City's
population of over 500,000 live within 15 minutes of open
countryside
- Sheffield is
officially the 'safest' city in the UK (according to
Government statistics) and this encourages use of the
greenspaces
- A potential
workforce of over 1 million people live within 1 hour's
drive of the City, which makes it an attractive location
for a range of employers
- Established and
growing areas of expertise include metals and glass
technology, biosciences, medical technology and creative
industries
- Sheffield's two
universities teach more than 45,000 students
Map
showing the distribution of greenspace within the
Metropolitan district boundary and
Basic facts about
Sheffield City's Parks and Greenspaces (Source:
Sheffield City Council website)
- The third of the
city that is urban contains a wide variety of parks,
woodlands and green open spaces. The city-owned
greenspaces include: 78 public Parks, 10 Gardens, over
170 Woodlands, over130 Children's Playgrounds, 74
Allotment sites, 1 Animal Farm, 24 Sports sites, and
hundreds of other green open spaces. There are also 45
Community Buildings many associated with
greenspaces.
- Local surveys have
shown that the greenspaces are highly regarded by the
community and recognised as an important part of the
City's landscape character and heritage
- The greenspaces are
regarded as culturally important, providing opportunities
for sports, events, children's play, walking and
relaxation for all ethnic and all age groups
- They are recognised
as a feature which contributes significantly to people's
health and well-being
- Many are highly
valued for their wildlife and biodiversity and all the
greenspaces are regarded for the potential their presence
creates to enhance biodiversity through active habitat
creation and management
- The greenspaces are
extremely popular and it has been calculated that they
attract over 25 million visits each year. They have their
own dedicated maintenance staff and in addition a Ranger
Service provides a visible and reassuring presence to
encourage greater use and enjoyment of the City's natural
heritage. The rangers' work includes supporting
communities and voluntary groups. The rangers undertake
practical greenspace-related projects with community
groups and encourage activities and events. Annually,
Sheffield's parks and greenspaces host in excess of 200
events, from large shows, festivals and galas, to guided
walks and local activity days.
A map of the major
greenspaces owned by the city can be downloaded from their
website:
http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/out--about/maps
A special department,
The Parks, Woodlands and Countryside Service, is responsible
for the open spaces owned by the city.
Greenspaces maintained
by Sheffield City Parks department
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Type of
greenspace
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hectares
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number of
sites
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Formal
parks
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1830
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78
sites
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Woodland
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1400
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Allotments
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74
sites
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Play
areas
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124
sites
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Cemeteries and
Crematoria
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8
sites
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Diagram
of Nature Conservation in Sheffield - This sketch map shows
the distribution of SSSIs (Sites of special scientific
interest) to the west of the city where it joins the Peak
District National Park (orange lines), together with the
distribution of woodlands with nature conservation value
(dark green). The other woodlands (mid-green) and the major
parks ( light green) within the city are indicated as these
all have the potential to develop some level of biodiversity
over time. The red lines are the Ward Boundaries
(administrative areas). For full details of the information
available with regard to sites of national interest visit
the English
Nature website
Resources available
for greenspace maintenance in 2002:
A team of 135 permanent and up to 30 seasonal staff work to
a gross budget of £5.7 million. In addition the team is
involved in externally funded projects to the value of
£20 million. See
full information on Sheffield City website
The following table
indicates the percentage of the land area which is
greenspace in each of the Wards which make up Sheffield
City
The quantity of
greenspace is approximate only - it includes all unbuilt
land but not small private gardens
All photographs are
© Anne R. Beer, 2003 but users are free to download and
use as they wish, with the proviso that the copyright is
always acknowledged. Students may use the text as they wish
provided they again acknowledge the sources of the
text.
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