Local Nature Reserves
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Sheffield boasts 17 Local Nature Reserves following approval by Natural England.
The seventeen Local Nature Reserves (LNR's) are:
- Ecclesall Woods, Millhouses
- Fox Hagg, Redmires
- Bowden Housteads Wood and Car Brook Ravine, Darnall
- Woolley Wood, Shiregreen
- Roe Woods and Crabtree Pond, Burngreave
- Loxley Common
- Wharncliffe Heath
- Wheata Woods complex, Grenoside
- Shire Brook Valley, Woodhouse
- Gleadless Valley
- Woodhouse Washlands
- Salmon Pastures, Darnall
- Sunnybank, Sharrow
- The General Cemetery, Sharrow
- Sharrow School Green Roof
- Townend Common, Stocksbridge
- Porter Valley (excluding the formal playfields and playgrounds), Fulwood
These cover a total of 650 hectares (over 1,600 acres) and include a wealth of nationally scarce habitats including ancient woodland, unimproved grassland, and heathland, as well as old millponds, and other “urban” habitats like those found at the General Cemetery and Sunnybank.
Local Nature Reserves provide homes for increasingly threatened wildlife like Bats, and Song Thrush, to less rare but elusive species like Kingfisher. Even better, all the sites are accessible to visitors through public rights of way or other informal routes.
Declaration as a Local Nature Reserve gives all sites added protection from development. It also strengthens the Council and its partner’s commitment to manage the sites for the long-term benefit of the wildlife, visitors and local people, and encourage their use for education.
Many of the sites are managed by partner organisations:
- Sheffield General Cemetery Trust taking the lead at the General Cemetery.
- Sheffield Wildlife Trust leading the way at Salmon Pastures, Fox Hagg and Sunnybank.
- Steel Valley Project at Townend Common.
- Friends of Porter Valley help the Parks and Countryside Service with the management of the Porter Valley LNR.
At all the sites, the Council and its partners are striving to improve access for the local community and visitors, through better site signage, leaflets and site-based information, gradual improvements to paths, better waymarking, and an annual programme of events and activities open to the public