A NEW National Nature Reserve – which includes swathes of land in the Keighley area – has been launched.
It is hoped the Bradford Pennine Gateway, the first National Nature Reserve in West Yorkshire, will encourage people in inner city areas to visit green spaces on their doorstep.
The designation will give the areas extra protection and more-focused management, as well as raise their profile nationally and internationally.
Eight locations across the Bradford district feature in the nature reserve, including Penistone Hill Country Park above Haworth, Harden Moor and the St Ives estate.
Other areas are Ilkley Moor, Shipley Glen, Trench Meadows, Baildon Moor and Bingley North Bog.
The venture is being spearheaded by Natural England.
Its chair, Tony Juniper, says: "These nature reserve sites are nationally important – it is the only land use designation where the primary purpose is nature conservation and recovery.
"As well as protecting nature, it will have a huge benefit for the people of Bradford to have access to these landscapes for their physical health and psychological wellbeing."
He said the inclusion of moorland above Haworth that inspired the Brontë sisters meant the nature reserve would attract international recognition.
Marian Spain, chief executive officer of Natural England, said at an event held in Saltaire to mark the designation that she'd visited the district to launch a nature recovery project two years ago.
She said: “The thing that struck me is that the hills seem so close to the city that you can almost reach out and touch them. But so many people in the city don’t reach out to these spaces, physically and metaphorically.
“We hope this will create a better connection between the people of Bradford and the nature around them.
“It is bringing together world-famous places like Haworth and Ilkley Moor with local gems like Shipley Glen.”
Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw – portfolio holder for regeneration, planning and transport on Bradford Council – said the district had a “diversity of geography” – with densely-populated urban areas often just a few minutes’ drive from expansive green spaces.
He said: “We're also looking to create smaller green spaces, which mean a lot to people."
Rebecca Yorke, director of the Brontë Society, said: “The landscape around Haworth played a huge part in inspiring the Brontes. Emily Bronte walked for miles across the moors – Wuthering Heights is littered with references to the nature of the area.”
