LWS in West Yorkshire support habitats and/or species of regional importance. Sites are designated by the West Yorkshire Local Sites Partnership and protected by policies in each district Local Plan.
Each LWS within West Yorkshire is supported by a habitat and species list, site assessment against adopted LWS criteria and a summary citation.
West Yorkshire is currently going through a process of reassessing and merging old designated local sites (Sites of Ecological or Geological Importance (SEGI), Sites of Scientific Interest (SSI), Leeds Nature Areas (LNA), Wakefield Nature Areas (WNA), Sites of Wildlife Significance (SWS) and Bradford Wildlife Areas (BWA)) into a single LWS designation.
The Local Geological Sites guidelines describe the process for identifying and designating sites of geological and geomorphological value in West Yorkshire. Sites have been surveyed and assessed by the West Yorkshire Geology Trust. Sites are designated by the West Yorkshire Local Sites Partnership and protected by policies in each district Local Plan.
The Local Sites Partnership meets once every six months to update the list of LWS and LGS. Please contact WYES to get the most up to date summary citations.
Access to LWS/LGS
The designation of a site as a LWS/LGS does not provide any right of public access beyond that afforded by the public rights of way networks.
West Yorkshire Local Wildlife Site Selection Criteria
Guidelines for the Identification and Selection of Local Geological Sites in West Yorkshire