List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Greater Manchester explained

This is a list of the Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) in Greater Manchester, a metropolitan county in North West England. In England the body responsible for designating SSSIs is Natural England, which chooses a site because of its fauna, flora, geological or physiographical features.^[1], there are 21 sites designated within this Area of Search, of which 14 have been designated due to their biological interest, 5 due to their geological interest, and 2 for both biological and geological interest.^[2]

Natural England took over the role of designating and managing SSSIs from English Nature in October 2006 when it was formed from the amalgamation of English Nature, parts of the Countryside Agency and the Rural Development Service. Natural England, like its predecessor, uses the 1974–1996 county system^[3] and as such the same approach is followed here, rather than splitting these sites between the Lancashire and Cheshire lists. The data in the table is taken from English Nature's website in the form of citation sheets for each SSSI.^[4]

For other counties, see List of SSSIs by Area of Search.

Sites

Site name	Reason for Designation		Area		Grid reference	Year in which notified	Map
Site name	Biological interest	Geological interest	Hectares	Acres	Grid reference	Year in which notified	Map
Abram Flashes			39.6	98.0		1990
Ashclough			5.8	14.3	&	1988
Astley & Bedford Mosses			92.2	227.8		1989
Brookheys Covert			2.4	5.8		1977
Bryn Marsh & Ince Moss			68.3	168.8	&	1989

|-| Compstall Nature Reserve| style="text-align:center;"|| style="text-align:center;"| | style="text-align:right;"|12.8| style="text-align:right;"|31.6| style="text-align:center;"|| style="text-align:center;"|1977| style="text-align:center;"||-| Cotteril Clough| style="text-align:center;"|| style="text-align:center;"| | style="text-align:right;"|10.3| style="text-align:right;"|25.5| style="text-align:center;"|| style="text-align:center;"|1951| style="text-align:center;"||-| Dark Peak| style="text-align:center;"|| style="text-align:center;"|| style="text-align:right;"|31,852.9| style="text-align:right;"|78,708.4| style="text-align:center;"|| style="text-align:center;"|1951| style="text-align:center;"||-| Dunham Park| style="text-align:center;"|| style="text-align:center;"| | style="text-align:right;"|78.0| style="text-align:right;"|192.7| style="text-align:center;"|| style="text-align:center;"|1965| style="text-align:center;"||-| Gale Clough And Shooterslee Wood| style="text-align:center;"|| style="text-align:center;"| | style="text-align:right;"|8.6| style="text-align:right;"|21.2| style="text-align:center;"|| style="text-align:center;"|1979| style="text-align:center;"||-| Highfield Moss| style="text-align:center;"|| style="text-align:center;"| | style="text-align:right;"|21.3| style="text-align:right;"|52.6| style="text-align:center;"|| style="text-align:center;"|1986| style="text-align:center;"||-| Hollinwood Branch Canal| style="text-align:center;"|| style="text-align:center;"| | style="text-align:right;"|3.3| style="text-align:right;"|8.2| style="text-align:center;"|–| style="text-align:center;"|1986| style="text-align:center;"||-| Huddersfield Narrow Canal| style="text-align:center;"|| style="text-align:center;"| | style="text-align:right;"|18.4| style="text-align:right;"|45.5| style="text-align:center;"|–| style="text-align:center;"|1988| style="text-align:center;"||-| Ladcastle and Den Quarries| style="text-align:center;"| | style="text-align:center;"|| style="text-align:right;"|2.5| style="text-align:right;"|6.2| style="text-align:center;"|| style="text-align:center;"|1984| style="text-align:center;"||-| Lowside Brickworks| style="text-align:center;"| | style="text-align:center;"|| style="text-align:right;"|1.4| style="text-align:right;"|3.5| style="text-align:center;"|| style="text-align:center;"|1989| style="text-align:center;"||-| Ludworth Intake| style="text-align:center;"| | style="text-align:center;"|| style="text-align:right;"|5.1| style="text-align:right;"|12.7| style="text-align:center;"|| style="text-align:center;"|1998| style="text-align:center;"||-| Nob End| style="text-align:center;"|| style="text-align:center;"| | style="text-align:right;"|8.8| style="text-align:right;"|21.7| style="text-align:center;"|| style="text-align:center;"|1988| style="text-align:center;"||-| Red Moss| style="text-align:center;"|| style="text-align:center;"| | style="text-align:right;"|47.2| style="text-align:right;"|116.6| style="text-align:center;"|| style="text-align:center;"|1995| style="text-align:center;"||-| Rochdale Canal| style="text-align:center;"|| style="text-align:center;"| | style="text-align:right;"|25.6| style="text-align:right;"|63.1| style="text-align:center;"|–| style="text-align:center;"|2000| style="text-align:center;"||-| South Pennine Moors| style="text-align:center;"|| style="text-align:center;"|| style="text-align:right;"|20,938.1| style="text-align:right;"|51,739.0| style="text-align:center;"|| style="text-align:center;"|1994| style="text-align:center;"||-|Tonge River Section| style="text-align:center;"| | style="text-align:center;"|| style="text-align:right;"|0.7| style="text-align:right;"|1.8| style="text-align:center;"|| style="text-align:center;"|1987| style="text-align:center;"||}

Notes

Data rounded to one decimal place.

Grid reference is based on the British national grid reference system, also known as OSGB36, and is the system used by the Ordnance Survey.^[5]

Link to maps using the Nature on the Map service provided by Natural England.

The Gale Clough and Shooterslee Wood site extends into the county of Lancashire and so can be found on the list of SSSIs in Lancashire.^[4]

The Dark Peak site extends into three other counties and so can be found on lists of SSSIs in Derbyshire, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire.^[4]

The Ludworth Intake site extends into the county of Derbyshire and so can be found on the list of SSSIs in Derbyshire.^[4]

The South Pennine Moors site extends into three other counties and so can be found on lists of SSSIs in Lancashire, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire.^[4]

Notes and References

Web site: Notification of SSSIs . Natural England . 2 July 2007 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120515062100/http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/special/sssi/notification.cfm . 15 May 2012 .
Web site: SSSIs in Greater Manchester . Natural England . 2 July 2007 . 24 October 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121024053725/http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/special/sssi/searchresults.cfm?sssi_name=&frmcounty=1018 . dead .
Web site: County search of SSSIs . Natural England . 2 July 2007 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100819192309/http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/Special/sssi/search.cfm . 19 August 2010 .

Natural England citation sheets for each SSSI. Retrieved on 2007-07-02. (PDF files).

Web site: Abram Flashes .
Web site: Ashclough .
Web site: Astley & Bedford Mosses .
Web site: Brookheys Covert . 18 June 2011 . 24 January 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130124104453/http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1002793.pdf . dead .
Web site: Bryn Marsh and Ince Moss .
Web site: Compstall Nature Reserve .
Web site: Cotteril Clough . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121024053938/http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1002851.pdf . 24 October 2012 .

Web site: Dark Peak .
Web site: Dunham Park .
Web site: Gale Clough and Shooterslee Wood .
Web site: Highfield Moss .
Web site: Hollinwood Branch Canal .
Web site: Huddersfield Narrow Canal .
Web site: Ladcastle & Den Quarries .

Web site: Lowside Brickworks .
Web site: Ludworth Intake .
Web site: Nob End .
Web site: Red Moss .
Web site: Rochdale Canal .
Web site: South Pennine Moors . 18 June 2011 . 4 July 2013 . https://www.webcitation.org/6Hs4R6ZVZ?url=http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1007196.pdf . dead .
Web site: Tonge River Section .

Web site: Guide to National Grid . Ordnance Survey . 2 July 2007 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20071027134518/http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/getamap/help.html#gridref . 27 October 2007 .