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Nottingham Urban Area
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The Nottingham Built-up Area (BUA), Nottingham Urban Area, or Greater Nottingham is an area of land defined by the Office for National Statistics as built-up land with a minimum area of 20 hectares (200,000 m2), while settlements within 200 metres of each other are linked.[1][2] It consists of the city of Nottingham and the adjoining urban areas of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, in the East Midlands of England. It had a total population of 729,977 at the time of the 2011 census.[3] This was an increase of almost 10% since the 2001 census recorded population of 666,358,[4] due to population increases, reductions and several new sub-divisions.
Geography
[edit]Landmarks from top left to bottom right:
- Nottingham city centre skyline
- Town Hall, Beeston
- Musters Road, West Bridgford
- St Mary's Church, Ilkeston
- Arnold town centre
- St Lawrence's Church, Heanor
- St Mary's Church, Clifton
- Market Square, Ripley
- Rows of housing in Long Eaton
- St Peter's Church, Ruddington
Greater Nottingham is largely within the three districts of Rushcliffe, Broxtowe and Gedling surrounding the city, though the area spills into the Nottinghamshire district of Ashfield, and also to the Amber Valley and Erewash districts of Derbyshire. The Nottingham Urban Area is, by the ONS' figures, the 8th largest in England (9th in the UK), with a population size between that of the Tyneside and Sheffield built-up areas, and a total area of 68.1 square miles (176 km2).[5]
The Nottingham Urban Area is bounded to the west by a narrow gap between Draycott (to the west of the Breaston urban area sub-division) and Borrowash (to the east of the Derby Urban Area). The Heanor/Ripley and West Hallam north-western extensions have a somewhat tenuous linkage through to the core of Nottingham City largely due to ribbon development, and are in close proximity to other nearby urban areas which together, almost link to Derby from the north.[6]
Sub-divisions do not always match administrative geographic boundaries; the subdivision of Clifton for example is within the Nottingham Unitary Authority city area but is subdivided by the River Trent. The Nottingham subdivision oversteps the city's borders at several locations. Together, these two subdivisions exceed the official city population (305,680 in 2011[7]) as a result, even though West Bridgford includes the counts of city suburbs Silverdale and Wilford.[8]
In the 1991 census,[9] Ilkeston was considered outside of the Nottingham Urban Area,[10] and its addition gave the BUA an 8% increase in 2001. This was due to improvements in mapping methodology by the ONS, and is chiefly responsible for the increase in sub-divisions over censuses rather than any large scale 'bricks and mortar' building,[11] as much of the area between the cities is protected green belt and wedges, restricting actual development.[6]
| Urban subdivision | Population | District | County | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 census | 1991 census | 2001 census | 2011 census | |||
| Nottingham | 273,300 | 270,222 | 249,584 | 289,301 | City of Nottingham | Nottinghamshire |
| Beeston | 64,785 | 66,626 | 66,683 | 51,479 | Broxtowe | Nottinghamshire |
| Carlton | 46,053 | 47,302 | 48,493 | 49,235 | Gedling | Nottinghamshire |
| West Bridgford | 27,463 | 33,843 | 43,395 | 45,509 | Rushcliffe | Nottinghamshire |
| Ilkeston | — | — | 37,270 | 38,640 | Erewash | Derbyshire |
| Arnold | 37,721 | 37,646 | 37,402 | 37,768 | Gedling | Nottinghamshire |
| Long Eaton | 42,285 | 44,826 | 46,490 | 37,760 | Erewash | Derbyshire |
| Hucknall | 27,463 | 29,160 | 29,188 | 32,107 | Ashfield | Nottinghamshire |
| Heanor | 21,863 | 22,180 | 22,620 | 25,644 | Amber Valley | Derbyshire |
| Clifton | — | — | 22,312 | 22,407 | City of Nottingham | Nottinghamshire |
| Ripley | 17,548 | 18,310 | 18,523 | 19,315 | Amber Valley | Derbyshire |
| Eastwood | 18,085 | 19,363 | 18,612 | 18,422 | Broxtowe | Nottinghamshire |
| Stapleford | — | — | — | 16,190 | Broxtowe | Nottinghamshire |
| Kimberley | 9,818 | 10,488 | 11,027 | 11,353 | Broxtowe | Nottinghamshire |
| Sandiacre | — | — | — | 9,600 | Erewash | Derbyshire |
| Breaston | — | 7,284 | 7,305 | 7,545 | Erewash | Derbyshire |
| Ruddington | 6,504 | 6,476 | 6,264 | 7,020 | Rushcliffe | Nottinghamshire |
| West Hallam | — | — | — | 6,016 | Erewash | Derbyshire |
| Awsworth | — | — | — | 2,517 | Broxtowe | Nottinghamshire |
| Trowell | — | — | 1,013 | 953 | Broxtowe | Nottinghamshire |
| Stanton-By-Dale | — | — | — | 505 | Erewash | Derbyshire |
| Denby Common | — | — | — | 495 | Amber Valley | Derbyshire |
| Ruddington Grange | — | — | 177 | 196 | Rushcliffe | Nottinghamshire |
| Total | 593,768 | 613,726 | 666,358 | 729,977 | ||
| Change | - | +3.36% | +8.58% | +9.55% | ||
- Awsworth, Breaston, Denby Common, Ilkeston, Ruddington Grange and West Hallam were independent areas until their inclusion in the table.
- Total of 1981 subdivision figures is 592,888, an additional 880 residents are unaccounted for in the census report[12] total.
- Up to the 2001 census, the Beeston subdivision included Stapleford and was named Beeston And Stapleford.
- Up to the 2001 census, Sandiacre was included as part of the Long Eaton subdivision.
- Up to the 1991 census, the Nottingham subdivision included Clifton.
- In the 2001 census, Stanton-By-Dale was included as part of the Ilkeston subdivision.
Greater Nottingham Partnership/D2N2
[edit]The local authorities collaborate in some ways. The Greater Nottingham Partnership considered Greater Nottingham to consist of the City of Nottingham plus the entirety of the Rushcliffe, Broxtowe and Gedling boroughs, along with Hucknall from Ashfield, but no part of Derbyshire, as no Derbyshire council was a member of the Partnership. They together worked as an advisory and lobbying body for projects and decisions involving the region. However it was axed due to funding in 2011 and the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership is instead assuming those functions with cross-county political and local business support.[13]
Nottingham-Derby metropolitan area
[edit]
The conurbation forms a large part of the Nottingham-Derby metropolitan area, which has an estimated population of 1.5 million.[14] The urban areas of both Derby and Nottingham are almost continuous with Draycott (part of the Breaston Urban sub-division) being almost continuous with the Borrowash part of the Derby Urban Area.[15] The Mansfield Urban Area also forms part of this metropolitan area, although it is not continuous with the Nottingham Urban Area. However, it is almost continuous with the Alfreton/South Normanton Built-up area, which had a population of 41,289 according to the last census,[15] with the South Normanton/Pinxton Urban sub-division of the Alfreton Urban Area being almost continuous with the Sutton-in-Ashfield Urban sub-division of the Mansfield Urban Area. The Alfreton Urban Area is also nearly continuous with Ripley part of the Nottingham Urban Area. Other minor urban areas to the west of the Ripley, Heanor and West Hallam sub divisions daisy-chain towards Derby from the north, notably Belper, Kilburn and Crich/Heage. See the maps above for a demonstration of these BUAs in close proximity.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "ONS 2011 Built-up Areas - Methodology and Guidance" (PDF). www.ons.gov.uk.
- ^ "Census 2001: Key Statistics for urban areas in England and Wales" (PDF). webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 5 January 2016.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "2011 Census – Built-up areas". ONS. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
- ^ "Home - Office for National Statistics". www.statistics.gov.uk.
- ^ "ONS Geography Linked Data - Nottingham BUA". statistics.data.gov.uk.
- ^ a b "Technical Assessment of the Derby Principal Urban Area Green Belt Purposes" (PDF). www.south-derbys.gov.uk. September 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 April 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
- ^ "Insight web family - The people of Nottinghamshire (2015)". jsna.nottinghamcity.gov.uk.
- ^ "ONS Geography Linked Data - West Bridgford BUASD". statistics.data.gov.uk.
- ^ "National Statistics Online - Census 2001". webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 18 July 2006.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Home - Office for National Statistics". www.statistics.gov.uk.
- ^ "The UK's major urban areas" (PDF). www.ons.gov.uk. ONS.
The identification of small urban areas in the 1991 Census was less precise than in the 2001 Census. The biggest difference in method is that the distance for merger of areas of urban land increased from 50 to 200 metres
- ^ Censuses, Office of Population; Surveys (1984). Census 1981 : key statistics for urban areas : the Midlands, cities and towns - Table 1. London: H.M.S.O. ISBN 0116910623.
- ^ "City's regeneration body the Greater Nottingham Partnership set to be axed". Nottingham Post. 14 July 2010. Archived from the original on 5 November 2014.
- ^ "British urban pattern: population data" (PDF). ESPON project 1.4.3 Study on Urban Functions. European Spatial Planning Observation Network. March 2007. p. 119. Archived from the original (pdf) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2010.
- ^ a b "UK Government Web Archive". webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk.
External links
[edit]Nottingham Urban Area
View on GrokipediaGeography
Location and Extent
The Nottingham Urban Area is defined by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) as a contiguous expanse of built-up land that is irreversibly urban in character, encompassing villages, towns, or cities with a minimum size of 20 hectares, where separate settlements are linked if their built-up edges are no more than 200 meters apart.[6] This delineation focuses on physical land use rather than administrative boundaries, using Ordnance Survey mapping to identify developed areas. According to the 2011 Census, the area had a population of 729,977 residents, while the 2021 Census estimates approximately 763,000.[6][7] The urban area spans multiple administrative districts, primarily within Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire counties. In Nottinghamshire, it covers parts of Rushcliffe, Broxtowe, Gedling, and Ashfield districts, including key settlements like West Bridgford, Beeston, Arnold, Carlton, and Hucknall. In Derbyshire, it extends into Amber Valley and Erewash districts, incorporating areas such as parts of Heanor, Ilkeston, Long Eaton, and Stapleford.[8] These districts form the core of the built-up extent, with the area bounded to the south by the River Trent, to the west by the River Erewash and a narrow gap between Draycott and Borrowash that separates it from other urban extensions toward Derby, and to the north and east by rural countryside and green belt designations.[8] The total extent covers 176 km² (68.1 square miles), making it the eighth-largest built-up area in England and ninth-largest in the United Kingdom based on 2011 Census population rankings among major urban agglomerations (ranking stable as of 2021 data).[6] ONS mappings have evolved over time; for instance, the 2001 Census urban area definition incorporated Ilkeston—previously classified separately in the 1991 Census—resulting in an approximately 8% expansion of the overall area.[9] No major boundary changes have occurred since 2011 as of the 2021 Census boundaries released in 2024.[10]Physical Features
The Nottingham Urban Area is centrally situated in the East Midlands region of England, encompassing the city of Nottingham and surrounding districts along the River Trent, which serves as the primary waterway traversing the area from west to east. The Trent, the third-longest river in the United Kingdom, drains a vast basin exceeding 10,000 square kilometers and is joined by key tributaries such as the River Leen, which flows from the north through Nottingham before meeting the Trent near the city center, and the River Erewash, marking the boundary with Derbyshire to the west. These rivers have historically shaped the area's hydrology, with the Trent's broad valley facilitating transport and settlement while its tributaries contribute to localized drainage patterns.[11][12][13] The topography of the Nottingham Urban Area features undulating hilly terrain, with elevations generally below 100 meters above sea level, rising to modest peaks such as Mapperley at 134 meters in the northeast. To the north, remnants of the ancient Sherwood Forest persist as fragmented woodlands and heathlands, covering areas like the Sherwood Forest National Nature Reserve, which preserves oak-dominated landscapes on sandy soils derived from the Sherwood Sandstone Group. Southward, the urban expanse sprawls across the relatively flat floodplain of the River Trent, where alluvial deposits of silts, clays, and sands form fertile but low-lying ground prone to waterlogging. This contrast between northern uplands and southern lowlands influences land use, with the hills supporting suburban expansion and the floodplain accommodating industrial and recreational zones.[14][15][16][17] The built environment reflects a blend of historical and contemporary elements, characterized by prominent Victorian-era architecture, including Gothic Revival structures designed by architects like Watson Fothergill, such as the Fothergill Building with its intricate terracotta facades. Modern developments, including the Nottingham Contemporary arts center embedded in sandstone cliffs and the nine-story Nottingham Trent University School of Art and Design building, integrate with this heritage to form a dynamic urban fabric. Green spaces mitigate the density, exemplified by the Attenborough Nature Reserve, a 145-hectare site of former gravel pits transformed into wetlands and meadows along the Trent, supporting diverse birdlife and public recreation since its establishment in 1966.[18][19][20][21] Environmental challenges stem from the area's geological legacy as part of the Nottinghamshire Coalfield, where historical underground mining has led to subsidence risks, with groundwater rebound in abandoned workings potentially causing surface instability and contamination of local waterways. Current flood risks remain significant along the Trent floodplain, affecting thousands of properties in events exceeding a 1% annual probability, prompting investments like the £45 million Nottingham Left Bank flood defense scheme completed in 2014. Conservation efforts protect over 30 designated areas, including urban green corridors and nature reserves, to preserve biodiversity amid these pressures. The region experiences a temperate oceanic climate, with an average annual rainfall of approximately 700 mm, distributed fairly evenly but intensified by the urban heat island effect, which elevates nighttime temperatures by up to 2-3°C compared to rural surroundings during summer.[22][23][24][25][26][27][28]Constituent Settlements
The Nottingham Urban Area encompasses the core city of Nottingham, with a population of 323,700 in 2021, alongside a network of adjoining towns and suburbs primarily in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire that form a continuous built-up expanse.[29] This urban fabric integrates the principal urban area of Nottingham with surrounding settlements such as Beeston, Carlton, West Bridgford, Ilkeston, Arnold, Long Eaton, Hucknall, Heanor, Clifton, Ripley, Eastwood, Stapleford, Kimberley, Sandiacre, Breaston, Ruddington, West Hallam, Awsworth, Trowell, Stanton-by-Dale, Denby Common, and Ruddington Grange. Key settlements exhibit diverse characteristics shaped by their historical and functional roles within the urban area. Nottingham serves as the central hub, featuring a mix of commercial, educational, and cultural facilities that anchor regional activity. Residential suburbs like West Bridgford, located immediately south of the city across the River Trent, are known for their affluent, family-oriented communities, high-quality schools, and green spaces such as Lady Bay, attracting professionals seeking suburban tranquility near urban amenities.[30] In contrast, industrial towns such as Eastwood, to the north, retain a legacy of coal mining and manufacturing, notably associated with the birthplace and early life of author D.H. Lawrence, whose works drew inspiration from the area's working-class mining heritage.[31] Commuter hubs like Long Eaton, situated southwest near the Derbyshire border, function as vital gateways with excellent rail and road connections, facilitating daily travel to Nottingham and Derby for employment and services.[32] These settlements are interconnected through seamless urban development, major transport corridors, and shared infrastructure, creating a cohesive metropolitan structure. The River Trent and associated floodplains provide natural boundaries while enabling linkages via bridges and pathways, supplemented by the NET tram system, A52 trunk road, and M1 motorway that bind the core city with outer towns like Hucknall and Ilkeston.[33] Continuous built-up expansion, particularly along the Nottingham-Derby green belt fringes, has fostered economic interdependence, with suburbs supporting the city's workforce and retail needs while benefiting from its administrative and leisure offerings.[33]History
Origins and Medieval Period
The origins of the Nottingham Urban Area trace back to the Anglo-Saxon period, when the settlement was first documented in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in 868 AD as the site of a fortress where the Great Heathen Army of Vikings wintered during their campaigns.[34] In response to ongoing Viking threats, Edward the Elder fortified Nottingham as a burh around 920 AD, establishing it as a defended stronghold with a bridge across the River Trent to control access and support military operations.[34] This positioning along the River Trent not only enhanced defensive capabilities but also facilitated early regional trade by providing navigable access for goods and communication.[35] The Norman Conquest marked a pivotal shift, with William the Conqueror commissioning Nottingham Castle in 1068 as a wooden motte-and-bailey fortification atop a sandstone bluff to consolidate Norman authority in the Midlands.[36] The castle quickly became a symbol of royal power and administrative control, later stone-built and expanded in the 12th century. It also entered popular lore through the Robin Hood legends, which portray it as the domain of the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham, pitting the outlaw hero against oppressive rule in Sherwood Forest nearby—though the tales themselves emerged in the late medieval period without a confirmed historical basis in the castle's early operations.[37] By the high medieval era, Nottingham evolved into a chartered market town, with its weekly market privileges confirmed by Henry II between 1155 and 1165, fostering economic activity centered on agriculture and crafts.[38] The wool trade drove much of this growth, as local production of woollen textiles, including stockings and cloth, supported export and domestic markets, laying groundwork for later specialized industries like lace through early bobbin and knitting techniques. Urban development remained contained, gradually extending influence to adjacent settlements such as Sneinton—a village recorded since 1086 that served as a chapel dependency to Nottingham's St. Mary's Church and contributed to the area's agrarian hinterland.[39] A defining late medieval episode involved Nottingham Castle's role in the Wars of the Roses, when Richard III established it as his northern headquarters in July 1485 before advancing to confront Henry Tudor.[40] Richard's defeat and death at the Battle of Bosworth Field on August 22, 1485, in nearby Leicestershire, ended Yorkist rule and reshaped regional loyalties, with the castle witnessing the immediate aftermath of this pivotal clash.[40] Throughout this period, the urban extent of Nottingham remained modest, confined largely to the fortified core around the castle, market square, and ecclesiastical sites, as detailed in the Domesday Book of 1086, which lists the town with a population of about 700 and attached outlying hamlets or berewicks providing agricultural support.Industrial Revolution and Growth
The Industrial Revolution transformed Nottingham from a medieval market town into a burgeoning industrial center, driven primarily by the textile sector in the late 18th and 19th centuries. Building on earlier framework knitting traditions in surrounding villages, the invention of the bobbinet lace machine in 1809 by John Heathcoat revolutionized lace production, positioning Nottingham as the "Queen of the Midlands" for its high-quality machine-made lace exports to Europe and beyond.[41][42] By the 1770s, the hosiery and lace industries had already expanded, employing thousands in domestic workshops before factories proliferated, with auxiliary trades like dyeing and finishing supporting a fragmented but innovative supply chain.[43] This textile boom facilitated trade through new infrastructure, including the Nottingham Canal, authorized in 1792 and opened in sections from 1793, which connected the River Trent to local collieries and mills, reducing reliance on expensive road transport and boosting coal and goods distribution.[44][45] Parallel to textiles, the development of the East Midlands coalfield fueled industrial growth, with deeper mining operations becoming viable from the 1840s due to technological advances like steam-powered pumps and railways. The concealed coalfield beneath Nottinghamshire's surface was extensively exploited in the mid-19th century, supplying fuel for lace factories, ironworks, and emerging heavy industries, while collieries in areas like Eastwood drew migrant labor and spurred suburban expansion.[46][47] The arrival of the railway in 1839, via the Midland Counties Railway's line from Derby to Nottingham's Carrington Street station, further integrated the urban area into national networks; by 1840, extensions linked it to London, enabling rapid transport of coal, textiles, and workers, and accelerating economic ties with industrial hubs like Manchester.[48] This connectivity contributed to urban sprawl, with suburbs like Beeston emerging as textile centers through hosiery mills and framework knitting, and Eastwood developing around coal pits that employed generations in harsh underground conditions. Nottingham's population alone surged from 28,861 in 1801 to 211,408 by 1901, reflecting influxes of rural migrants seeking factory and mine work.[49] Socially, industrialization brought profound challenges, including overcrowded housing, child labor, and exploitative factory conditions in lace workshops where workers endured long hours amid dust and machinery noise. The Chartist movement, advocating for universal male suffrage and better wages, found strong support in Nottingham during the 1830s–1840s, with local branches organizing petitions and strikes amid economic depressions like the 1842 plug riots.[50] Key figures emerged from this milieu, such as William Booth, born in Nottingham's Sneinton district in 1829 to a struggling family amid the poverty of early industrialization; his experiences with urban deprivation inspired the founding of the Salvation Army in 1865, initially as a mission to aid the working poor through evangelism and social services.[51][52] These movements highlighted the human cost of growth, prompting gradual reforms in labor laws and sanitation by the late 19th century.Post-War Development and Modern Era
Following World War II, the Nottingham Urban Area saw extensive urban reconstruction, characterized by large-scale clearance and redevelopment in the 1960s and 1970s, which included the construction of modern housing estates and infrastructure to address wartime damage and population pressures. This process involved slum clearance and the development of council housing in suburbs such as Clifton and Beeston to support urban expansion and relieve central density. The lace industry, once a dominant sector, entered terminal decline by the 1960s, with factory closures driven by competition from synthetic alternatives and overseas production, reducing employment from thousands to a fraction of its peak.[53] Deindustrialization intensified in the 1980s amid national economic shifts, with several Nottinghamshire coal mines closing, including Teversal in 1980 and others like Babbington following the 1984-85 miners' strike, resulting in over 20,000 job losses across the coalfield.[54][55] This transition accelerated the move toward a service-oriented economy, emphasizing finance, retail, and education.[56] Urban regeneration efforts, such as the Lace Market project launched in the 1980s, transformed derelict industrial warehouses into mixed-use spaces for offices, retail, and heritage tourism through targeted grants and preservation policies.[57][58] In the early 21st century, the Office for National Statistics redefined the Nottingham Urban Area boundaries in 2001, incorporating adjacent settlements like Ilkeston, which boosted the recorded population by approximately 8% compared to 1991 estimates. The area's population reached 729,977 according to the 2011 census and grew to an estimated 807,000 by 2023 and 819,000 as of 2025, reflecting sustained suburban expansion.[3][59] Notable developments included the University of Nottingham's post-war expansions, such as the establishment of the Jubilee Campus in 1999 to accommodate growing student numbers and research facilities.[60] Housing growth boomed in affluent suburbs like West Bridgford, where new residential developments supported family-oriented communities and commuter lifestyles.[61] Prior to Brexit in 2020, European Union structural funds provided over £200 million for infrastructure in the Nottingham area since 2000, financing projects like transport enhancements and cultural venues such as the Nottingham Contemporary.[62] In the 2020s, recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized economic resilience through targeted action plans, alongside green initiatives like the Integrated Care System's Green Plan, which supports Nottingham's ambition to achieve carbon neutrality by 2028 via sustainable urban planning and habitat restoration.[63][64]Demographics
Population Trends
The Nottingham Urban Area recorded a population of 666,358 in the 2001 Census, rising to 729,977 by the 2011 Census, representing a growth rate of 9.55%. This increase was driven primarily by international migration and a surge in international students attending the area's universities, alongside a natural surplus of births over deaths.[65] By the 2021 Census, the conurbation population reached 768,550, reflecting continued expansion amid urban development. Recent estimates place the urban area population at around 810,000 in mid-2023.[66]| Year | Population | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 666,358 | ONS Census |
| 2011 | 729,977 | ONS Census |
| 2021 | 768,550 | ONS Census (built-up area) |
| 2023 | ~810,000 | ONS-based estimate (urban area) |
