Location and infrastructure thematic maps

The following section includes thematic maps relating to a variety of spatial topics in Lancashire, together with links to articles on the County Profile or service specific areas of the Lancashire county council website. See the Contents Pane to the right of this screen to navigate to brief overview of topics. A download button is also provided to enable a full version of each map to open in a seperate window

Within the broader 14-authority Lancashire area, there are 12 district councils within the Lancashire County Council administrative area, and two unitary authorities of Blackburn with Darwen, and Blackpool Councils.

Details of settlements throughout Lancashire may be downloaded below, these are listed alphabetically by local district council.

Settlements by Local Authority (23 KB, Excel)

Local Authorities in Lancashire

Click here to read more about the different tiers of local authority and their functions.

Additional spatial information is available on MARIO; Maps & Related Information Online

Spatial Context: GB Overview

The Lancashire sub-region is located in the North West of England. The present-day administrative County is smaller than the historic Shire County of Lancashire, as a result of the re-organisation of local authorities in the 1970s and the late 1990s. Administrative areas within the Lancashire sub-region include the 12 district Lancashire County Council area and the two unitary authorities of Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, and Blackpool Council.

Further information on Administrative Geography may be found at the following:
http://www.gwydir.demon.co.uk/uklocalgov/localtxt.htm: link to Local authority Websites
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/geography/beginner-s-guide/administrative/england/index.html ONS Guide to English Administrative boundaries
Counties, Non-metropolitan Districts and Unitary Authorities Statutory functions of different tiers of local authorities

Spatial Context: English Regions

England is grouped into nine Regions for the purpose of data collection and comparative analysis. In 2011 the North West Region remained the third largest English region after the South East and London in terms of population.

Despite this, the region has a diversity of urban scenes and rural landscapes, varying from the busy city regions of Manchester and Merseyside to more remote upland areas of Cumbria and the South Lakes.

Details of regional population: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/taxonomy/index.html?nscl=Population+Projections

Spatial Context: NW Region

Lancashire is located at the centre of the North West region and exhibits some of the variety of urban/rural scenery and relative prosperity/deprivation which characterise the region.

The size of the Lancashire sub-region approximates to 307,580 hectares based on Mean High Water Line, or 366,364 hectares at Mean Low Tide when inter-tidal areas are taken into account.

The 14 district Lancashire sub-region is home to just over one fifth of the estimated mid-year population of the NW region. The bulk of the population live within urban areas taking up just 11.1% of the total land mass of Lancashire.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Dl1/Directories/Localcouncils/DG_4003645
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/regional-trends/region-and-country-profiles/population-and-migration/population-and-migration---north-west.html

Spatial Portrait of Lancashire

Lancashire has a diverse landscape ranging from busy populated urban and suburban areas to scenery which is more open in nature or with farming/agricultural landuses.

Lancashire coastal areas have their own distinctive character. In addition to supporting residential populations, they are important places for recreation and contribute to the visitor economy. There are also significant inter-tidal areas based on the Ribble Estuary and Morecambe Bay which are important grounds for migratory species.

Transport links with the rest of the North West and other regions of England and Wales are good. On the north/south corridor the M6 and M61 provide access to the national motorway network, and the West Coast rail line puts Lancashire within 2.5 hours of London and other major cities.

Towns and Settlements Location Map

The purpose of this map is to show some of the larger towns and settlements and identify which local district councils they are located in. The spatial data has been taken from an Ordnance Survey digital file. According to this source, there are around 350 settlements in the wider 14-authority area of Lancashire. These are categorised as either City, Town or Village settlements. Population and size is to some extent taken into account however there is a wide diversity of places falling into the village category - some of these are very loosely formed hamlets, whilst others such as Garstang or Silverdale are more compactly structured and have developed to the extent that they are more akin to small urban areas or market towns.

Just 2 of these are classed as cities - Lancaster and Preston.

See also the thematic map of postcode sectors and boundaries for locations of smaller settlements.

Urban and Rural Areas of Lancashire - LSOAs

The Rural/Urban definition was introduced in 2004, and defines the rurality of small 2001 Census based geographies. Consultation has taken place on possible revisions to these areas following release of the 2011 Census. Other useful links are as follows:

http://www.defra.gov.uk/statistics/rural/what-is-rural/rural-urban-classification/

Further details on Rural/Urban classifications
District level maps and small area data

The Statistical Digest of Rural England February 2013 contains updated sections on Housing and Health (DEFRA) for the rural areas based on 2010 data.

http://www.defra.gov.uk/publications/files/pb13822-stat-digest-rural-201302.pdf

Super Output Areas (SOAs) are a unit designed for the collection and publication of small area statistics. Lower Super Output Areas (LSOAs) are composed of groupings of SOAs and form the lowest unit at which some datasets are published. On average an LSOA contains 1,500 residents and is composed of relatively homogenous areas in terms of housing type and tenure.

Urban and Rural Areas of Lancashire - MSOAs

The Rural/Urban definition was introduced in 2004, and defines the rurality of small 2001 Census based geographies.
Further details on Rural/Urban classifications
District level maps and small area data

Super Output Areas (SOAs) are a unit designed for the collection and publication of small area statistics. Middle Super Output Areas (MSOAs) were defined following consultation with local authorities and are based on groupings of Lower Super Output areas (LSOAs) and adjusted to fit local information requirements. There are 7,193 MSOAs in England and Wales and on average each includes a population of 7,500 residents.

Employment Sites

This map shows a number of employment sites identified through regional strategies and local development plans as key to the delivery of investment and regeneration across the Lancashire area. The Lancashire Local Enterprise Partnership has taken over the role of the former North West Regional Development Agency in promoting these and other developments and is eligible to bid for and allocate funds from national government schemes such as the Regional Growth Fund and Growing Places Fund.

Lancashire LEP successfully supported the bid for establishment of an Enterprise Zone following the approval of land alongside the Bae Systems sites at Samlesbury and Warton.

Individual district councils maintain registers of available employment land and other sites

suitable for industry within their areas.

Lancashire County Developments Ltd (LCDL) is Lancashire County Council's economic

development company supporting businesses and investment within the county.

Railway Stations

The Office of Rail Regulation produces National Rail Trends, a statistical report on rail usage. The rail network is a significant element of UK transport infrastructure, essential both to economic development and environmental improvement (carbon reduction) measures. A summary of station usage in Lancashire is available on the Lancashire Profile

There are just over 60 passenger stations in Lancashire ranging from busy commuter stations to smaller and including a few unmanned stations in rural areas.

The busiest stations are Preston and Lancaster on the West Coast Main Line; high usage is also recorded at principal stations along the busy East/West commuter routes. Several stations have re-opened to passenger transport including Buckshaw Village station. Rawtenstall no longer has regular services but serves the East Lancashire Railway Heritage Line

Postcode areas and sector boundaries

Post code areas and sector boundaries are not contiguous with Lancashire local authority boundaries: Liverpool postcodes cover over half of West Lancashire district ; parts of Chorley, Blackburn with Darwen, and Rossendale have Wigan, Bolton or Oldham postcodes. A few areas in Pennine Lancashire are zoned with Bradford and the eastern boundary of the county slightly overlaps the Halifax area but only very small unpopulated upland areas are affected.

More information on purchase uk postcodes and purchase of licenses is available from www.postcodeaddressfile.co.uk/

Thematic maps

Location and infrastructure thematic maps