Areas of Search (AOSs) are geographical areas used in the selection of Sites of Special Scientific Interest.[1] In England these are largely based on the 1974-1996 administrative counties (with larger counties divided into two or more areas), whereas in Scotland and Wales they are based around districts.[1] The individual AOSs are between 400 km2 and 4,000 km2 in size.[1] There are 59 AOSs in England, 12 in Wales, and 44 in Scotland.[2] [edit] Areas of Search in England There are 59 Areas of Search in England. They are, in alphabetical order of the administrative counties into which they fall: - Avon
- Bedfordshire
- Berkshire
- Buckinghamshire
- Cambridgeshire
- Cheshire
- Cornwall
- three Cumbrian AOSs, "East Cumbria", "South Cumbria" and "West Cumbria"
- two County Durham AOSs, "East Durham" and "West Durham"
- two Derbyshire AOSs, the "Peak District National Park" and "Derbyshire" (i.e. the remainder of the county, outside of the National Park)
- two Devon AOSs, "North Devon" and "South Devon"
- Dorset
- East Sussex
- two Essex AOSs, "North Essex" and "South Essex"
- Gloucestershire
- Greater London
- a combined "Merseyside & Greater Manchester" AOS
- two Hampshire AOSs, "Havant, Portsmouth, Gosport, Fareham, Eastleigh, Southampton and the New Forest" covering the south and "Basingstoke, East Deane, East Hants, Hart, Rushmoor, Test Valley and Winchester" in the north
- separate AOSs for Hereford and Worcester
- Hertfordshire
- two Humberside AOSs, "Humberside South" and "Humberside North"
- Isle of Wight
- Kent
- Lancashire
- Leicestershire
- two Lincolnshire AOSs, "Lincolnshire North" and "Lincolnshire South"
- two Norfolk AOSs, "West Norfolk" and "East Norfolk"
- three North Yorkshire AOSs, "The Yorkshire Dales", "The Vale of York" and "The North York Moors"
- Northamptonshire
- two Northumberland AOSs, "East Northumberland" and "West Northumberland"
- Nottinghamshire
- Oxfordshire
- Shropshire
- Somerset
- South Yorkshire
- Staffordshire
- two Suffolk AOSs, "West Suffolk" and "East Suffolk"
- Surrey
- Warwickshire
- West Midlands
- West Sussex
- West Yorkshire
- two Wiltshire AOSs, "Kennet, North Wiltshire & Thamesdown" covering the north and "West Wiltshire & Salisbury" in the south
[edit] Areas of Search in Wales There are 12 Areas of Search in Wales. They are, in alphabetical order of the administrative counties into which they fall: - Clwyd
- three Dyfed AOSs, "Carmarthen & Dinefwr", "Ceredigion" and "Preseli & South Pembrokeshire"
- two Glamorgan AOSs, "Mid & South Glamorgan", and "West Glamorgan & Llanelli"
- Gwent
- two Gwynedd AOSs, "East Gwynedd" and "West Gwynedd"
- three Powys AOSs, "Brecknock", "Radnor" and "Montgomery"
[edit] Areas of Search in Scotland There are 44 Areas of Search in Scotland. [edit] References - ^ a b c NCC 1989, page 17, note 4.11
- ^ NCC 1989, page 18, where all AOS boundaries are mapped Map
[edit] Bibliography |
