The Dearne Valley was once one of the mostly heavily polluted areas in Western Europe.  Today, whilst there has been restoration of the former pit sites, business investment and thousands of new jobs created, this has not been matched by a fresh sense of purpose or a confidence that the Dearne Valley has a distinctive and important role for the future.
 
Our vision is for a whole new future and a whole new identity for the Dearne Valley as the first Eco Park in the UK.  The Dearne would be a place where everything is eco, where a complete transformation would touch every aspect of life in the area in a dynamic and innovative way. As a first step we want the Dearne to have the lowest carbon footprint of any comparable place – within ten years. 
 
The proposals would see the Dearne Valley re-imagined by an eco-vision. As a pioneer in the Sheffield City Region, the Dearne would grasp the opportunities and apply the solutions needed to reduce the community’s CO2 emissions such that, within a decade, it will be the lowest carbon community of its type in the UK.
 
The vision will drive forward the next stage of regeneration in the Dearne through a package of measures and a framework of policies to accelerate the move to a high quality, low carbon environment. This will attract businesses specialising in leading technologies and techniques to tackle climate change and bring new jobs.