Eden is a local government district in Cumbria, England, based at Penrith Town Hall in Penrith. It is named after the River Eden, which flows north through the district toward

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern England, Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers River Eden, Cumbria, Eden, River C ...

. Its population of 49,777 at the 2001 census, increased to 52,564 at the 2011 Census. A 2019 estimate was 53,253. In July 2021 it was announced that in April 2023, Cumbria will divide into two unitary authorities. Eden District Council will cease and its functions pass to a new authority, Westmorland and Furness, covering the current districts of Barrow-in-Furness, Eden and

South Lakeland South Lakeland is a local government district in Cumbria, England. The population of the non-metropolitan district was 102,301 according to the 2001 census, increasing to 103,658 at the 2011 Census. Its council is based in Kendal. It includes ...

Extent

The Eden District area of 2,156 sq. km (832 square miles) makes it, since 2009, the eighth largest in England and the largest non- unitary district. It also has the lowest population density of any district in England and Wales, with a mean of 25 persons per square kilometre. In 2011, the population was 5 per cent above its 2001 level. The district council was created on 1 April 1974 under the

Local Government Act 1972 The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant Acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...

, from

Penrith Urban District Penrith may refer to: Australia * Penrith, New South Wales, a satellite city of Sydney, Australia **Penrith Stadium, home ground of the Penrith Panthers **Penrith Bears, ice-hockey team **City of Penrith, local government area **Electoral district ...

Alston with Garrigill Rural District Alston Moor, formerly known as Alston with Garrigill, is a civil parish and electoral ward in Cumbria, England, based around the small town of Alston. It is set in the moorlands of the North Pennines, mostly at an altitude of over 1000 feet. T ...

and Penrith Rural District, all in

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...

, and Appleby Municipal Borough, part of

Lakes A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

urban district and

North Westmorland Rural District North Westmorland was a rural district in Westmorland, England from 1935 to 1974. It now forms part of the Eden district of Cumbria. It was formed in 1935 by the merger of the East Westmorland Rural District, Shap urban district and most of ...

, all in

Westmorland Westmorland (, formerly also spelt ''Westmoreland'';R. Wilkinson The British Isles, Sheet The British IslesVision of Britain/ref> is a historic county in North West England spanning the southern Lake District and the northern Dales. It had an ...

. The district includes parts of the

Lake District The Lake District, also known as the Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous for its lakes, forests, and mountains (or ''fells''), and its associations with William Wordswor ...

and Yorkshire Dales

national park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...

Communications

The West Coast Main Railway Line runs through the district, but with only one station at Penrith. Services on the line are provided by Avanti West Coast and TransPennine Express. The

Northern Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ra ...

Settle-Carlisle Railway also runs through, with stations at Armathwaite, Lazonby, Langwathby, Appleby and Kirkby Stephen. Roads through the district include the M6 motorway, the A6 and the A66.

Green space

It was shown in a national detailed Land Use Survey by the Office for National Statistics in 2005 that Eden District has the second lowest proportion of land taken up by roads of any district in England: 0.8 per cent, fractionally greater than

Craven Craven may refer to: * Craven in the Domesday Book, an area of Yorkshire, England, larger area than the district ** Craven District, a local government district of North Yorkshire formed in 1974 Places * Craven, New South Wales, Australia, see ...

in North Yorkshire, which also adjoins the Pennines. This compares with a maximum of over 20 per cent in four London boroughs and the City of London.Key Statistics: Dwellings; Quick Statistics: Population Density; Physical Environment: Land Use Survey 2005
2011 census In that detailed survey (to the nearest square metre) it was shown that Eden District had the greatest proportion of green space (which excludes domestic gardens) of any district, 97.9 per cent, as shown by the following extract:

Wards

Below is a list of the

wards Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a priso ...

that form Eden (with numbers of councillors):

Map

Amenities

Eden includes

King George's Field A King George's Field is a public open space in the United Kingdom dedicated to the memory of King George V (1865–1936). In 1936, after the king's death, Sir Percy Vincent, the then- Lord Mayor of London, formed a committee to determine ...

s, named after King George V, at Appleby and Patterdale. The council owns the Penrith Leisure Centre, which is run by a private company under contract. The council also owns a number of playing fields and recreation grounds elsewhere in the district, notably the sports grounds at Frenchfield near Carleton on the outskirts of Penrith. It also owns and runs Penrith and Eden Museum and the Penrith Tourist Information Centre.

References

{{coord, 54.6667, -2.7544, type:adm3rd_dim:80000_region:GB-CMA, display=title Non-metropolitan districts of Cumbria