Wednesday, 15 October 2008
The Greater Askern area of North Doncaster is made up largely of rural communities including Askern, Burghwallis, Campsall, Fenwick, Moss, Norton, Sutton, Thorpe in Balne and Oswton. With 4,360 households these neighbourhoods have a combined population of 10,837, with the highest concentration being in Askern and Campsall. This combined population is 3.77% of the total population of the Borough, and represents 21.48% of the population of the North of Doncaster. Therefore in terms of population Greater Askern is by far the smaller of the three North areas, but geographically it covers an area almost as big as the Greater Adwick area, and is three times bigger than the Greater Bentley area, this is evidenced in an average population density of 172 people per km2, as opposed to 288 and 327 for Greater Adwick and Greater Bentley respectively.
A fairly large, privately managed Gypsy and Traveller site lies between Sutton and Askern.
Greater Askern is typically a commuter area as the settlements are predominantly rural where farming is very much in evidence, and there are very few big employers. Situated approximately 10Km from Doncaster, the town is accessed by the A19. The M62 which is approximately seven miles away provides good motorway network links and enables the commuting workforce to travel to neighbouring Pontefract, Wakefield, Leeds, Selby and Hull. Greater Askern does not benefit from railway links, as the only line running through the area is purely a mineral line and so does not provide passenger transport.
Askern benefits from a leisure centre and the recently opened gymnasium at Campsmount school which is extended to public use. A market/car boot event is held on Tuesday mornings in the centre of Askern.
