QUARRIES AND GULLETS ACTION PLAN

Compiled by The Wildlife Trust

The Dry Grasslands Sub Group of the Northamptonshire Biodiversity Partnership Group has developed this Plan. The group comprises representatives from English Nature, Forestry Commission, County Recorders, the Wildlife Trust for Northamptonshire and interested individuals.

Lead Agencies: Public Sector English Nature

Voluntary Sector The Wildlife Trust

1 INTRODUCTION

Quarries and gullets form an important part of Northamptonshire’s landscape. The geology of the county is a varied succession of Jurassic rocks (limestones, ironstones and clay) and later (Pleistocene) gravels and clay, all of which have at some time been quarried. Another important feature of quarries is their potential as an education resource due to the exposure of rock formations. Many railway cuttings in Northamptonshire are effectively gullets and are also covered by this Habitat Action Plan.

2 CURRENT STATUS

Habitats included in this plan:

Quarries

Gullets

Railway Cuttings

NB This plan does not cover gravel pits

Associated plans:
Lowland Calcareous Grassland

Acid Grassland and heathland

Lowland Neutral Grassland

The Built Environment

2.1 Definitions

Quarries and gullets support a wide range of vegetation communities, generally typified by a nutrient poor, thin soil. Some areas have notable areas of limestone or acid grassland (CG1, CG3 and U1), whilst others have neutral soils, often supporting richer MG1 communities. Quarries and gullets are also important for their fauna. Some quarried areas have very sparse vegetation, and a high underlying water table, making ideal breeding sites for wading birds such as Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius), while others have rock exposures which provide nesting sites for a wide range of invertebrates.

2.1.1 Quarries

A variety of types of stone have been quarried in Northamptonshire. The earlier quarries were for building stone, either limestone or sandstone. These earlier quarries now often support particularly rich plant communities such as those of Collyweston Quarry SSSI and Bradlaugh Fields Hills and Hollows Local Nature Reserve.

Example One: Collyweston Quarries and slate mines. Grid Ref: TL000030 / 004039

These Sites of Special Scientific Interest were quarried for limestone and slate. The limestone quarry is now a Nature Reserve – the exposed limestone soil has been grazed for hundreds of years and has not been ploughed or fertilised. The plant communities include a range of species which are rare, both nationally and in Northamptonshire. These include Spotted cat’s-ear (Hypochaeris maculata) and a number of orchid species.

The slate mines were mined well into this century, but are now unused. They provide important hibernation sites for a range of species of bats.

2.1.2 Gullets

From Victorian times quarrying concentrated on ironstones which fed iron works and later the steel works. The area around Kettering and Corby has some dramatic examples, such as Twywell Gullet SSSI and Cranford St. John Quarry SSSI. Generally referred to as gullets, the quarrying normally followed a linear seam. In later years many of these gullets were restored to arable land or woodland, and therefore do not support the biodiversity of un-restored quarries. The Barford Meadows restored quarry area is an example of this type and only a small area of the restored section is now deemed to be of Wildlife Site quality.

Example Two: Tywell Gullet SSSI. Grid Ref: SP 945776

Around a mile long, the gullet at Twywell provides an amazingly diverse range of habitats. As well as limestone grassland there are damper, more shaded sections which provide the ideal environment for Hart’s-tongue fern (Phyllitis scolopendrium), and sections of exposed rock face, which provide nooks and crannies for invertebrates to nest in. The gullet is therefore notified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest mainly because of the wide range of invertebrates, including rare beetles, flies and dragonflies, which survive there.

2.1.3 Railway cuttings

Essentially railway cuttings are very similar to gullets, in that they are linear features often with exposed rock and nutrient poor soils. These poor soils provide ideal conditions for a variety of plant species, which in turn attract a wide range of invertebrates. The main difference between disused railway cuttings and gullets is that the former had regular clearance carried out when they were active to prevent scrub encroaching onto the railway line and to reduce the risk of fires. This has often helped to maintain flower-rich communities.

Example Three: Helmdon Railway Cutting, Grid Ref: SP591397

This disused railway site, in the south of Northamptonshire, is a long cutting with exposed limestone beneath. It is part of the disused Great Central Railway. The rich ground flora includes species such as Green-winged orchids (Orchis morio), and the sheltering embankments make the site ideal for a wide variety of butterflies, including Small blues (Cupido minimus).

2.2 International / National Status

Approximately 80% of the area of SSSI in Northamptonshire consists of man-made features, which gives an indication of the important contribution that quarries and gullets make to biodiversity in the County.

2.3 Local Status

Many of the gullets and unrestored quarries in Northamptonshire are County Wildlife Sites, as are large stretches of disused railway line.

3 CHARACTERISTIC SPECIES

3.1 National Priority Species

Sand Martin (Riparia riparia), Grasshopper Warbler (Locustella naevia) and Small blue (Cupido minimus).

3.2 Local Priority Species

Man orchid (Aceras anthropophorum), Large thyme (Thymus pulegioides) and Common whorl-snail (Vertigo pygmaea).

See Appendix 4 Dry Grasslands and Heaths Priority Species for full list.

4 CURRENT FACTORS AFFECTING THE HABITAT

· Loss of sites to landfill.

· Localised afforestation, particularly of spoil areas associated with quarried sites.

· Loss of habitat due to development activities, including housing and golf courses.

· Recreational pressure bringing about floristic changes associated with soil compaction or soil erosion.

· Lack of grazing resulting in the increasing dominance of coarse grasses and tall herbs, such as Bush grass (Calamagrostis epigejos), and invasion by scrub and woodland, leading to losses of grassland flora and fauna. Collyweston Quarries SSSI had suffered severely from a lack of grazing, but has now recovered to a favourable state.

· The influence of atmospheric pollution and climate change is not fully assessed nationally and very little is known locally about the impacts of these factors.

· Restoration of quarried sites to farmland.

5 CURRENT ACTION

5.1 Legal Status

5.1.1 International and National

· Six quarry sites in Northamptonshire are at present notified as SSSIs, two of which (Twywell Gullet and Collyweston Quarries) are managed as Nature Reserves. Other quarry sites managed for conservation in the County include Bradlaugh Fields Hills and Hollows and Rothwell Gullet. SSSIs are designated both for conservation interest, but also for geological interest.

· Several plant, invertebrate, mammal and bird species associated with quarries are protected under the Schedules of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. A number of quarries contain standing water that harbours significant populations of Great crested newts (Triturus cristatus).

5.1.2 Local

· The County Wildlife Site designation covers many of the remaining quarries sites in Northamptonshire which are of floristic value, but as yet no criteria have been agreed for invertebrate assemblages and therefore some sites of considerable biodiversity importance have not been designated.

· The County Structure Plan and district Local Plans have a series of policies which help protect Sites of Special Scientific Interest and County Wildlife Sites, including acid grassland and heaths, from development to a greater or lesser extent. Policies to protect archaeological features and parkland, among others, can also protect important quarries and gullets. The Northamptonshire ‘RIGS’ Group is surveying sites for their potential declaration as Regionally Important Geological Sites.

QUARRIES AND GULLETS OBJECTIVES AND ACTIONS

	OBJECTIVE	ACTION	LEAD AGENCY	PARTNERS	TARGET
6.1	Policy and Legislation
	Objective One: Ensure that BAP species and their habitats are given an appropriate level of protection in local plans	Include habitat and species protection policies in local plans and/or supplementary guidance	Local Authorities		By 2003
6.2	Site Safeguard and Management
	Objective Two: Halt all further loss of quarry sites of nature conservation interest throughout the county	Notify Local Authorities of location of sites quarries and gullets of nature conservation importance	Wildlife Trust		Throughout Action Plan Period
		Consider nature conservation implications when dealing with planning applications for quarries and gullets	Local Authorities		Throughout Action Plan Period
		Identify additional sites of nature conservation importance	Wildlife Trust		By 2005
		Notify land owners of important sites and advise on appropriate management	Wildlife Trust	Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group	By 2005
	Objective Three: Within quarry SSSIs, initiate rehabilitation management for all sites of unfavourable status by 2005, with the aim of achieving favourable status by 2010	Achieve favourable status of all SSSI sites by 2010	English Nature	Land Owners	By 2010
	Objective Four: For other localities, secure favourable condition over 30% of the resource by 2005 and as near to 100% as practicable by 2010	Secure favourable status for over 30% of the resource by 2005	Landowners	Wildlife Trust	By 2005
		Secure favourable status for as near to 100% of the resource as practicable by 2010	Landowners	Wildlife Trust	By 2010
6.3	Advisory
	Objective Five: Advise the owners / occupiers of quarry and gullet county wildlife sites of their wildlife interest and give advice on management where requested	Advise owners	Wildlife Trust Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group	BAP Partners	By 2005
	Objective Six: Promote the restoration of quarries for Nature Conservation		County Council	BAP Partners	Throughout Action Plan Period
6.4	Monitoring and research
	Objective Seven: Monitor the management and quality of quarry and gullet grassland sites every 5 years	Establish ongoing monitoring programme and undertake surveys	Wildlife Trust	BAP Partners	Throughout Action Plan Period
6.5	Communications and publicity
	Objective Eight: Hold at least one event a year aimed at raising public awareness of quarries and gullets in Northamptonshire and their importance	Hold annual event		BAP Partners	Annual
	Objective Nine: Publicise the progress made in delivering this Action Plan in a BAP Annual Report			BAP Partners	Annual

Next Page

Return to Dry Grasslands and Heaths

Return to Contents

Compiled by The Wildlife Trust

1 INTRODUCTION

2 CURRENT STATUS

3 CHARACTERISTIC SPECIES

5 CURRENT ACTION

6.1

Policy and Legislation

6.2

Site Safeguard and Management

6.3

Advisory

6.4

Monitoring and research

6.5

Communications and publicity