A Biodiversity Action Plan for the aggregates industry
in Herefordshire
Herefordshire Biodiversity Partnership
Contents
1. Foreword
2. Nature conservation
2.1. Links to LBAP & UK BAP
3. Current status
3.1. Trends in aggregate extraction within the county
4. Historic Background
5. Previous survey effort
6. Links with GAP
7. Current factors affecting the habitat and geology
8. Current action
9. Plan aims
10. Sign up date
11. Targets / Objectives
12. Actions
13. Appendices
13.1.
Partners involved
13.2.
Key species & habitats
13.3.
References
13.4.
Historical Perspective
1.
Foreword
Former and extant quarry sites have been shown to support some very unique and
important biodiversity that is found exclusively within Herefordshire such as water beetles,
plants and birds.
This plan aims to identify actions that can complement quarry biodiversity conservation
and create strong links to the Herefordshire Biodiversity Action Plan.
Many stakeholders have an involvement with quarries, be it through the planning,
operational or recreational context and it is our aim to bring these organisations together
to create a plan which will advise biodiversity gains in an ecologically and landscape
sensitive manner that recognises social, cultural and economic values.
This plan aims to identify opportunities to enhance the biodiversity resource within
Herefordshire quarries and create strong links with the Local Biodiversity Action Plan to
achieve targets laid down in the LBAP revision, 2007.
Please add any text changes or additions if you feel that this needs more
information.
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2.
Nature Conservation
Quarries within Herefordshire include operational large-scale sand & gravel extraction
sites, hard rock, domestic building rock quarries, and disused domestic sites. The 3 main
types of quarried minerals include limestone, sandstone and Sand & gravel. They occur
throughout the county, with sand & gravel sites occurring within the floodplains and rock
sites in more peripheral parts of the county
2.1
Quarry types
2.1.1 Sand and gravel – important for water environments
Gravel extraction leaves a void below the previous surface forms. In Herefordshire
this often includes large water bodies, although there is scope for infilling pits to
create wet grassland, wet woodland, or dry land including restoration to agriculture.
Targets for water loving fauna and flora are therefore appropriate. Historically,
local authorities used gravel pits for landfill refuse sites but this is no longer
acceptable. The objective in planning terms is that the land should be reclaimed to
some viable ‘beneficial use’ – including for biodiversity. As gravel pits cover large
areas they have the best potential for conservation. They often also make
important contributions to the archaeological and fossil record, as well as giving
information on conditions and ice movement during the Ice Age.
2.1.2 Crushed rock – important for geology and topography
The process involves blasting rock faces, scooping up the loose stone and
transferring it to a crusher. Crushed rock is screened and sorted by size. The
product is often used for road stone, either as pre-coated asphalt or dry material.
Due to the geological and ecological interest that such quarries create, and the fact
that they are generally on hillsides, infilling is neither practical nor desirable.
Opportunities arise for leaving exposed rock faces important for lime-loving plant
species and rock nesting birds. Limestone quarries are often rich in fossils.
2.1.3 Building stone – important for traditional rural landscapes and crafts
These are generally small-scale and low-key.
However there is potential for
significant environmental harm if not sensitively managed and restored. There are
opportunities for local biodiversity enhancement at micro-level, (given a positive
approach) during extraction as well as in restoration. Sites tend to be worked
intermittently over many years, delaying restoration. Such small quarries need to
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be recognised for their contribution to local landscape character and traditional
stone-working skills.
2.1.4 Historic features within quarries
In addition to types of quarries identified it is worth mentioning that structures on
sites that can provide habitat for fauna and will form specific environments for
flora. The most obvious example is the benefit of limekilns to providing habitat for
bats - the joints in limekilns are often very open and lead to cavities within the
structure that replicate the conditions that are encountered in natural caves and
therefore the retention of these and other structures is important in providing
additional habitat.
Please add any text changes or additions if you feel that this needs more
information.
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2.2
Links to LBAP, & UK BAP
It has been documented that quarries hold huge potential for supporting a wealth of
biodiversity due to several reasons, including lack of human access, new habitats being
created through continuous disturbance, and huge potential for habitat restoration and
creation in the decommissioning phase through the planning process.
The Herefordshire LBAP was revised in 2007 and as a result, has revised target goals
identified by partners for both species and habitats. Through having a quarry action plan,
this will complement and assist in the delivery of the county targets by achieving quickwins.
Some very fragile BAP habitats can occur in quarry sites and these include early
successional habitats and bare ground which is important for several invertebrates as well
as transient habitats such as heaps (little ringed plover) and exposed rock cliffs utilised by
nesting raptors such as peregrines and kestrels.
Please add any text changes or additions if you feel that this needs more
information.
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3.0
Current status (including importance)
Progressive legislation since 1947 has complicated the interaction between quarries and
the planning system. Currently all quarry sites exclusively recognised as such through
the provisions of the Environment Act 1995 enjoy a deemed use until 2042. A current
planning permission is still required however, and end dates prior to 2042 may be
imposed on new sites or extended areas.
Current permissions require restoration
schemes on completion of extraction, where the Action Plan might be most effective. All
quarry permissions must be reviewed every 15 years to update the planning conditions to
modern standards; opportunities thereby arise for implementing the Action Plan at these
staging points.
Farmers have permitted development rights to extract minerals
specifically for agricultural use within their holding without any planning control.
Aggregate sites are generally worked in phases, and restoration schemes are
implemented progressively on completion of each phase. This means that new habitats
are created during the life of the active quarry, as well as on completion.
Restoration schemes are not static: an approved scheme may be amended according to
circumstance; it may or may not be fully implemented; it may take many decades – well
beyond the lifetime of the original developer or the approving officer; even if a scheme is
fully actioned, topographical or hydrological changes may occur which alter its
effectiveness; envisaged land uses may not be realised or may be altered by future
owners; development and use of surrounding land may alter the status of a minerals site.
Flexibility is therefore a key consideration.
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3.1
Trends in aggregate extraction within the county
Demand for aggregates is unpredictable:
during growth periods demand rises, but
increased re-use of materials (secondary aggregates) and improved technology to raise
quality levels may counteract this. In a commercial world, strategic requirements vary according to the type of material, the volume available, and the destination markets.
Minerals are a finite resource and so supplies are reducing, whilst accessibility/availability
is diminishing with increasing pressure from other land uses (known as sterilisation of
resources).
Trends are therefore multi-layered –

Demand is increasing with population growth and housing need.

Commercial activity counteracts the potential for biodiversity

Diminishing resources and reduced numbers of sites also restrict potential gains
Scope for future biodiversity enhancement is therefore at some risk, making the need for
comprehensive targets – and effective implementation - all the more important.
Whereas ten years ago conventional restoration of minerals sites was generally ‘to
agriculture or forestry’, it is now recognised that such sites have a much more important
contribution to make to biodiversity and geological conservation.
Increasing public
knowledge and appreciation of such matters makes the concept of leaving a minerals site
to nature more acceptable. There is also better recognition of the importance of varied
landforms and ecology (in particular plants and invertebrates) to human success, and the
interest found in the various stages of site recovery (such as bare earth and colonisation).
Better public education is still needed however, and the conventional perception that
quarry sites should be quickly cleared and grassed or planted needs to be redirected.
In Herefordshire, the trend with regard to aggregates currently appears to be towards a
very small number of rather larger quarries.
These are dominated by a very few
operators, who also control the markets. Waste operators are increasingly providing
facilities for recycling secondary aggregates, sometimes within existing gravel quarries.
This would appear to be the situation until at least the 2020s and regional planning policy
seems to support the approach.
It may delay final restoration but it does allow for
progressive restoration by responsible large organisations.
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4.
Historic background
Throughout the county there are small farm quarries and many worked-out or disused
sites.
Those
subject
to
modern
planning
control
will
have
documented
restoration/reclamation plans but many older sites did not, and have been abandoned, infilled or put to other uses. Herefordshire was formerly important for brick-making and
many old (often unrecorded) clay pits exist, however due to generally poor quality
material and depleted resources there is now no extraction of clay. All worked-out sites
contribute to the county’s biodiversity and geological interest at both strategic and sitespecific levels. Many are locally designated as Local Geological Sites formerly known as
RIGS. They are generally outside the scope of this plan because they are not (or are no
longer) subject to any control.
However the aims and targets of this plan could be
relevant and useful where old quarry sites form part of a community initiative such as in
promoting recreation or study.
Some of these sites, many of great importance, are outside the scope of this plan. These
have a wealth of interesting geology from the Precambrian of the Malvern Hills in the
east, to the Carboniferous limestone of the south and the Silurian siltstones and
limestones of the northwest. These sites all provide interesting habitats related to the
varied geology.”
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5.
Previous survey effort
In 2006 Herefordshire Biological Records Centre organised their annual recorders away
day to Wellington quarry – a working sand & gravel extraction site, hosted by Tarmac. An
array of County naturalists turned up in the rain and stealthily collected more than 350
species records for the sites including Arctic tern, Southern Marsh Orchid, Greenshank,
Pink water speedwell,, Adonis ladybird, Great crested newt, Wild mignonette and
Hydroglyphus pusillus (Water beetle species).
In 2007, the recorders visited Bodenham Lake, which is a site, managed by Herefordshire
Council as a nature reserve that was previously a mineral extraction site but is now in
complete restoration. Once again, recorders did an excellent job of scouring the site and
collecting over 400 species records, turning up some interesting discoveries such as
Common Cudweed (not common in this part of the world), Baccidium rubella (ancient
woodland lichen species found in the old orchard section), Broadleaved helleborine,
Polyporous various var.nummularius (although this fungus is not rare, this specimen
proved to be unusually branched), slow worm, otter, grass snake, badger, and
Plagiominium cuspidatum an unusual bryophyte.
Herefordshire Ornithological Club regularly undertake regular monitoring at Wellington
Gravel Pits and Stretton Sugwas quarry.
In 2009, a new BAP species for Herefordshire was found in a pool at a quarry site which
was a re-discovery for England following a survey by a local consultant.
Please add any text changes or additions if you feel that this needs more
information.
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6.
Links with GAP
The Herefordshire Quarry action plan will work closely with the Herefordshire &
Worcestershire Earth Heritage Trust who has devised a Geodiversity Action Plan (GAP)
for Herefordshire. The underlying geology of Herefordshire shapes the unique biodiversity
within the county. As well as providing distinctive habitats today, the geodiversity gives
information about conditions that existed hundreds of years ago. Bare rock and scree
slopes provide habitats for species such as invertebrates, reptiles and nesting sites for
peregrines.
Aims and objectives within this plan will attempt to be compatible with the Herefordshire
GAP, by seeking guidance and advice on geodiversity at quarry sites. One action of the
GAP is to work with quarry operators to include geological and biological conservation in
restoration plans. The GAP aims to develop partnership working with the biodiversity
sector. The GAP is currently being entered onto the Biodiversity Action Reporting System
(BARS).
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7.
Current factors affecting the habitat and geology
7.1
Recreational Impacts. There are several potential conflicts between
access / restoration and amenity use, i.e. Bodenham Lake & the use of motorised
watercraft causing disturbance and damage to natural habitats
7.2
Poor quality restoration plans can destroy the unique features which
made the quarry special by covering glacial or geological features as well as
removal of quality priority habitats and features
7.3
Cessation of extraction gives a wonderful opportunity to make the
environments created, by quarrying and the opportunities to view geological
features.
7.4
Abandonment and neglect; leading to important early successional
habitats becoming overgrown
7.5
Poor implementation of schemes; leading to habitat loss similar to 8.4,
requiring monitoring and remediation with additional costs.
7.6
Poor after-care or management; leading to habitat loss similar to 8.4,
requiring monitoring and remediation with additional costs. Risk of inappropriate
land use or development.
7.7
Excessive landscaping or changes to topography destroying natural
features
7.8
Poor soil handling; resulting in destruction of soil structure and
consequent biodiversity loss.
7.9
Lack of expertise in contractors and operators; leading to poor planning
and creation of ill-advised management plans
7.10
Lack of resources for monitoring and follow-up/enforcement; resulting
in no certainty that habitat proposals will succeed in the short, medium or long
terms.
7.11
Loss of ephemeral habitats, in particular on bare rock or earth, and for
invertebrates;
7.12
Loss of geological exposures; resulting in loss of future resources,
heritage context and opportunities for research or education.
7.13
Over-planting with trees, either for forestry, biomass fuels or as screening;
7.14
Conflicts with intensive agricultural use and need for food production;
clarity is needed to prioritise biodiversity and geological conservation on minerals
sites, which are not generally likely to be productive for agriculture.
7.15
Conflicts with proposals for infilling (also potential for contamination);
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7.16
Changes of ownership – lack of contact or commitment from owners; lack
of sustainable long-term management
7.17
Climate change, flood risk; proposals for biodiversity enhancement in
restoration schemes should include a risk assessment and climate change
evaluation. Significant opportunities to make practical contributions should be
maximised.
7.18
Changes in the water environment – water table levels etc; water levels can
change unpredictably in quarry sites; restoration schemes need to be flexible to
take account of this.
7.19
Public perceptions of ‘tidiness’, public parks and fishing lakes as
desirable; need better informatives to promote biodiversity, to promote 'managed
wilderness'.
7.20
Fly tipping and litter, use of quarries for storing materials and/or
refuse; creating exposure to contamination and physical danger to wildlife.
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8.
Current Action
8.1
Site BAPs. Sites owned by Tarmac have site biodiversity action plans and it
is the aim of this plan to draw together these plans.
Tarmac is drawing up a
geodiversity policy to complement its biodiversity policy.
8.2
Planning process. Planning Policy Statement 9 states that both
biodiversity and geodiversity should be taken into account when all planning
applications are considered.
8.3
Recording the geodiversity at sites
8.4
Monitoring bird species at selected sites by HOC
8.5
ALSF; funding for projects are managed by Defra. See www.defra.gov.uk.
8.6
GAP
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9.
Plan aims
By having an action plan for the quarry industry in Herefordshire, we aim to improve the
biodiversity resource through working in effective partnership with quarry operators and
nature conservation organisations to improve our knowledge in wildlife conservation and
thus ensuring that the planning system is equipped with appropriate information to
effectively improve / enhance their biodiversity value.
In addition, by having the quarry biodiversity action plan, it will assist in achieving the
targets laid down in the Herefordshire Local Biodiversity Action Plan (LBAP) for species
and habitats as well as improving habitat connectivity and the landscape-scale approach
identified as the key delivery mechanism in the England Biodiversity strategy.
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10.
Sign up date
December 2009???
Is this feasible? Comments please
15
11.
Targets / objectives
1) EDUCATION AND AWARENESS Educate quarry owners on quarry usage and
conflicting issues – Amenity / Fishing / Access / Parish involvement
2) IMPROVED DATA / ACCESS TO DATA Determination of the biological resource
held within Herefordshire quarries (inc working, derelict and in restoration phase).
Work out the baseline information of the county’s quarry resource. Topic headings
to include biological information, site details, owners, planning history, geodiversity
resource, historical interest
3) CONSERVATION PROMOTION AND SITE MAINTENANCE Promoting and
maintaining bare areas, scree slopes and rock exposures within quarries for geoconservation purposes
4) PLANNING AND POLICY Review of UDP / LDF to consider biodiversity / geoconservation issues
Please add any text changes or additions to the targets if you feel that they need
to be more comprehensive or I have omitted anything.
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12.
Actions
Table 1.
Target Action
Action text
Action Lead
code
number
1
1
Set up E-group / distribution list
1
2
Earth Science Champions project. 10 EHT
Action
Target
Support date
HBAP
sites with a local champion to promote
education
and
awareness
of
the
geodiversity of these sites and to monitor
sites once the project has finished
1
3
Circulate
relevant
RSPB
&
Buglife HBAP
habitat management / creation guidelines
to quarry owners / managers.
2
1
Contact local recording groups through
HBRC
HBRC to publicise this project & to find
out if there are more quarry species
records available that are not yet on the
HBRC database
2
2
Work out relevant HAP / SAP data from
HBAP
Nature After Minerals website & link to
LBAP targets to determine restoration /
creation potential within the county
2
3
Explore the potential for overlaying HC HBRC
GIS quarry information with biological
HBAP
information
EHT
held
at
HBRC
and
geodiversity information
2
4
Promotion of multi-recording (i.e. working HBRC
with recorder groups to look at other
taxonomic groups)
17
2
5
Ensure
habitats
(including
priority HBRC
habitats) are mapped for all working and HC DC
HBAP
disused quarries within Herefordshire
2
6
Overlay habitat map with geological map
to determine future habitat improvement
focussing on priority BAP habitats and
habitat linkages, as well as protected
species refuges
2
7
Promote the need for all county sites to HC CONS
have a biodiversity survey, including
SWS
historic sites and bare surfaces
PARTNERSHIP
TARMAC
HC DC
2
8
Develop
a
survey
programme
for
relevant sites in Herefordshire targeting
1. Farmland birds
2. Invertebrates
characteristic
of
HOC
bare ground
3. Aquatic invertebrates (including
odonata)
HART
4. Wildfowl & wader birds
5. Water shrew & other mammals HOC
(inc otter, water vole, bats, brown HAM
hare)
6. Lepidoptera
7. Plant communities / botany
BC
8. Amphibians & reptiles
HBS
HART
3
1
Apply for funding (ALSF) to assist in the EHT?
co-ordination of this plan. It could help
deliver the GAP also.
18
3
2
Survey historic features as part of a
HC ARCH
community project for biodiversity
features
3
3
QUARRY
Retain historic features within quarries
OPERATORS
HC ARCH
3
3
4
5
Assist in helping quarry operators get
NATURAL
into Higher Level Stewardship
ENGLAND
Ensure that sites which are designated SWS
as SWS or are situated adjacent to PARTNERSHIP
special wildlife Sites are in positive longterm management under NI197 and that
the plans are secured
4
4
1
2
Inclusion of the quarry action plan into
HC
UDP / LDF
Conservation
Promote the need for all county sites to HC CONS
have a BAP prepared to allow for
appropriate biodiversity management
4
3
Ensure
restoration
plans
include
a HC DC
Biodiversity (BAP) element through the TARMAC
planning process.
4
4
Link restoration plans to existing projects HC CONS
where possible, e.g. Wetland vision
HNT
project to ensure that a landscape scale
approach is adopted.
4
4
5
6
Ensure local minerals are utilised in local HC HIST
built heritage schemes
BUILDINGS
Review restoration plans (with
HBAP
community involvement & feasibility
HC DC
studies) to improve biodiversity resource
TARMAC
at selected sites
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APPENDIX 1
Contributors and Stakeholders
Quarry owners
Herefordshire Archaeology (Neil Rimmington)
Natural England (Charlotte Morgan)
Butterfly Conservation (Jenny Joy)
Malvern Hills AONB (Paul Esrich)
Wye Valley AONB (Andrew Nixon)
Herefordshire Caving Group (Julia Williams)
Quarry Products Association
Duchy of Cornwall Estate (David Curtis)
Cemex (Shaun Denny)
Foley Estates (Rupert???)
Herefordshire Biodiversity Partnership (Nicky Davies)
Herefordshire Council Ecologist (Joanne Hackman)
Herefordshire Council Ecologist (planning) (Bridgit Symons)
Moira Jenkins
Herefordshire Council (Planning) (Debby Klein)
Herefordshire Nature Trust (Fran Griffith)
Herefordshire Council (Parks & Countryside) (Trevor Hulme)
Tarmac (Bernie Higgins)
Herefordshire Ornithological Club (Steve Coney)
Is there anyone else who has been omitted that you feel may be interested in
being a partner in this plan?
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APPENDIX 2
Key species - Link to habitats.

Birds – Peregrine*1, Sand martins*, Little Ringed plover, great-crested grebes,
kingfisher, raven, snipe

Invertebrates – bees,

Mammals - Water shrew, otter, water vole, badgers

Bats – Lesser Horseshoe, Brandts whiskered, Brown long eared, Natterers,
Daubentons,

Plants & lichens

Lepidoptera – grizzled skipper, common blue

Odonata – black-tailed skimmer dragonfly, blue-tailed damselfly

Amphibians & Reptiles – great-crested newt, adder, frog, common toads, grass
snake, slow worm, common lizard
Key habitats

Lowland calcareous grassland

Dry acid grassland

Lowland Heath

Exposed rock

Grasslands

Standing open water bodies

Reed beds

Wet woodland

Woodlands

Bare ground

Scree slopes

Scrub
Please add any species or habitats that have a significant association with
quarries that you would like to see get a special mention in this plan
1
Red List Species
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APPENDIX 3
References

Shropshire BAP

Herefordshire BAP

Nature After Minerals

Geology and Biodiversity – making the links working today for nature tomorrow. English
Nature

Herefordshire Minerals and Waste Planning Assessment – Draft Interim report (Part B –
Minerals), March 2009. Entec UK Limited
THIS WILL BE COMPLETED AT A LATER STAGE ONCE ALL OF THE
INFORMATION HAS BEEN PUT TOGETHER. DO YOU KNOW OF ANY OTHER
RELEVANT DOCUMENTS?
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APPENDIX 4
Historical Perspective
1. Range of site type – quarries
The BAP identifies most of the site types that would fit under the quarries banner. In
addition to those mentioned, quarries formed a variety of functions historically - there are
small delves for building stone/walling stone, larger quarries in solid geology for building
stone and production of lime in limekilns, clay pits for brick making, sand pits, and a
limited number of ironstone extraction pits (mostly the depression of former shafts but
occasionally there is also the surface working along a vein of material) in the south of the
county around the Doward.
2. Components of site type
Quarries contain or are associated with features that help us understand the sites - for
example the face of a quarry can contain evidence of the working practice in the form of
tool marks, buildings or machinery can be present within or immediately adjacent to
quarry that relate to the working practice of the quarry (limekiln) or subsequent after use
(e.g. saw mills are sometimes located in quarries), presence of worked material on site
(sometimes material can be left stacked when the quarry was abandoned and never
used), routeways that link the site with the wider landscape.
3. Value to biodiversity
In addition to things identified it may be worth flagging up structures on sites that can
provide habitat for fauna and will form specific environments for flora. The most obvious
example is the benefit of limekilns to providing habitat for bats - the joints in limekilns are
often very open and lead to cavities within the structure that replicate the conditions that
are encountered in natural caves and therefore the retention of these and other structures
is important in providing additional habitat.
4. Restoration and management
Where after use or management during works is being considered then it is of value to
think how the restoration/management could provide information on the past
environments of the quarry area by conserving specific features, interpreting past
environments or restoration of past landscapes (e.g. creation of traditional water
meadows).
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5. Other comments
Historic sites could form a component of community projects as identified in the plan, but
they could also form a component of landscape-scale projects or agri-environment
schemes and it would be of value to consider the whole of the resource within the plan
and how the different potential funding resources could be directed to specific types of
site to maximise biodiversity, geodiversity and historic environment gain.
Although aggregate extraction has contributed to our knowledge of the archaeological
record of specific areas this has been done in a recording process as the features are
removed. There may be merit in retention of archaeological features particularly where
they have a biodiversity benefit aswell.
Neil Rimmington
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