Grassland Archives - Nature After Minerals

Whitesands Quarry

Whitesands Quarry is a 100ha site situated to the south-east of the town of Dunbar, East Lothian. Recognising the potential for the site to deliver for biodiversity and, in particular, wintering wildfowl and wader populations, Lafarge Tarmac and RSPB Scotland entered into an agreement to undertake an in-depth feasibility study, to explore different habitat creation options at the site.

Swanworth

The quarry has been worked since just after the 1st World War, but Tarmac Ltd acquired the site in 1980 and in 1990 installed a new plant to produce crushed aggregate. The quarry was then acquired by J Suttle Transport in January 2011. To date c 20 million tonnes of stone have been produced, with 95% sold to within a 35 mile radius of the site.

Pentney Quarry Extension

Pentney Quarry is located in the Nar Valley, approximately 10km south east of Kings Lynn. The entire quarry covers over 90 ha of land adjacent to the River Nar. The river is over a metre above the surrounding land and is contained within levees.

Needingworth Quarry

Needingworth Quarry is one of the largest sand and gravel extraction sites in the UK. Extraction is expected to span over 30 years, during which time 28 million tonnes of sand and gravel will be removed. It covers an area of approximately 975 ha adjacent to the Great Ouse River.

Middleton Quarry

Middleton Quarry is a small chalk extraction site near the village of Middleton-on-the-Wolds in East Yorkshire. Nature After Minerals advised on the restoration of the quarry to lowland calcareous (chalk) grassland through discussions with the Mineral Planning Authority and the Planning Consultant acting on behalf of the operator and landowner.

Llynclys

Limestone has been quarried at Llynclys for over 150 years. In past years the quarry operations were widely spread and included limekilns with a rail link. The extent of the operating area is now far reduced from these early days to a single office with a one-way traffic system.

Farnham Quarry

Farnham quarry is adjacent to Aldershot on the Surrey/Hampshire border, surrounded by major roads and housing. Hanson Aggregates inherited the 50 ha site from Pioneer who began extracting sand and gravel here in the late 1990s. Extraction ceased in 2010, allowing Hanson to commence the final phases of restoration.

Ariel view showing a previously restored area (right) and the area in progress (left)

Brackagh Quarry

Brackagh Quarry is a large sand and gravel pit near the town of Draperstown, north of Cookstown. RESTORE worked with Creagh Concrete throughout the project, advising on the creation of priority wetland habitats. The operator also used the site to showcase the potential of best practice restoration to the wider industry and key decision-makers.

Minsmere RSPB Reserve, pond and sand martin bank.

Belcoo Quarry

Belcoo Quarry is a 40ha site situated 2km from the town of Belcoo. The site does not currently have a restoration plan for the final end-use. RESTORE provided advice to the operator on key habitats and biodiversity-focussed features which should be targeted with the proposed restoration plan.

Bayston Hill Quarry

Located on the geographical feature ‘Sharpstone Ridge’, Bayston Hill quarry is situated on the southern outskirts of Shrewsbury. The site produces approximately 800,000 tonnes of a high specification aggregate each year, which is predominately used in road construction – including for Abu Dhabi’s new Formula 1 track. The quarry provides the largest reserve of gritstone in England.