These Case Study pages showcase examples of good practice in minerals restoration which is benefiting the natural environment and people.
Linner Loop
The Linner Loop is situated along the River Maas/Meuse in the Province of Limburg, Netherlands. This area initially began to be dredged in the 1920s by the Dutch Railway Company for railway ballast pebble, with the subsequent extraction of sand and gravel for the construction industry.
Langford Lowfields
Langford Lowfields is adjacent to the River Trent approximately 5km north of Newark. It is one of four active sand, gravel and sandstone quarries currently operated by Tarmac in Nottinghamshire.
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.
Fagl Lane Quarry
Fagl Lane is a restored sand and gravel site, now managed by a Community Interest Company, who are looking to recreate an ancient managed landscape on the site, featuring farmland, woodland, wetlands, an operational Iron Age farm and Roman Fort, all for educational, research and leisure purposes.
Cliffe Pools
Cliffe Pools are located on the southern shore of the Thames Estuary, 6 km east of Gravesend and 8 km north of Rochester. The area is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Special Protection Area (SPA), Ramsar site and Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) and forms part of the wider North Kent Marshes SPA. The site was acquired as a reserve by the RSPB in October 2001.
Cassington Quarry
Cassington lies adjacent to the A40 in the Thames Valley approximately 4km north-west of Oxford city centre. The site is an extension to 70 hectares of existing traditional open water restorations that are used for fishing but with no general public access. The site lies within 500 metres of two wet meadow SSSI’s (Cassington Meadows and Pixey & Yarnton Meads).
Cam Quarry
Cam Quarry is a hard rock quarry situated within the Binevenagh AONB near the town of Macosquin. RESTORE worked with Whitemountain Quarries on restoring areas to wetland habitats, tying in with the surrounding natural landscape.
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.
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.
Block Fen
The proposed restoration of three quarries in Cambridgeshire is potentially a very interesting (and unusual) case where mineral extraction followed by restoration using inert waste should enable wet grassland to be created, safeguarding the long-term potential of the “best and most versatile” (BMV) agricultural soils present.
