Restoration Awards

04 July, 2008

Held on 3 July at Nine Kings Suite in London's Royal Lancaster Hotel, the seventh Quarry Products Association (QPA) Showcase event once again highlighted some of the excellent work being done by quarries to improve the UK landscape. MQR was there to find out the winners of the 2008 restoration awards.

May was an uncertain month for government ministers last year. On the day of the Quarry Products Association’s (QPA’s) annual restoration awards Gordon Brown was being touted as the next undisputed leader of the Labour party. Ministers were on their best behaviour.

One such person was then minister for environment and biodiversity Barry Gardiner. He praised quarry firms for their hard work on sustainability. He even promised to “make a case” for the ALSF to continue beyond 2008. On the event of the QPA’s tenth anniversary it was more like a love-in than an industry review.

However, a month is a long time in politics and by the end of June he had lost his job – a day before Gordon Brown moved into Number 10. But his booking by director general Simon van der Byl to speak at the event back in the dark evenings of February had been fortuitous. A Defra minister had openly praised quarrying on sustainability and its drive towards lowering carbon emissions.

The downside was that the event had been politicised and his rambling over the allocated time meant the restoration side of Showcase felt a little rushed. Even BBC news-presenter Fiona Bruce fluffing her lines and announcing winners ahead of time couldn’t conceal this.

This year in front of collected industry dignitaries, employees and stakeholders in the regal Nine Kings Suite at London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel both podium strutting ministers and Fiona Bruce were notably absent.

Instead of a key politician you got the chief executive of the RSPB. In place of the BBC was Channel 4 in the form of news-presenter Krishna Guru-Murthy. Meanwhile, the politicised carbon reduction arguments of last year were replaced by habitat creation and a disguised return to economic back-to-basics in the form of sustainable construction and its impact on supply and demand.

Board members and CEOs from utilities firms, construction companies and building stakeholder bodies such as the Green Building Council offered their views on the important role quarrying is playing in the overall sustainability picture.

The general consensus was that it is playing its part. And as government demands greener buildings and construction firms seek to supply them, material from the industry will keep flowing – as much as it can do with low roads investment and a tumbling economy – as long as it keeps acting with sustainability in mind.

Members were worried that last year’s love-in sent the message that all was OK in the world of quarrying. So this year it was all about striving to meet targets and working hard to meet the demands of sustainable construction and the pressures it creates.

According to the QPA, half the invited guests were from industry and half were from the battalions of planners, officials, ministers and general pen-pushers that determine its fate. “The Restoration Awards are not the major part of Showcase. Communicating with the 50% who are not in the industry is the main focus,” the QPA told MQR.

But with sustainable construction being muttered everywhere, the work firms are doing on restoration makes a great backdrop to the debate. And being seen to award habitat creation from former workings seems a great way to “communicate” wider notions of sustainability to stakeholders.

So, MQR has decided to do some communication of its own. Below you will find all the winners in this year’s QPA restoration awards.

There were eight entries this year and all have secured an award of some form as happened both last year and in 2006. The reason for this is the growing quality of the entries, says the QPA.

It is an assertion backed-up by the judges, who all have local authority planning backgrounds. “Minerals firms should be proud of what they are doing,” chairman of the Restoration Awards judges George McDonic told MQR.

The top prize of the Cooper-Heymann cup this year went to Hanson’s Otley Quarry, while the recent accolade of Chairman’s Trophy was picked up by Eton Aggregates’ Dorney Lake project.

The Chairman’s Trophy was introduced by the QPA’s Lynda Thompson when she took the chair of the organisation three years ago. Winners need to have been selected for a restoration award from the judges but show something special, she says.

“I take home the entries, wade through them, take the Cooper Heymann out and then see what tickles my imagination,” Thompson told MQR.

Cooper Heymann Cup Winner
When it comes to helping the UK Biodiveristy Action Plan (UK BAP) meet targets Hanson is playing a key role. With Middleton Lakes set to become the biggest RSPB nature park in the Midlands, its former Otley Quarry has been preserving species for a number of years.

UK BAP priority species such as reed bunting, song thrush, bullfinch, noctule bat and soprano pipistrelle bat have all been recorded at the now Otley Wetland Nature Reserve, on land owned by Weston Hall Estate.

Priority habitats such as ponds and reedbeds have been created while shrews, field vole, roe deer, at least 144 different bird species – including reed warbler and reed bunting – along with 21 species of butterfly have been recorded.

Few could argue the 13.7hectare part of the 50hectare site entered for the awards is not a worthy winner of main prize. Certainly McDonie, who visited the site, believes so.

He told MQR: “You do not feel as if you are in a former quarry, which is important when restoring sites. But it is the attention to detail that won it for Otley.

“For example, they created a thin strip of water between two areas of the site which has created a dragonfly corridor. It is really something.

“They left hedge trimmings in piles for wildlife to use, which it has. They also built a bug hut about 1m3 and all manner of life uses it. They are points of detail that really show the care and attention taken at the site,” he said.

The Otley Wetland Nature Reserve is a former Hanson sand and gravel quarry situated within greenbelt on the north side of the River Wharfe and northwest of Otley Town centre in West Yorkshire.

Access to the reserve created from the restoration of the quarry is by permit only through the reserve trust founded in 2003. Its obligations were set up under a 21year section 106 agreement.

Extraction had taken place at the site since the 1940s but ceased in 1996. It has been progressively restored with earthworks finishing in 1997. The final phase of the restoration involves a pre-mix facility that only left the site last June.

The aim of the restoration was to create a diverse mix of after-uses catering for both amenity and nature conservation. The western extraction area has become a sailing lake while the eastern extraction area has been restored to a fishing lake.

Here, two islands were left to preserve mature trees and shingle islands formed to provide loafing areas for waterfowl and other birds targeted under the UK BAP initiative.

Agricultural grassland was reinstated in the central area of the site with under drainage being installed in 1999. Again, nature conservation was an important element with around 800m of native hedgerow planted around the field.

To the north, within the reserve itself, 1.8hectares of native woodland was planted around the silt lagoon to extend and consolidate an area of mature oak woodland and to screen the water area.

A former silt lagoon was left to naturally regenerate and become an area of scrub with willow and alder. Within other areas the scrub was controlled to create a grazing lawn. Around a hectare of reed beds was created to the north of the site.

Former excavations to the south have become a conservation lake with shallow margins providing wildlife habitat.

For the future of the site Hanson has entered into a partnership agreement with the trust to carry out ongoing clearance of scrub from the shingle islands, provide display boards for an open day, continue to administer permits, and provide new signage as well as take on other tasks.

It will continue to donate £1,000 a year to the site as well as get involved with on-going volunteer days and community events.

Chairman’s Trohpy Eton’s Dorney Lake

While the 1980s were responsible for many things we would prefer to forget such as bad perms and leg warmers there was one thing conceived in the Thatcher era that has managed to last the test of time. That is the Dorney Lake.

Around two decades ago landowner Eton College decided it wanted a rowing lake at its centre in Maidenhead in Berkshire. After number crunching it concluded that the best way to fund it would be by mineral extraction.

The project was to construct a 2,200m long Olympic-standard rowing course on a 170hectare site at Dorney. And to pay for it 4.2million tonnes of aggregate were extracted, processed and sold.

Now, 20 years on, the idea has become a 2012 Olympic rowing venue with cycle paths and facilities, a 35hectare nature conservation area including seasonal and permanent wetland, and a 46hectare park and arboretum.

So, why did QPA chairman Lynda Thompson award it the Chairman’s Trophy? Simple, she told MQR, it is an extraordinary achievement that has gone beyond its oiginal design.

“Every now and then there is a site that needs a special recognition for what it has achieved,” she says. “Diversity and uniqueness are important. The Dorney Lake project more than meets these criteria.

“It is a world class facility created by the co-operation of the private, public and third sectors. It is so much bigger than the sum of its parts.”

But as the rowing facility was the reason for mineral extraction in the first place, can this be deemed a restoration project? Is it not a construction project simply coming to fruition? Absolutely not, says Thompson.

She says: “In other restoration schemes if a farmer wants an agricultural lake, for example, then that is what he gets. The mineral is an added bonus. Besides, the site is much more than was initially invisaged. It is not just leisure, There is so much local benefit as well.”

In 1995 Eton Aggregates was established as a joint-stock company with four equal shareholder – Redland (now Lafarge), RMC (now Cemex), Summerleaze and Tarmac – to test the possibilities of such a project.

The venture won the contract in January 1996 with work starting in May of the same year – planning permission had been secured in 1994 after Eton had appealed an original rejection. Work began on the site in May 1996 and the first sand and gravel was produced in December.

Development of the main lake started in November 1997 with 1,250 metres of completed lake together with the boathouse, associated roads, cycle paths and other facilities handed over in 2000. This included the major part of the park and arboretum with all its planting and seeding much into its second season.

The last minerals excavated left the 170hectare site in September 2006 – processing plant having been removed in 2004. What remained was the 55hectare lake system, 25hectares of grassland, 10hectares of wild flowers, 11hectares of mixed planting and the 35 hectare nature reserve.

Situated to the north-east of the lake is the park and arboretum. The arboretum has been divided into a series of large circular plots by areas of enclosed woodland and shrub plantations – 27,680 whips shrubs were planted over two seasons.

Each circular plot varies in diameter from 50m to 200m and has been designated for specific planting relating to particular species, such as nut, oak, coppice, and maple.

South-east of the site between the return lake and the Thames lies the nature conservation area. Mineral was extracted from around two-thirds of the area, leaving gravel stringers at intervals to maintain ground water flow between the River Thames, the lakes and the areas to the north.

Areas of wetlands for wading birds have also been created as have small fields enclosed by hedges and fences for pastoral grazing of sheep to encourage wild flower growth.

The conservation area is connected to the return lake bv means of a 35m long weir. During the winter high water period water flows over into the featured area and slowly reduces during spring and summer to leave different levels of water and mud to suit varying species of birds.

Around half of the area has been seeded with wild flower mixes, while extensive planting along the fence lines and within some areas of enclosed woodland adjacent to the riverside perimeter, provide additional screening.

Other Winners Bestwall Quarry

Poole-based Bestwall Quarry had a troubled birth. There was a lot of public outcry at its inception and it took two planning applications and an appeal before permission was finally granted in 1991.

However, since that time owner Aggregate Industries has won over the critics. The Bestwall Quarry archaeological project headed by Lilian Ladle being a particular success and unearthing over 175,000 artefacts by 180 volunteers – www.bestwall.co.uk.

A total of 2.3million tonnes of sand and gravel were extracted from the site over a 14year period, all taken to Tatchells Quarry for processing. It was a project that started in 1992 with a haul road across a wetland Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

After construction of the haul road extraction moved progressively across the 55hectare site, restoring land to agriculture as each working phase was exhausted.

A series of lakes was formed due to the shortfall in overburden materials which were designed by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust to complement the surrounding SSSI’s and internationally designated Special Protection Areas and Ramsar Sites which form part of Poole Harbour, an important habitat for large numbers of migratory birds.

The restored site achieves a number of local and national biodiversity objectives. Around 20,000 trees have been planted, together with a reed translocation exercise to introduce reeds of local provenance to the lake margins.

Other Winners Frith End Quarry

Known as Rabbitfield Hill, this Grundon Waste Management operation was a satellite extraction site to the Grooms Farm sand pit and is close to the Hampshire/Surry border.

Planning permission for sand extraction was granted on appeal in 1987 with renewals of the permission granted in 1992 and 1997. Extraction of sand started in early 1998 and was completed in mid-2003.

Taking its lead from Hampshire County Council’s Corporate Biodiversity Action Plan – which states the county supports 30% of the UK’s lowland heath land and is 20% wooded cover – the site retains many of the original restoration proposals.

It is a mix of woodland, agriculture and heath land at the lower level. The woodland on the northern boundary was replanted to restore the character and appearance adjacent to the River Slea and includes Field Maple, Sweet Chestnut and Common Ash.

Heath land includes a mix of grasses such as crested dogstail, and hard and sheep’s fescue. The planning consent requires a five-year aftercare period. Regular inspections are being undertaken.

But there has been one change to the restoration plan. The original restoration scheme sought to provide a cliff face for nesting sand martins. However, observations at the main site demonstrated sand martins were unlikely to use the original face due to it being south facing.

This meant the birds would be exposed to the full effects of the sun. So a cliff face was retained on the southern edge of the site to provide a more appropriate location for nesting sand martins.

Other Winners Haywards Farm

After providing nearly 2million tonnes of sand and gravel for markets in Reading and Basingstoke, Cemex’s Haywards Farm has been restored by landscape architects into a haven for anglers, ornithologists, ramblers and conservationists.

Planning permission for extraction was granted in 1984 to Hall Aggregates – now Cemex – for 1.8million tonnes. The land is part of the Englefield Estate, a historic estate dating back as far as AD 871.

The 36hectare site comprises high-class trout fishery, coarse fishing lake (see picture) and a wildfowl reserve, the focal point of which is the lake offering carp, bream, roach, perch and pike at 30 individual fishing pegs.

Just to the east is the wild fowl reserve. As well as the more common species such as sandpiper, heron and geese, there are the rarer species of red crested pochard and ruddy ducks.

In the early 1980s the Royal County of Berkshire was the first county to compile its mineral plan and this site was the first major planning application following the agreement of the plan.

Other Winners Lynford Pit

This “making good” project was kicked off in 2000 with Ayton Asphalt acquiring the working rights to the Norfolk-based Lynford Pit and with land owner Forest Enterprise submitting a restoration led planning application.

The site has been worked since 1959 and was in need of attention after the original owners went into receivership in 1992. A scheme was put forward with PDE Consulting following a range of principles.

These principles included improving the landscape quality of the site, protecting, enhancing and increasing conservation value, creating new habitats and facilitating public access and enhancing local amenity.

During its eight-year tenure Ayton Products has extracted 900,000tonnes of sand and gravel as well as helping to meet Norfolk Biodiversity Action Plan objectives and creating a 30year management commitment to the site.

Best known for the furore whipped up by those protesting against the site, Tarmac’s Vale of York-based sand and gravel quarry Nosterfield boasts some sensitive habitat creation.

Extraction started in the mid 1990s together with progressive restoration. This has created 3hectares of reed beds and areas of open water attracting waders and wildfowl, contributing to national and local biodiversity action plan targets.

Magnesian limestone outcrops have been carefully profiled and restored with the aim of creating areas of magnesian limestone grassland. Meanwhile, experimental work is underway to re-vegetate peat lens retained during excavation.

Along with broadleaved woodlands the site has a range of flora and fauna. These include the common reed, kingfishers, little ring plovers and even the odd barn owl.

Other Winners Stow Farm Quarry

Lafarge Aggregates’ Stowe Farm operation in West Deeping is best described as an agricultural land upgrade that followed a 2.2million tonne excavation of sand and gravel.

When analysed for quality using Available Water Capacity criteria around 8% of the site was classified as Grade 2, and overall the soils were regarded as Grade 3b.

The main limitation was droughtiness. Due to shallow depth of the soil over the gravel it wasn’t holding water well. The restoration worked to change this.

It was achieved by extracting the sand and gravel deposits and then constructing a low-permeability 4.4m clay-seal around the perimeter of the site using basal clays and exclude groundwater from the surrounding gravels.

Trees and shrubs were planted around a balancing lake and hedgerows were planted across the site to divide the farmland area into distinct fields.

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