Ecological Assessment of Land at Rempstone, East Leake, Nottinghamshire
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Report to:- Cemex UK Materials Ltd Cemex House Evreux Way Rugby CV21 2DT May 2012 ECOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF LAND AT REMPSTONE, EAST LEAKE, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE ~~~~~~~~~~~~ CONTENTS 1. SUMMARY…........................................................................................................... 1 2. BACKGROUND…................................................................................................... 1 3. ASSESSMENT METHODS ………………………………………...……...…….. 2 4. ECOLOGICAL CONTEXT ………..…………………….…...….……..……….. 3 5. HABITATS & PLANTS………………………………………...……..….….....… 4 6. FAUNA…………………………….……………….…………..……….....……… 10 7. CONCLUSIONS………………….……………………….…..….….…...……… 21 8. RECOMMENDATIONS……………………………….……………..…….…… 22 9. REFERENCES………………………………………….……………..…….…… 23 APPENDIX A: PLANT SPECIES RECORDED…………………………......…..…… 26 APPENDIX B: RESULTS OF HEDGEROW ASSESSMENT…………........…..…… 28 __________________________________________________________________________ Report author Tom Staton BSc MSc. This report has been prepared by Andrews Ecology Ltd (AEcol) with all reasonable skill and diligence, within the terms agreed with the client. No part of the report may be reproduced without prior written approval of AEcol. No liability is accepted in respect of the use of data, conclusions or other material contained in this report for any purposes other than those specific to this report. © AEcol - Andrews Ecology Ltd __________________________________________________________________________ Cemex UK Materials Ltd ECOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT Rempstone ________________________________________________________________________________________ ECOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF LAND AT REMPSTONE, EAST LEAKE, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 1. SUMMARY 1.1.1 Cemex UK Materials Ltd are considering submitting a planning application for the extension of the existing Cemex UK Ltd East Leake Quarry in Nottinghamshire. AEcol - Andrews Ecology Ltd were commissioned by Cemex UK Materials Ltd to assess the ecological importance of the proposed extension area. 1.1.2 The proposed East Leake Quarry extension is approximately 46 ha in size and located on the north-west side of the village of Rempstone. It predominantly holds arable tillage. The site is bounded by narrow field margins holding ruderal vegetation, hedgerows, an area of scrub and a stream (the Sheepwash Brook). 1.1.3 The assessment comprised an extended Phase 1 survey including a list of plant species present, an assessment of hedgerows for their importance under the Hedgerow Regulations 1997, an assessment of ponds in the vicinity of the site for their potential to hold great crested newt Triturus cristatus, an assessment of trees for their potential to hold bat roosts and a search for field signs of water-voles Arvicola amphibius, otters Lutra lutra and badgers Meles meles. Survey was performed in April 2012. 1.1.4 Three Local Wildlife Sites are present within 1 km of the proposed East Leake Quarry extension. No uncommon plant species are present. Most of the hedgerows bounding the site qualify as UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) Priority Habitat. Great crested newts are not predicted to occur within the site. Common toads Bufo bufo breed in the locality and may occur within the site in their terrestrial phase. Transient grass snakes Natrix natrix could be present along the Sheepwash Brook. Several bird species of conservation concern may be present, but none are rare. No bat roosts are present within the site, but boundary features will be used by commuting and foraging bats. Otters may occasionally occur along the Sheepwash Brook, although no field signs were found. Brown hares Lepus europaeus are present within the site. No signs of water-voles or badgers were found. 1.1.5 It is recommended that consideration be given to the retention of boundary hedgerows and the Sheepwash Brook within the working scheme to avoid potential impacts on protected species. If these features are to be retained, no further survey is proposed. Restoration could be designed to benefit a number of BAP Priority Habitats and Species. 2. BACKGROUND 2.1.1 Cemex UK Materials Ltd are considering submitting a planning application for the extension of the existing Cemex UK Ltd East Leake Quarry in Nottinghamshire. The proposed extension area, which covers approximately 46 ha, lies to the east of the existing East Leake Quarry, near the village of Rempstone. ________________________________________________________________________________________ - 1 - ©AEcol 2012 Cemex UK Materials Ltd ECOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT Rempstone ________________________________________________________________________________________ 2.1.2 AEcol - Andrews Ecology Ltd were commissioned by Cemex UK Materials Ltd to assess the ecological importance of the proposed extension area. 2.1.3 AEcol - Andrews Ecology Ltd is an independent ecological consultancy with extensive experience of habitat assessment, restoration and management, working with conservation agencies, academic, commercial and industrial clients in the UK and overseas (see www.aecol.co.uk). 2.1.4 This report presents the findings of Phase 1 habitat mapping and the assessments of the habitats present as to their intrinsic value, and the potential for protected fauna to occur. 3 ASSESSMENT METHODS 3.1.1 The wildlife value of the existing habitats within the proposed extension area was evaluated on a national and local basis applying established principles, for example as set out in Nature Conservation in Environmental Assessment (Ramsey 1994), Guidelines for Baseline Ecological Assessment (Institute of Environmental Assessment 1995) and the Guidelines for Ecological Impact Assessment in the United Kingdom (EcIA) issued by the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management in 2006. 3.1.2 An extended Phase 1 (JNCC 2003) survey was undertaken on the 4th April 2012 by Tom Staton BSc MSc and Leanne Butt BSc MSc to establish land use, habitats and features of potential importance and to determine the requirement for surveys for protected species. Dominant vegetation types were recorded and plant species were noted. Where plant identification was uncertain, specimens were keyed using Stace (1999) or Poland & Clement (2009) and the distribution and status of plants were assessed against Preston et al. (2002). 3.1.3 Hedgerows were assessed for their importance under the Hedgerow Regulations 1997. The survey included an assessment of ponds to the north-west of the site for their potential to support great crested newts Triturus cristatus, an assessment of all trees within and bounding the site for their potential to support roosting bats, and a search for signs of water voles Arvicola amphibius, otters Lutra lutra and badgers Meles meles. 3.1.4 Whilst it is accepted that the early timing of the survey will have meant that some plant species were not apparent, it is considered that sufficient flora was identified to characterise the habitats present. A full plant list is presented at Appendix A. Further assessment of the site’s probable value for other fauna was made on the basis of habitat structure, age, location and management. 3.1.5 Nottinghamshire Biological & Geological Records Centre (NBGRC) was commissioned to perform a data-search of the proposed extension area and a 1 km radius about its centroid at Ordnance Survey grid reference SK570247. However, as NBGRC search whole km squares, some records may fall just over 1 km from the site. The data-search included records of any protected and notable species and ________________________________________________________________________________________ - 2 - ©AEcol 2012 Cemex UK Materials Ltd ECOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT Rempstone ________________________________________________________________________________________ designated wildlife sites within the search area. The results of data searches for each species group are included within the opening paragraphs of the relevant section. 4. ECOLOGICAL CONTEXT 4.1.1 The area of survey comprised approximately 46 ha located on the north-west side of the village of Rempstone, approximately 2 km south-east of East Leake, Nottinghamshire, around Ordnance Survey grid reference SK570247. The surrounding landscape holds predominantly intensive agricultural land, with mineral extraction within the existing East Leake Quarry to the west, a large area of parkland to the south-west and areas of residential housing within surrounding villages. Figure 1 shows the location of the site within the wider landscape. Reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of HMSO. © Crown copyright 2012. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey licence number WL1005202. Figure 1. The location and extent of the proposed East Leake Quarry extension area, outlined in red. 4.1.2 The data-search performed by NBGRC did not return any details of statutory wildlife sites within 1 km of the proposed East Leake Quarry extension. However, three non-statutory Local Wildlife Sites (LWS) are present in the locality. LWS are designated by Local Authorities for their local conservation interest. However, ________________________________________________________________________________________ - 3 - ©AEcol 2012 Cemex UK Materials Ltd ECOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT Rempstone ________________________________________________________________________________________ whilst they may be defined in local plans, they have no statutory protection. NBGRC state that the Nottinghamshire Natural History Site Alert Schedule describes the sites as follows: 1. Stanford Park: “Well-wooded parkland of exceptional zoological