Management Plan
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Ghent’s Meadow, Warwick Road, Chadwick End, Solihull Management Plan Cotswold Wildlife Surveys August 2020 Ghent’s Meadow, Warwick Road, Chadwick End – Management Plan 3646-CWS-01 Ghent’s Meadow, Warwick Road, Chadwick End, Solihull Management Plan 1. Background information 1.1 Site location Nearest town, village or feature Chadwick End, Solihull Grid reference SP 20732 72947 Total area (ha) 0.50 1.2 Description of the grassland in the landscape The site currently comprises a single paddock which until recently had become almost completely overgrown with Bramble Rubus fruticosus and Hawthorn Crataegus mongyna scrub and stands of tall ruderal vegetation. Small, remnant patches of the original grassland remained in places (Fig. 1), and the whole paddock was bordered by intact, species rich hedgerows. Clearance in spring 2020 has left much of the site as bare ground (Fig. 2). The remaining grassland was dominated by Creeping Fescue Festuca rubra, Smooth Meadow- grass Poa pratensis and False Oatgrass Arrhenatherum elatius, with Creeping Soft-grass Holcus mollis, Yorkshire Fog H. lanatus, Cocksfoot Dactylis glomerata, Meadow Foxtail Alopecurus pratensis, a brome species Bromus sp, and Soft Rush Juncus effusus also present. Fig. 1 Grass patch Fig. 2 Cleared site in spring 2020 Cotswold Wildlife Surveys 1 Ghent’s Meadow, Warwick Road, Chadwick End – Management Plan 3646-CWS-01 A range of forbs were noted, these including Creeping Buttercup Ranunculus repens, Pignut Conopodium majus, Hedge Bindweed Calystegia sepium, Field Forget-me-not Myosotis arvensis, Yarrow Achillea millefolium, Black Knapweed Centaurea nigra, Marsh Thistle Cirsium palustris, Nipplewort Lapsana communis and Dandelion Taraxacum Section Vulgaria. Tall ruderals included Common Nettle Urtica dioica, Broad-leaved Dock Rumex obtusifolius, Curled Dock R. crispus, Hogweed Heracleum sphondylium and Cow Parsley Anthriscus sylvestris. A fern species Dryopteris sp was also present. Much of the site had been covered in Bramble scrub, and a large block of this was still present at the eastern side of the site, along with a heap of cut Bramble (Figs. 3 and 4). Figs. 3 & 4 Bramble scrub and heap The boundaries were marked by intact, species rich hedgerows, these containing Hawthorn, Crataegus monogyna, with Sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus, Holly Ilex aquifolium, English Elm Ulmus procera, Elder Sambucus nigra and Dog Rose Rosa canina also recorded. Scattered trees in the hedge included Pedunculate Oak Quercus robur, Ash Fraxinus excelsior and Cherry plum Prunus cerasifera. 1.3 History of management Ghent’s Meadow has been in the Ghent family for over 300 years. Up until the past 20 years or so it has been used as a paddock for animal grazing. Over the past 20 years it has become disused and overgrown with unauthorised use by the village as a general dumping ground for building waste and rubbish. In spring 2020, the field was partially stripped of the established ruderal vegetation, Bramble and scrub, and levelled. Some top soil was removed from the area surrounding the pond and spread in the lower section of the site, leaving predominantly bare ground. Some established native trees were left in situ. The owners want to re-establish a meadow on the site, enriching this with wildflowers to enhance the biodiversity. Cotswold Wildlife Surveys 2 Ghent’s Meadow, Warwick Road, Chadwick End – Management Plan 3646-CWS-01 An overgrown and silted up field pond will also be restored, which it is hoped will benefit wildlife and assist with draining the boggy area at the extreme southwestern corner of the site. 2. Grassland information 2.1 Areas and features In Adjacent to Mapped 2.1.1 Designated areas grassland grassland Special Areas for Conservation (SACs) - - - Special Protection Areas (SPAs) - - - Ramsar Sites - - - National Nature Reserves (NNRs) - - - Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) - - - Other designations e.g.: Sites of Importance for - - - Nature Conservation (SINCs), Local Nature Reserves (LNRs), County Wildlife Sites (CWS) Details Approximately 3.0 km to the north-west is Brook Meadow, a traditionally managed herb-rich meadow lying beside the Cuttle Brook in central Warwickshire on the border with Solihull. The meadow is of special interest for a type of herb-rich flood meadow grassland characterised by Meadow Foxtail Alopecurus pratensis and Great Burnet Sanguisorba officinalis, which is now very scarce nationally and in the County. It lies on alluvium, which in turn overlies the Keuper Marl, a major geological formation in this part of the county. Local Wildlife Sites; Priests Park Wood, Hay Wood and Baddesley Clinton Park all lie within 2.0 km of the site and are predominately valuable for their broadleaved woodland. Potential Local Wildlife Sites Chadwick Netherwood Lane Hay Meadows lies within 0.5 km of the site. Cotswold Wildlife Surveys 3 Ghent’s Meadow, Warwick Road, Chadwick End – Management Plan 3646-CWS-01 In Adjacent to 2.1.2 Rare and important species Mapped grassland grassland Red Data Book or BAP species - - - Rare, threatened, EPS or SAP species - - - Details Ecological data was gathered from: ❑ Multi Agency Geographic Information (MAGIC) website www.magic.gov.uk; ❑ Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council planning website. ❑ Records from Cotswold Wildlife Surveys previous surveys. Amphibians There are Great Crested Newt Triturus cristatus records approximately 200 m to the south of the site. Reptiles No reptiles are recorded in the vicinity. Birds No bird species records are held publicly, although species recorded on site include Woodpigeon Columba palumbus, Wren Troglodytes troglodytes, Dunnock Prunella modularis, Robin Erithacus rubecula, Chiffchaff Phylloscopus colybita, Goldcrest Regulus regulus, Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus, Greenfinch Carduelis chloris, Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis, Magpie Pica pica and Jackdaw Corvus monedula. Bats There are records nearby of a Brown Long-eared Bat Plecotus auritus roost and two records of unidentified bats, all from properties 350-500 m south of the site. Badgers There are a number of historic and recent Badger Meles meles road casualties in and around Chadwick End suggesting the presence of a sett in the area. Other species No other species were noted. In Adjacent to 2.1.3 Habitats Mapped grassland grassland Ancient semi-natural woodland (ASNW) - - - Other semi-natural woodland - - - Plantations on ancient woodland sites (PAWS) - - - Semi-natural features in PAWS - - - Cotswold Wildlife Surveys 4 Ghent’s Meadow, Warwick Road, Chadwick End – Management Plan 3646-CWS-01 Woodland margins and hedges - ✓ - Veteran and other notable trees - - - Breeding sites - ✓ - Habitats of notable species or subject to HAPs - - - Unimproved grassland - - - Rides and open ground - - - Valuable wildlife communities - - - Feeding areas - ✓ - Lowland heath - - - Peatlands - - - Others - - - Details The northwestern, southwestern and southeastern boundary of the site are bounded by intact, mature, species rich hedgerows. The land is predominantly bare earth with a large patch of Bramble scrub. In Adjacent to Map 2.1.4 Water grassland grassland Watercourses - - - Lakes - - - Ponds ✓ - ✓ Wetland habitats - - - Details There was a small pond on the site which had recently been re-excavated. In Adjacent to 2.1.5 Landscape Map grassland grassland Landscape designated areas - - - Landscape features - - - Rock exposures - - - Historic landscapes - - - Areas of the grassland prominent from roads - - - Cotswold Wildlife Surveys 5 Ghent’s Meadow, Warwick Road, Chadwick End – Management Plan 3646-CWS-01 Areas of the grassland prominent from - - - settlements Details Not applicable. In Adjacent to 2.1.6 Cultural features Map grassland grassland Public rights of way ✓ - ✓ Prominent viewing points - - - Permissive footpaths - - - Areas managed with traditional management - - - systems Details A public footpath runs the length of the site adjacent to the northern boundary. In Adjacent to 2.1.7 Archaeological features Map grassland grassland Scheduled monument - - - Historical features - - - Details Not applicable. 2.2 Significant hazards, constraints and threats There are no hazards or threats. 3. Long term vision, management objectives & strategy 3.1 Long term vision To create a semi-improved species rich neutral grassland with robust boundary hedgerows. Cotswold Wildlife Surveys 6 Ghent’s Meadow, Warwick Road, Chadwick End – Management Plan 3646-CWS-01 3.2 Management objectives No. Objective 3.2.1 Create a seed bed and plant with a permanent wildflower grass mix appropriate to the soil type. 3.2.2 Manage the grassland to reduce weed burden and encourage a mixture of grasses and broadleaved flowering plants. 3.2.3 Maintain the boundaries as wide, diverse broadleaved hedgerows. 3.3 Strategy Produce a 10-year management plan to be implemented by the developer/landowner. 4. Management prescriptions/operations 4.1 Protection and maintenance 4.1.1 Pest and disease management There is no evidence of deer, or Badger damage, but Rabbits Oryctolagus cunniculus are thought to be present. It is not considered that animal pests will be a problem during establishment. Colonisation by weed species such as Creeping Thistle Cirsium arvense, Sow Thistle Sonchus spp, Ragwort Senecio jacobaea, etc, could become an issue. Ideally these would be controlled by hand weeding with a grubber, if this is not possible, then they should be spot sprayed with an appropriate herbicide. A small area of Japanese Knotweed Fallopia japonica was identified and should be prioritised