Ecological Baseline Survey of Land at Finningley Quarry, South Yorkshire / Nottinghamshire LAF.FQ Lafarge Aggregates
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Lafarge Aggregates Ltd ECOLOGICAL BASELINE SURVEY OF LAND AT FINNINGLEY QUARRY, SOUTH YORKSHIRE / NOTTINGHAMSHIRE FINAL- VERSION 2 FEBRUARY 2014 ESL (Ecological Services) Ltd, 1 Otago House, Allenby Business Village, Crofton Road, Lincoln, LN3 4NL Ecological Baseline Survey of Land at Finningley Quarry, South Yorkshire / Nottinghamshire LAF.FQ Lafarge Aggregates DOCUMENT CONTROL TITLE: Ecological Baseline Survey of Land at Finningley Quarry, South Yorkshire / Nottinghamshire VERSION: Final – Version 2 DATE: February 2014 ISSUED BY: Brian Hedley AUTHORS: Peter Morrell and Brian Hedley CHECKED BY: Andrew Malkinson APPROVED BY: Vanessa Tindale ISSUED TO: David Park Restoration Manager Lafarge Aggregates Ltd Thrislington Quarry West Cornforth County Durham DL17 9EY Paul Clarke David L Walker Limited Albion House 89 Station Road Eckington Sheffield S21 4FW This report has been prepared by ESL with all reasonable skill, care and diligence, within the terms of the contract with the Client. The report is confidential to the Client. ESL accepts no responsibility of whatever nature to third parties to whom this report may be made known. No part of this document may be reproduced without the prior written approval of ESL. ESL (Ecological Services) Ltd, 1 Otago House, Allenby Business Village, Crofton Road, Lincoln, LN3 4NL Ecological Baseline Survey of Land at Finningley Quarry, South Yorkshire / Nottinghamshire LAF.FQ Lafarge Aggregates CONTENTS Page 1 INTRODUCTION 1 2 DESK STUDY 1 3 HABITATS, PLANT COMMUNITIES AND PLANT SPECIES 3 3.1 Survey Methods 3 3.2 Extension Phases 25-27, 29 and 31 3 3.3 Waterbodies and Drains 6 3.4 Discussion and Assessment of Biodiversity Importance 10 3.5 Recommendations 11 4 GREAT CRESTED NEWTS AND OTHER AMPHIBIANS 11 4.1 Survey Methods 11 4.2 Results 12 4.3 Discussion and Assessment of Biodiversity Importance 13 4.4 Recommendations 13 5 REPTILES 14 5.1 Survey Methods 14 5.2 Results 14 5.3 Discussion and Assessment of Biodiversity Importance 15 5.4 Recommendations 15 6 BATS 16 6.1 Survey Methods 16 6.2 Results 16 6.3 Discussion and Assessment of Biodiversity Importance 17 6.4 Recommendations 17 7 WATER VOLES 18 7.1 Survey Methods 18 7.2 Results 18 7.3 Discussion and Assessment of Biodiversity Importance 19 7.4 Recommendations 20 8 BADGERS 20 8.1 Survey Methods 20 8.2 Results 20 8.3 Discussion and Assessment of Biodiversity Importance 21 8.4 Recommendations 21 9 OTHER MAMMALS 22 9.1 Survey Methods 22 9.2 Results 22 9.3 Discussion and Assessment of Biodiversity Importance 22 9.4 Recommendations 23 ESL (Ecological Services) Ltd, 1 Otago House, Allenby Business Village, Crofton Road, Lincoln, LN3 4NL Ecological Baseline Survey of Land at Finningley Quarry, South Yorkshire / Nottinghamshire LAF.FQ Lafarge Aggregates CONTENTS continued Page 10 BREEDING BIRDS 23 10.1 Survey Methods 23 10.2 Results 24 10.3 Discussion and Assessment of Biodiversity Importance 24 10.4 Recommendations 25 11 INVERTEBRATES 25 11.1 Survey Methods 25 11.2 Results 25 11.3 Discussion and Assessment of Biodiversity Importance 26 11.4 Recommendations 26 12 REFERENCES 27 TABLES 1 Dates and Weather Conditions of Great Crested Newt Surveys 2 Dates and Weather Conditions of Reptile Surveys 3 Dates, Times and Weather Conditions During Evening Bat Surveys 4 Trees with Potential for Use by Roosting Bats 5 Summary of Results for Evening Bat Surveys 6 Dates, Times and Weather Conditions of Breeding Bird Surveys 7 Total Counts for Extension Phase Areas During Each Breeding Bird Survey Visit 8 List of UK Bap Priority Bird Species, Their Habitat Preferences and Link to Restoration Plans FIGURES 1 Site Location Plan 2 Habitat Map 3 Location of Waterbodies 4 Location of Reptile Refugia and Reptile Survey Results 5 Location of Trees Assessed for Bat Roosts and Transect Routes 6a Water Vole Survey Results: Clay Dike Area 6b Water Vole Survey Results: Deeps Drain Area 6c Water Vole Survey Results: Fiftyeights Drain Area 6d Water Vole Survey Results: Owl Drain Area 7 Badger Activity (April to July 2012) APPENDICES 1 Species Recorded at Finningley Quarry, April to August 2012 2 Data search results 3 Summary of Legal Status for Relevant Species ESL (Ecological Services) Ltd, 1 Otago House, Allenby Business Village, Crofton Road, Lincoln, LN3 4NL Ecological Baseline Survey of Land at Finningley Quarry, South Yorkshire / Nottinghamshire LAF.FQ Lafarge Aggregates ECOLOGICAL BASELINE SURVEY OF LAND AT FINNINGLEY QUARRY, SOUTH YORKSHIRE / NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 ESL (Ecological Services) Ltd has been commissioned by Lafarge Aggregates Ltd to carry out an ecological baseline survey of land at Finningley Quarry situated on the South Yorkshire/Nottinghamshire border, particularly of proposed phases 25-27, 29 and 31, prior to the submission of a planning application to extract sand/gravel in those phases. For this report the ‘site or study area’ refers to phases 20 to 31 and the ‘wider study area’ includes all the application area and some adjacent land. ESL has been involved with annual ecology surveys at the Finningley Quarry site since 2002 (ESL, 2002), covering the now phases 20-24, 26 and 30 (formerly phases 20-25) and adjacent land, to satisfy planning conditions set by Nottinghamshire County Council (consent ref. 1/32/02/00017) and Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council (consent ref. 02/4515/P/MINA). This report therefore has two objectives, (1) to provide baseline ecological information for input into an Environmental Statement required for the proposed extension phases 25-27, 29 and 31 and (2) continue the annual ecological monitoring of all extension phases (to satisfy existing planning conditions). 1.2 Since 2002, ESL has undertaken specific surveys for bats, badgers, brown hares , water voles and great crested newts Triturus cristatus covering phases 20-24, 26 and 30 and adjacent land. The first four species have all been found on site but great crested newts have not. Breeding bird surveys have also been carried out annually since spring 2007 (ESL, 2011a-e). 1.3 This report describes the methods used and provides the findings of the surveys together with recommendations for further work or mitigation where appropriate. For plant species recorded on the site and for bird, mammal and invertebrate species recorded both on the site and in the wider area, English names are used throughout the text with a full species list including scientific names given in Appendix 1. Where plants and animals not recorded by the surveys are referred to, the scientific name is also given in the text. Both English and scientific names of higher plants are given according to Stace (2010) and by Atherton et al (2010) for higher plants and bryophytes respectively. A site location plan is given as Figure 1. 2 DESK STUDY 2.1 The Natural England and JNCC websites were consulted to obtain information pertaining to internationally protected sites and for citations of any Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) within 5km of the site. Information was also gathered on any National Nature Reserves (NNR) within 5km and Local Nature Reserves (LNR) within a 2km radius of the site. Nottinghamshire 1 ESL (Ecological Services) Ltd, 1 Otago House, Allenby Business Village, Crofton Road, Lincoln, LN3 4NL Ecological Baseline Survey of Land at Finningley Quarry, South Yorkshire / Nottinghamshire LAF.FQ Lafarge Aggregates Biological and Geological Records Centre (NBGRC) and Doncaster Biological Records Centre (DBRC) were asked to provide locations of any Local Wildlife Sites (LWS) within 2km of the site and details of any protected species records. Results 2.2 There is one site of international importance within 10km of the site; Humberhead Peatlands, a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) which is 4.7km north of the site. The SAC is designated for its lowland raised bog and importance as a breeding area for nightjars, and is also a NNR. Hatfield Moors SSSI forms part of this SAC, and there are four further SSSIs within 5km of the site. The nearest is Misson Training Area SSSI, 0.7km to the south-east, designated for its important and extensive area of damp scrub and woodland. Misson Line Banks SSSI is an example of standing open water and canals with associated lowland fen, marsh and swamp fauna and and flora, approximately 3.4km to the south-east. River Idle Washlands SSSI, approximately 4.5km west of the site, is designated for its wet grassland habitats. Haxey Grange Fen SSSI, 5km to the east, is designated for its wet woodland, fen and marsh. 2.3 DBRC and NBGRC provided details of 13 LWS situated within 2km of the site. Details of these sites, with their locations, are given in Appendix 2. These sites cover a wide range of habitats including semi natural woodland, flooded gravel pits and drainage systems. 2.4 The protected species records within 2km of the site provided by NBGRC are listed in Appendix 2 and summarised below: • Four records for great crested newt, dated between 1987 and 2005, all from Misson Carr. • Also from Misson Carr, records for common lizard dated between 2003 and 2009 and for grass snakes from 1991 to 2009. • One record for pipistrelle Pipistrellus sp, dated 1991, close to Finningley village. One unidentified bat record, dated 1985, from Spring Hill Farm, Misson. • Fifteen water vole records, all either within the site boundary or within 1km to the east and south-east of the site. • Three records for badger setts (probably all from the results of previous ESL surveys), one at Moizers Drain, west of the site, from 2005 and two setts recorded in 2009 north of the site. • One record for the 2km search area of a bird species, marsh harrier, which is listed on Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act and could possibly breed on site or on adjacent land.