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The River Ray
SNA Number: 768, 769, 772
Strong focus for conservation work in Swindon Town. The River runs through the River Ray Parkway GI network which stretches from north east Swindon, down the western edge of the town. As well as being an important wetland site for wildlife it also connects the three SNAs which border the town to its western edge, thus acting as an important link between them for wildlife.
SSSIs adjacent to the River Ray Haydon Meadow – Main Habitat: Neutral Grassland; Description: A floristically rich, unimproved lowland neutral grassland, managed as hay meadow. The meadow is important for a number of nationally scarce plants and invertebrates including the uncommon green-winged orchid, grey club- rush and the forester moth. A pond onsite supports a local population of protected great crested newts.
CWS and the River Ray River Ray – Main habitat: River;
Mouldon Hill
SNA Number: 45 Bordering the northwest corner of Swindon, this SNA represents a focus area for neutral grassland creation and extension. Covering an area of 116.5 hectares the area covers prime focus for creation work
SSSIs in Mouldon Hill SNA Haydon Meadow - Main Habitat: Neutral Grassland; Description: A floristically rich, unimproved lowland neutral grassland, managed as hay meadow. The meadow is important for a number of nationally scarce plants and invertebrates including the uncommon green-winged orchid, grey club- rush and the forester moth. A pond onsite supports a local population of protected great crested newts.
CWS in Mouldon Hill Haydon Farm Meadows 2- Main habitat: Neutral Grassland. Description: Lowland hay meadow. Three meadows lying adjacent to the River Ray on the west edge of Swindon, one with its historic ridge and furrow system. Haydon Farm Meadows 1 – Main habitat: Neutral Grassland. Description: Two river-side lowland meadows on the west edge of Swindon with their historic ridge and furrow system intact. Mouldon Hill Flood Storage – Main habitat: Fen, Marsh, Swamp. Description: A flood storage basin with tall-herb fen and wet carr woodland communities. River Ray – Main habitat: River Moredon and Haydon Wick Old Railway Line – Main habitat: Habitat Mosaic. Description: A 3.5km section of old railway track with associated grassland and scrub habitats on the western fringes of Swindon Borough.
Moredon
SNA Number: 46 Almost entirely within the town’s urban border, this SNA is designated for its areas of Neutral grassland Includes the Moredon Playing Fields and the Shaw Forest Park Lies wholly within the River Ray Parkway Green Infrastructure Network
SSSIs in Moredon SNA None
CWS in Moredon Moredon Meadow 3 – Main Habitat: Neutral Grassland. Description: A small neutral hay meadow within the urban area of Swindon Borough, supporting semi-improved neutral grassland and bordered by dense scrub woodland and a meandering brook. Moredon Meadow 2 - Main Habitat: Neutral Grassland. Description: A small neutral hay meadow within the urban area of Swindon Borough, supporting semi-improved neutral grassland and bordered by dense scrub woodland and a meandering brook. Moredon Meadow 1 - Main Habitat: Neutral Grassland. Description: A small neutral hay meadow within the urban area of Swindon Borough, supporting semi-improved neutral grassland and bordered by dense scrub woodland and a canalised stream. Moredon and Haydon Wick Old Railway Line – Main habitat: Habitat Mosaic. Description: A 3.5km section of old railway track with associated grassland and scrub habitats on the western fringes of Swindon Borough. Swindon Lagoons WWT Reserve - Main habitat: Standing Open Water/ Fen, Marsh and Swamp Description: Old sewage settling pits, abandoned for many years.
Lydiard Park
SNA Number: 47 A well established country park bordering the western fringe of the Swindon urban area. Designated as an SNA for its Neutral Grassland habitats. Lies wholly within the River Ray Parkway Green Infrastructure Network
SSSIs in Lydiard Park SNA None
CWS in Lydiard Park Lydiard Country Park - Main Habitat: Broadleaved Woodland/Parkland Description: A large and well used Country Park on the outskirts of Swindon with areas of parkland, amenity grassland, agricultural grassland, plantation and semi-natural woodland.
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Coate Water
SNA Number: 48 Situated wholly within the Coate Water and The Lawns GI Network Designated as an SNA for its neutral grassland habitats but also includes areas of priority standing open water and woodland habitats as well.
SSSIs in Coate Water SNA Coate Water – Main Habitats: Standing open water and canals, Neutral grassland and Broadleaved, mixed and yew woodland; Description: An important SSSI designated for its woodland, neutral grassland, open water and fen habitats which support diverse breeding and over-wintering bird populations as well as important assemblages of dragonflies and damselflies
CWS in Coate Water SNA None
South Meadow Lane
SNA Number: 44 Designated as an SNA for its neutral grassland habitats Falls to the north of the River Ray GI Network
SSSIs in South Meadow Lane SNA None
CWS in South Lane Meadows SNA South Lane Meadows – Main Habitat: Neutral grassland; Description: Two adjoining fields in a low- lying part of the River Ray valley. River Ray Fields 5 and 5a, Cricklade – Main Habitat: Two large, adjoining fields alongside River Ray. River Ray – Main Habitat: River South Marston
SNA Number: 49 Situated wholly within the proposed Eastern villages development and GI network Designated as a SNA for its Neutral Grassland habitats although it also includes Nightingale Woods, a Forestry Commission managed mixed deciduous woodland.
SSSIs in South Marston SNA None
CWS in South Marston River Cole – Main Habitat: River; Description: The River Cole, a tributary of the Thames, runs along the eastern edge of Swindon Borough. Brook Meadow – Main Habitat: Neutral Grassland; Description: An area of neutral grassland, hay meadow and plantation managed as a nature reserve. Includes a restored section of the River Cole and a number of created wetland features.
Wroughton Area
SNA Number: 204 This SNA overlaps with the southern extent of both the Coate Water and The Lawn GI Network and the Wichelstowe GI Network. Designated for its woodland priority habitats, primarily concentrated around Clout’s Wood WWT nature reserve and SSSI and Burderop Woods SSSI, this SNA also includes considerable chalk downland habitats.
SSSIs in Wroughton Area SNA Burderop Wood – Main Habitat: Broadleaved, mixed and yew woodland; Description: An example of wet ash-maple and acid pedunculate oak-hazel-ash woodland, with a rich associated ground flora. Large numbers of mature oaks and extensive areas of permanently saturated ground add to the interest. The site supports a range of typical woodland birds and other animals. Great spotted woodpecker, nuthatch, mistle thrush and sparrowhawk occur, in addition to several tit and warbler species. Invertebrate diversity is favoured because of variation in the canopy cover. Clouts Wood – Main Habitat: Broadleaved, mixed and yew woodland; Description: The site is a good example of a mainly ash-maple-hazel and invasive English elm woodland with a rich ground flora. Zoological investigations have revealed that Clouts Wood supports a diverse woodland fauna, in particular birds and invertebrates. The resident bird community includes treecreeper, sparrowhawk, tawny owl and great spotted woodpecker. Areas of dead elm wood provide conditions in which many invertebrates thrive.
CWS in Wroughton Area River Ray and Burderop Plantations – Main Habitat: Conifer woodland; Description: compartments of plantation woodland buffering woodland SSSI adjacent to the M4. Burderop Coombe – Main Habitat: Calcareous grassland; Description: This site consists primarily of the west and north faces of Ladder Hill where the ground is too steep to plough and supports calcareous grassland on steeper slopes. Coombe Bottom – Main Habitat: Broadleaved woodland/Calcareous grassland; Description: A narrow valley on the edge of the chalk with exposures of Upper Greensand & Gault clay. Supports calcareous and mesotrophic grassland and scrubby woodland. Wroughton Reservoir – Main Habitat: Standing open water; Description: A reservoir no longer used by Thames Water. Markham Banks East – Main Habitat: Calcareous grassland; Description: A small chalk coombe open to the north with unimproved calcareous grassland on steeper banks and more mesotrophic, but species rich grassland on flatter areas. Markham Banks West – Main Habitat: Calcareous grassland; Description: Unimproved calcareous grassland on a steep east-facing chalk bank, with a smaller area west-facing. The site also includes flatter damp mesotrophic grassland and scrub woodland and an area of wetland around a spring. Wroughton East – Main Habitat: Calcareous grassland; Description: Site on the final Lower Chalk scarp at the northern limit of the Wiltshire chalk. Chilcot Wood – Main Habitat: Broadleaved woodland; Description: A small area of deciduous woodland composed mainly of Beech standards. Wroughton Airfield Chalk – Main Habitat: Calcareous grassland; Description: species-rich calcareous and neutral grassland and more mesotrophic grass around two WWII hangars. Salthrop Wood East – Main Habitat: Broadleaved woodland; Description: Ancient Woodland Site mostly replanted. Quidhampton Wood – Main Habitat: Broadleaved woodland; Description: Ancient semi-natural broadleaved woodland mostly on steep west and north-facing slopes. Also includes an area of beech plantation on flat ground above.