Doncaster Local Wildlife and Geological Sites System Appendix A – Local Site Selection Guidelines Supplementary Planning Document August 2010 Doncaster Local Development Framework www.doncaster.gov.uk 1 Acknowledgements The production of these Local Site selection guidelines for wildlife and geological sites would not have been possible without the knowledge and efforts of the review panels and all those individuals who contributed information, advice and support. The Local Sites Partnership would like to extend thanks to all involved. The Partnership would also like to acknowledge the efforts of the North Yorkshire SINC Panel in their production of Selection Guidelines for North Yorkshire. This exemplary publication has helped to inform the development of Doncaster Boroughs guidelines, which have been adapted to reflect local biodiversity and geodiversity interests. 2 Contents Acknowledgements 2 1. Introduction 5 Habitat Selection Guidelines 2. Woodland and Scrub Habitats 14 Site Selection Criteria – Woodland and Scrub 24 3. Parkland and Wood Pasture Habitats 34 Site Selection Criteria – Parkland and Wood Pasture 37 4. Hedgerows Habitats 39 Site Selection Criteria – Hedgerows 42 5. Grassland Habitats, including Lowland Heathland/Acid Grassland Mosaics 47 Site Selection Criteria – Grasslands and Heathland 57 6 Fen and Mire 68 Site Selection Criteria – Fen and Mire 77 7 Standing Water 83 Site Selection Criteria – Standing Water 91 8 Flowing Water 96 Site Selection Criteria – Flowing Water 101 9 Mixed Habitats and Structural Mosaics 106 Site Selection Criteria – Mixed Habitats and Structural Mosaics 109 10 Artificial Substrates 113 Site Selection Criteria – Artificial Substrates 117 11 Species Selection Guidelines 121 12 Site Selection Criteria – Multiple Species Groups 124 13 Site Selection Criteria – Mammals 125 14 Site Selection Criteria – Birds 127 15 Site Selection Criteria – Reptiles 128 16 Site Selection Criteria – Amphibians 128 17 Geological Selection Guidelines 129 3 List of Tables 1.1 Relationship between BAP priority Habitats and Doncaster’s Site Selection Criteria 7 1.2 Habitat Attribute Table 10 2.1 Identification of Woodland & Scrub Communities in Doncaster Borough 17 2.2 Lowland Heathy Oak Woodland – Habitat character list 28 2.3 Limestone Woodland – Habitat character list 29 2.4 Wet Woodland – Habitat character list 31 2.5 Scrub – Habitat character list 32 4.1 Hedge types in Doncaster Borough by defined structure category 40 4.2 Ancient and/or Species Rich hedgerows - character list for woody species 44 4.3 Ancient and/or Species Rich hedgerows - character list for non-woody species 45 5.1 Identification of Grassland and Grassland/Heathland Mosaic Communities in Doncaster Borough 49 5.2 Neutral and wet grassland - Habitat character list 62 5.3 Limestone grassland - Habitat character list 64 5.4 Acid Grassland / Lowland Heathy Oak woodland – Habitat character list 66 6.1 Identification of Mire Communities in Doncaster Borough 72 6.2 Identification of Fen Communities in Doncaster Borough 75 6.3 Lowland Raised Mire – Habitat character list 80 6.4 Mixed Fen – Habitat character list 81 7.1 Identification of Fen Communities in Doncaster Borough 87 7.2 Standing water – Habitat character list 93 8.1 Identification of Flowing Water Communities in Doncaster Borough 98 8.2 Flowing water – Habitat character list 103 9.1 Features of structural importance for invertebrates 107 9.2 Habitat Mosaics 110 9.3 Bryophyte species list 112 10.1 Species of artificial substrates 118 10.2 Species of artificial substrates 119 10.3 Species of artificial substrates 120 13.1 Numbers of bats that indicate a significant breeding roost in Doncaster. 126 18.1 Panel Membership and consultation contributors 130 4 1 Introduction 1.1 Appendix A to the Local Wildlife and Geological Sites Supplementary Planning Document, details the criteria developed as guidelines for the selection of Local Sites in Doncaster Borough. This document should be read in conjunction to the Local Sites Supplementary Planning Document which informs and supports the implementation of retained policy ENV 41 of Doncaster’s Unitary Development Plan, and its successor the Local Development Framework. 1.2 Whilst the Supplementary Planning Document outlines the policy framework for Local Sites, and the various processes of managing the local sites system, Appendix A details the individual site selection criteria, how they should be applied and why they are important. In establishing importance, the review panels have described the local biological and geological resource, and identified their measurable features and qualitative attributes as a basis for assessing eligibility for Local Site status. 1.3 The guidelines set out within this document are divided into three sections based upon; Habitat, Species and Geology / geomorphology based criteria. Sites can qualify on one or more of these grounds and only has to meet one of the criteria to be eligible for designation. Habitat Selection Guidelines 1.4 The habitat criteria are broadly based on the ‘Ratcliffe approach’ for designating Sites of Special Scientific Interest, but adapted to select notable features and measurable attributes of the Borough’s local natural resource. The habitats and features selected reflect those identified in the Habitat Action Plans of Doncaster’s Local Biodiversity Action Plan 1 and therefore focus upon the conservation of local biodiversity priorities..Species highlighted in bold within the descriptive text for each habitat are species of conservation importance identified in Doncaster’s Species Audit 2. The relationship between the criteria and Habitat Action Plans is shown in Table 1.1. 1.5 The criteria set out what are considered to be features of biodiversity interest and importance for various habitats found throughout the Borough. Their significance, along with details of how the Ratcliffe criteria have been considered in our assessments, is summarised in Table 1.2. In assessing sites against the criteria, nationally adopted and established habitat classification systems, including National Vegetation Classification (NVC) and Phase 1 Habitat Classification have been used to identify, map, measure and define semi-natural habitats. The criteria also include size qualification thresholds for 1 Doncaster Biodiversity Action Partnership, 2007, Doncaster Local Biodiversity Action Plan 2 Doncaster Biodiversity Action Partnership, 2007, A Species Audit for Doncaster Borough 5 sites and habitats. These often relate to widely adopted survey methodologies, to enable the inclusion of additional datasets in site assessment. 6 Table 1.1 Relationship between Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) priority Habitats and Doncaster’s Local Site Selection Criteria UK BAP Priority Habitats Local BAP Habitat Action Plan Local Site selection criteria (Habitats) Lowland raised bog Lowland Raised Mire HAP Fen and Mire Habitats Mixed Habitats and Structural Mosaics Lowland fens Minor Streams, Springs, Fens, Fen and Mire Habitats Flushes, Mires and Fenny Fields Flowing Water Habitats HAP Mixed Habitats and Structural Mosaics Rivers Rivers, Canals, Oxbows, Major Standing Water Habitats Streams and Subsidence wetlands Flowing Water Habitats HAP Mixed Habitats and Structural Mosaics Reedbeds Reedbeds HAP Standing Water Habitats Mixed Habitats and Structural Mosaics Coastal and floodplain grazing Marshes and Swamps, Lakes and Fen and Mire Habitats marsh Ponds, Ditches and Drains HAP Eutrophic standing waters Standing Water Habitats Ponds Mixed Habitats and Structural Mosaics Lowland mixed deciduous Limestone Woodland HAP Woodland and Scrub Habitats woodland Mixed Habitats and Structural Mosaics Lowland mixed deciduous Lowland Heathy Oak Woodland Woodland and Scrub Habitats woodland HAP Mixed Habitats and Structural Mosaics Hedgerows Ancient and Species Rich Hedgerow Habitats Hedgerows HAP Mixed Habitats and Structural Mosaics Lowland calcareous grassland Limestone Grassland HAP Grassland Habitats Mixed Habitats and Structural Mosaics Lowland heathland Lowland Heathland / Acid Grassland Grassland Habitats (including lowland Mosaic HAP heathland/acid grassland mosaics) 7 Lowland dry acid grassland Mixed Habitats and Structural Mosaics Coastal and floodplain grazing Neutral and Wet Grassland HAP Grassland Habitats marsh Lowland meadows Mixed Habitats and Structural Mosaics Wood-pasture and parkland Parkland, Wood Pasture and Parkland and Wood Pasture Habitats Veteran Trees HAP Mixed Habitats and Structural Mosaics Wet woodland Wet Woodland HAP Woodland and Scrub Habitats Mixed Habitats and Structural Mosaics Arable Field Margins Arable Field Margins HAP Mixed Habitats and Structural Mosaics Open Mosaic Habitats on Post Industrial and Brownfield Land Habitats of Artificial Substrates Previously Developed Land HAP Mixed Habitats and Structural Mosaics Urban Greenspace HAP Mixed Habitats and Structural Mosaics Crags, Caves and Tunnels HAP Grassland Habitats Mixed Habitats and Structural Mosaics Greenways HAP Mixed Habitats and Structural Mosaics 8 1.6 Another tool adopted to assess habitat attributes is the use of ‘Habitat Character’ species lists, corresponding with Doncaster’s key habitats. These species lists for key habitat communities help to define local typicality and provide a means of assessing quality through a measure of species diversity. The lists consist of indicator species, more typical community components and rarities extracted from Doncaster’s Species Audit. The criteria require sites/habitats to attain the specified