NATURE CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN 2015-2020 FOR LAND OWNED BY LINCOLNSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL IN LINCOLNSHIRE COASTAL COUNTRY PARK Jeremy Fraser March 2015 Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust Banovallum House Manor House Street HORNCASTLE Lincolnshire LN9 5HF Tel: 01507-526667 E-mail: [email protected] CONTENTS Page 1 Introduction ...................................................................................... 1 2 Lincolnshire Coastal Country Park ................................................... 2 3 The Study Area ................................................................................ 2 4 Surrounding Land ............................................................................ 2 5 Sources of Information ..................................................................... 3 6 Statutory Sites of Nature Conservation Importance.......................... 4 7 Non-Statutory Sites of Nature Conservation Importance .................. 4 8 Agri-Environment Schemes and Management Plans ....................... 5 9 Species Protection and Action Plans ............................................... 6 10 Local Wildlife Site Survey Techniques ............................................. 7 11 Overview of Habitats ........................................................................ 8 12 Site Descriptions .............................................................................. 9 13 Habitat Management ...................................................................... 13 14 Further Management Issues .......................................................... 16 15 Threats .......................................................................................... 17 16 Management Objectives ................................................................ 19 17 Management Prescriptions ............................................................ 19 18 Work Plan ...................................................................................... 22 19 Measures of Success ..................................................................... 22 20 Costs ............................................................................................. 23 21 Further Management Proposals ..................................................... 24 22 References .................................................................................... 25 23 Acknowledgements ........................................................................ 26 APPENDICES Page Map 1 Lincolnshire Coastal Country Park Boundary ................... 29 Map 2 Lincolnshire County Council Ownership Boundary ........... 31 Map 3a Land Surveyed in 2014 (1) ............................................... 33 Map 3b Land Surveyed in 2014 (2) ............................................... 35 Map 3c Land Surveyed in 2014 (3) ............................................... 37 Map 3d Land Surveyed in 2014 (4) ............................................... 39 Map 4a Nature Conservation Areas (1) ........................................ 41 Map 4b Nature Conservation Areas (2) ........................................ 43 Map 4c Nature Conservation Areas (3) ........................................ 45 Map 5a Habitat Areas (1) .............................................................. 47 Map 5b Habitat Areas (2) .............................................................. 49 Map 5c Habitat Areas (3) .............................................................. 51 Map 5d Habitat Areas (4) .............................................................. 53 Map 6a Management Areas (1) .................................................... 55 Map 6b Management Areas (2) .................................................... 57 Map 6c Management Areas (3) .................................................... 59 Map 6d Management Areas (4) .................................................... 61 LINCOLNSHIRE COASTAL COUNTRY PARK LINCOLNSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL LAND NATURE CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN 2015 to 2020 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1. The Lincolnshire Coastal Country Park (LCCP) is a 35 square kilometre area on the North Sea coast of Lincolnshire between Sandilands in the north and Chapel St Leonards in the south (see Map 1 & Section 2). Much of the seaward edge of the park is owned by Lincolnshire County Council (LCC), where important coastal habitats are visited by large numbers of tourists and local residents every year (see Map 2). This management plan refers primarily to the area shown on Map 2, but also considers neighbouring land to the west. 1.2. Major aims of this document are to describe the habitats present and to outline realistic management objectives over five years, with the aim of benefitting the flora and fauna and accommodating the need for continued substantial public access. 1.3. Relevant reports, data and background information considered during compilation of this management plan are outlined in Section 5. The author also carried out field surveys (primarily botanical) in 2014, with the dual purpose of informing the management plan and providing data to allow selection of Local Wildlife Sites (LWSs), where appropriate (see Sections 7, 10, et al). 1.4. Most of the sites shown on Map 2 are not currently managed, although there is some recently created wetland. Management is undertaken more widely on adjacent and nearby land, including Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust (LWT) nature reserves and Sandilands Golf Course. 1.5. Two neighbouring sites in the coastal strip are known as Chapel Six Marshes. To minimise confusion, the northern area, which is an LWT nature reserve, is hereafter referred to as Chapel Six Marshes (LWT), whereas the southern area is referred to as Chapel Six Marshes (LCC). 2. LINCOLNSHIRE COASTAL COUNTRY PARK 2.1. Following several years of planning and discussions, the LCCP came into being in the late 2000s, when a Strategic Business Plan for 2009-12 was produced (Tarttelin, 2009). Led by LCC, the other project partners are East Lindsey District Council, Environment Agency (EA), LWT, Lindsey Marsh Drainage Board, Natural England, National Farmers Union and National Trust. 2.2. The vision for LCCP refers to the creation of a dynamic and extensive area providing high quality facilities for people and better protection for wildlife. A wide range of inter-connected targets lie at the heart of the vision, which have been grouped into the following four Strategic Aims: A sustainable, varied and attractive coastal landscape, rich in wildlife and attractive to visitors and residents in every season; 1 A new green tourism destination with high quality accessible natural green space and opportunities to experience the area’s cultural and natural heritage; An associated visitor or heritage centre, observatories and interpretation points; and A vibrant, diverse and sustainable local community. 2.3. Funding up to the end of 2014 has come from a variety of sources, including LCC, LWT, EA, Heritage Lottery Fund, WREN, Rural Development Programme for England and Agri-Environment Schemes. 2.4. Some projects already completed within the park are: land purchase at Huttoft Marsh (funded by LWT, LCC and EA) and Anderby Marsh (funded by WREN, LWT and LCC); a new permissive path from Wolla Bank to Anderby Creek; an all-ability path and wetland creation at Chapel Six Marshes (LCC); several refurbished car parks; production of a series of walking leaflets; development of interpretation facilities at main coastal sites; and production of an annual events programme. 3. THE STUDY AREA 3.1. As Map 2 shows, the land under consideration in this plan (hereafter referred to usually as ‘the study area’) lies entirely east of the coast road, measuring 20m to 200m wide and 7.3km long. It is aligned approximately north-by-west to south-by- east, parallel to the North Sea coast, with three very short breaks and one major gap of 575m. Wolla Bank Reedbed nature reserve is owned by LCC, but did not form part of the study area at LCC’s request, because it is managed by LWT. 3.2. Public usage dominates the coast here, and there are five car parking areas accessed from the nearby coast road. One is in Anderby Creek, while further north a large number of vehicles and visitors can be accommodated on the seaward side of the dune ridge at Huttoft Car Terrace and on the landward side of the dune ridge at Marsh Yard. To the south of Anderby Creek, there is a small car park at Wolla Bank and a much larger area for cars at Chapel Six Marshes (LCC), both of which are immediately inland of the dune ridge. Toilet blocks are present at all these car parks, with the exception of Wolla Bank. From these and other access points, visitors wander along the whole length of the LCC holding. Dog walking is a very popular pursuit. 3.3. Two topographical features found almost throughout are a low fixed dune ridge and a strip of shallowly sloping upper beach further east. In some locations actively forming foredunes are present between beach and fixed dunes. The latter were subject to re-modelling and subsequent shrub planting in the 1980s in order to strengthen their sea defence capability. 3.4. Few further landscape features are present at the very narrow northern end of the site. Further south the site widens, encompassing shallow landward dune slopes that in places incorporate wetland, much of which has been recently created or restored with nature conservation in mind. 4. SURROUNDING LAND 4.1. Many of the sites mentioned below are shown on Maps 4a, 4b and 4c. 2 4.2. Land to the east of the coast road,