Somerset County Council An Ecosystems Approach to Long Term Minerals Planning in the Mendip Hills Phase 1: Initial Feasibility Study Final Report March 2009 Cuesta Consulting Limited An Ecosystems Approach to Long Term Minerals Planning in the Mendip Hills, Phase 1: Initial Feasibility Study Bibliographic Reference: Thompson, A., and Birch, J. (2009): An Ecosystems Approach to Long Term Minerals Planning in the Mendip Hills, Phase 1: Initial Feasibility Study. Report to Somerset County Council and Natural England, March 2009. Cuesta Consulting Limited, Uckfield, East Sussex. (47pp) Acknowledgements: Funding for this project was provided by Natural England through Defra’s Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF). The Authors are grateful to Natural England, Somerset County Council (who commissioned the research and managed the funding), and to the following organisations who provided valuable input to the study during consultation meetings and site visits, through the provision of background information, and through their comments on an earlier draft of this report: o Capita Symonds Limited (specialist input on the Ecosystems Approach and GIS analysis) o David Jarvis Associates (advice on 3D visualisation data requirements and landscape issues) o Natural England (consultation on the ecosystems approach, geodiversity, biodiversity, soils & landscape) o English Heritage (consultation on the historic environment) o The Environment Agency (consultation on the water environment, including water resources & flooding) o Somerset Wildlife Trust (consultation on wildlife habitats & species conservation) o Mendip Hills AONB service (consultation on AONB interests, and potential Geopark status) o Defra (consultation on the ecosystems approach and methodology) o The South West Regional Assembly (consultation on long term economic and spatial planning strategies) o Bristol Water (consultation on public water supplies, source protection zones and mitigation of impacts) o Somerset County Council Councillors (consultation on the concept of long term planning for minerals) o Mendip Quarry Producers – Aggregate Industries, Hanson Aggregates, Tarmac, John Wainwright & Sons, Morris & Perry – (detailed consultation on opportunities (geological resource availability, geodiversity, restoration options and community engagement) and constraints (notably geotechnical, water environment, nature conservation, land ownership and public perception) o The Mendips Quarry Advisory Group – representing a diverse range of political and community interest groups including local MPs, District Councillors and the Council for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) (Consultation on issues relating to the concept of long term planning for minerals) Photographic Acknowledgements: All photographs used in this report are by Dr. Alan Thompson, © 2009, Cuesta Consulting Ltd. Geological Data Acknowledgement: Geological data shown in this report is taken from the DiGMapGB-50 data (version 5_18), supplied by the British Geological Survey and used with permission. Cuesta Consulting Limited Date: 27 March 2009 QA Reference: C/SCC/005 i QA Status: Final An Ecosystems Approach to Long Term Minerals Planning in the Mendip Hills, Phase 1: Initial Feasibility Study CONTENTS Executive Summary.......................................................................................................1 1. Introduction & Terms of Reference..........................................................................2 Introduction...............................................................................................................................2 Aims and Objectives.................................................................................................................2 The Scope of this Report..........................................................................................................3 2. Background................................................................................................................4 Introduction...............................................................................................................................4 The Need for Aggregate Quarrying in the Mendips..................................................................4 Minerals Planning Background.................................................................................................5 The Potential Benefits of Long Term Planning for Aggregate Extraction .................................7 Potential Disbenefits of Long Term Planning for Aggregate Extraction....................................9 The ‘Ecosystems’ Approach...................................................................................................10 Ecosystem Services ...............................................................................................................11 3. Aggregate Quarrying and Ecosystem Services....................................................14 Introduction.............................................................................................................................14 Effects of Quarrying on ‘Supporting’ Ecosystem Services .....................................................14 Effects of Quarrying on ‘Regulating’ Ecosystem Services......................................................15 Effects of Quarrying on ‘Provisioning’ Ecosystem Services ...................................................16 Effects of Quarrying on ‘Cultural’ Ecosystem Services ..........................................................18 The Scope for Enhancing Ecosystem Services through Quarrying and Restoration .............19 4. Constraints on Future Aggregate Quarrying.........................................................20 Introduction.............................................................................................................................20 Geological Factors..................................................................................................................20 Planning Policy Constraints....................................................................................................22 Landscape Constraints...........................................................................................................23 Natural Environment Constraints............................................................................................24 Historic Environment Constraints ...........................................................................................25 Water Environment Constraints..............................................................................................26 Existing Built Development & Infrastructure ...........................................................................28 Other Land Use and Land Ownership Constraints.................................................................28 Land Allocations, Proposed Development & Infrastructure....................................................28 5. Opportunities for Environmental Improvement Afforded by Quarrying and Restoration...............................................................................................................29 Introduction.............................................................................................................................29 Landscape Improvement........................................................................................................29 Habitat Creation and Biodiversity Enhancement....................................................................29 Improved Exposure and Utilisation of Geodiversity Assets ....................................................30 Cuesta Consulting Limited Date: 27 March 2009 QA Reference: C/SCC/005 ii QA Status: Final An Ecosystems Approach to Long Term Minerals Planning in the Mendip Hills, Phase 1: Initial Feasibility Study Enhanced Control of Water Supply ........................................................................................30 Increased Understanding of the Historic Environment ...........................................................31 Opportunities for New Development & Infrastructure.............................................................31 Improved Highways & Footpaths............................................................................................31 Increased Emphasis on Rail Transportation...........................................................................31 New Opportunities for Recreation and Amenity .....................................................................31 Opportunities for Agriculture and Forestry..............................................................................32 Enhanced Provision for Education .........................................................................................32 Opportunities for Tourism.......................................................................................................32 6. Developing a Long Term Quarrying and Restoration Strategy for the Mendip Hills...........................................................................................................................33 Introduction.............................................................................................................................33 Provisional Broad Design Criteria for a Long Term Strategy..................................................34 Provisional Outline Design Concepts .....................................................................................35