Quarry restoration: sterilising a resource

1
Quarry restoration sterilising a resource?

• Professor Peter Doyle
• University College London English Stone Forum
• Profdoyle_at_btinternet.com
• www.professorpeterdoyle.com

2
Talk outline

• Background to restoration
• Sterilising a resource?
• Holes in the Ground
• Opportunities for restoration
• Balancing the interests

3
Background to restoration

• Timeline of quarry development phases
• Pre-Victorian (small-scale local pits)
• Victorian (larger pits/quarries supplying
  national need)
• Post WW1 expansion
• Post WW2 reconstruction (national need)
• Modern developments
• Pre-war and post-war approaches
• Restoration to agriculture
• Restoration to original land surface

4
Quarry resources
Audit of quarries indicates large percentage of
quarry workings historically
Many are abandoned (legacy), some are active with
restoration plans
Will these workings be removed from future stone
extraction?
5
Restoration strategies old

• Most quarries still extant are disused, often
  abandoned so-called Legacy Quarries
• Pre-war permissions granted extraction to
  permission boundary
• Restoration of most of these quarries on the
  basis of restoration to agriculture
• Most such quarries left in stasis after
  production ceased, restoration limited
• Stone reserves available if required

6
Quarries Legacy/working
Working
Legacy
7
Restoration strategies new

• Post-1949 quarries generally have permissions
  with restoration to land surface
• Extraction to permission boundary, plus infill,
  with waste (landfill subject to additional
  permission), then landscaping
• Led to unsightly void removal/reuse
• Diversity of afteruse limited
• Stone resources effectively sterilised

8
Holes in the Ground

• Traditionally considered to be holes in the
  ground, Legacy Quarries are targeted for
• Agriculture
• Nature conservation
• Landfill
• Recreation
• Commercial Development
• Industrial Residential development
• Few, if any, consider the image of sterilisation
  of stone resources

9
Agriculture

• Common in the restoration of longterm/legacy
  quarries
• Originally simply partial fill with appropriate
  soils
• Quarry faces commonly exposed stone availability
• Restoration to original land surface also
  employed stone unavailable
• Mixed use now more common

10
Agricultural restoration
Face preserved
Partial fill
11
Industrial and Commerical

• Use of quarry void space for construction of
  industrial or commercial units
• Craigleith Quarry (Edinburgh)
• Salthill Quarry (Clitheroe)
• Bluewater/Lakeside (Kent/Essex)
• Can be consistent with nature conservation/recreat
  ion
• Inconsistent with further stone retrieval

12
Nature Conservation

• Large areas of important habitat have been
  created through quarry restoration
• 700 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs)
  associated with quarrying
• Growth area for restoration projects BAPs and
  GAPs major drivers here
• Involves restoration providing home for wildlife
  and habitats
• Provides habitat geodiversity protection
• Not necessarily restrictive to stone extraction

13
Biodiversity Action Plans

• UK Biodiversity Action Plan Government's
  response to Convention on Biological Diversity
  (CBD) signed in 1992
• Describes the UK's biological resources
• Commits a detailed plan for the protection of
  these resources
• 391 Species Action Plans, 45 Habitat Action Plans
  and 162 Local Biodiversity Action Plans
• Local plans define approaches to conservation

14
Habitat protection/creation

• BAPs general and specific objectives
• Natural propagation from habitat residue
• Species-based projects provide suitable habitats
  for target species, e.g. reedbeds for Bitterns,
  cliffs for choughs
• Wider aims relate to amenity, education, research
• Stone reserves may be protected

15
Choughs
16
Geodiversity Action Plans

• Planning Policy Statement (PPS) 9 Biodiversity
  and Geological Conservation
• Geodiversity action plans (GAPs LGAPS)
  developed from biological initiative
• Developing network with audits paid for by
  Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund
• Integral part of social, environmental and
  economic development
• Link with building stones well developed

17
Geodiversity projects
Ennstone Johnston Quarry, Breedon Hill, Leics
Active Quarry, with geodiversity interests
18
(No Transcript)
19
Recreation

• Development of legacy quarries
• lagoons for water sports
• Shopping centres
• Adventure parks
• Sculpture parks
• Usually also associated with nature conservation
  projects
• Not necessarily restrictive of stone supply

20
Portland Stone Sculpture Park
Tout Quarry
21
Stone extraction

• Winning stone is necessary for historic fabric
  restoration of our towns, cities
• Usually from small scale quarries
• In planning restoration, the natural character of
  a region should be actively considered
• Supply of indigenous stone should be protected
• Geodiversity audits usually include building
  stones

22
Conclusions

• Some forms of restoration are inimical to stone
  extraction
• Quarry Floor Development
• Landfill
• but not necessarily nature conservation
• Legacy Quarries could provide important resource
• Future restoration projects should reflect future
  need