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'Road verges - ecological protection scheme'.
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Freedom of Information Request
Customer Name: Ms Susan Davis
Ref no: 317824
Date received: 07/03/2009
North Lincolnshire Roadside Verges
a) Protection Schemes
In the area covered by Lincolnshire County Council, there is a Roadside Nature Reserve Scheme (previously known as the Protected Roadside Verge Scheme) run in a partnership between the County Council and Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust. Please see http://www.lincstrust.org.uk/reserves/nr/prv.php for further details. North Lincolnshire Council (NLC) does not have a full scheme to match this as yet.
However NLC has adopted the Lincolnshire Biodiversity Action Plan, which has a habitat action plan for road verges. Please see the “Farmland and Grassland” download on http://www.lincsbap.org/publications/index.php for further details.
Some of the road verges around Elsham (see table below) are left uncut through the summer, then given a hay cut after the majority of flowers have set seed. This is an informal pilot project run by the Council's Environment Team and Neighbourhood Services. It is hoped to expand the scheme to other verges in the future.
Section 40 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 gives local authorities and other public bodies a duty to conserve biodiversity http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2006/ukpga_20060016_en_1 . On 02 April 2008, the Council's cabinet agreed to incorporate this duty into the Council's Strategic Plan. Government guidance on the new duty includes a suggestion to improve the management of road verges http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-countryside/pdf/biodiversity/la-guid-english.pdf . It is hoped that this idea will be incorporated into the Service Plans for Highways and Planning and Neighbourhood and Environmental Services.
The Council is currently re-surveying designated Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation as well as potential new sites. Sites which meet agreed criteria are being re-designated as Local Wildlife Sites, in accordance with government (Defra) guidance http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-countryside/pdf/protected-areas/localsites.pdf. The new Local Wildlife Sites include a number of road verges. The Council has a duty to encourage the positive management of Local Wildlife Sites. This duty is reflected in the National Indicator 197, which requires us to report on the percentage of Local Wildlife Sites that are in positive management http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/localgovindicators/ni197.htm .
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b&c) Known Important Roadside Verges with reasons for importance, where available.
i) Steve Maslen & Associates 1995 Humberside Verge Nature Reserve Study (scanned report available- 2.2MB)
ii) Known North Lincolnshire Road Verge Records (extract from 2003 BAP delivery Plan)
Name |
Grid reference |
Road number |
Interest |
Comments |
Barnetby Road Verge SINC |
TA 060087 |
C121 |
Neutral/calcareous grassland |
Currently mown too frequently (2002) |
Elsham Scarp Road Verge SINC |
TA 039119 |
C121 |
|
|
Other Elsham Verges |
|
|
|
Identified by local resident |
Burton Woods and Flixborough Road Verges SINC |
SE 867165 |
C105 |
|
Dominated by rank grasses (2002) |
Saxby Verges SINC- Saxby All Saints |
SE 997166 & SE 993174 |
C118? |
|
“Botanically moderate” - Miles Hopper |
Holme Lane Verge SINC |
SE 912055- SE 908053 |
|
|
|
Staniwells Verge (Ermine Street) SINC |
SE 958033- SE 958035 |
|
|
|
Belton Track Verge SINC |
SE 789077 |
|
|
|
Grasby Bottoms Green Lane SINC |
TA 099072- TA 958035 |
|
Neutral/calcareous grassland |
Surveyed 2002 |
Blackwalk Nook Green Lane SINC |
|
|
|
|
Barton Road Cutting |
TA 118215 |
A1077 |
Broomrapes |
|
Greetwell heathland |
SE 943030 |
B1398 |
Heathland flora |
|
Rosper Road, North Killingholme |
TA 164183 |
C133 |
Neutral grassland |
Surveyed 2002 next to Burkinshaws Covert |
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iii) Verges considered as Local Wildlife Sites since July 2006
Site name1 |
Grid reference |
Area |
Status |
Sub-site |
Criteria passed2 |
Comments at Panel meeting |
Panel decision |
Elsham Chalk Pit |
TA038129 |
11.1 |
SNCI |
|
NG1, CG1 |
Site clearly meets habitat criteria. |
Select as LWS with boundary as recommended. |
Elsham Road Verges |
TA036124-TA037131 |
1.2 |
none |
East Verge |
CG1 |
Not all the verge surveyed met habitat criteria. Some parts clearly meet calcareous grassland criteria. These are marked A & B on the 2003 survey report. |
Select as LWS with boundary as recommended, covering parts meeting criteria. |
|
|
|
none |
West Verge |
CG1 |
|
|
Greetwell Road Verge |
TA942034-TA943046 |
0.6 |
none |
|
|
Boundary needs checking as it borders a SSSI. If boundary incorrect it will need re-surveying |
Defer decision until further survey work completed |
Holme Lane Verge |
SE907052-SE911054 |
0.9 |
SNCI [A] |
|
NG1+CG1 |
Goes through as joint grassland score. |
Select as a LWS with boundary as recommended |
Ermine Street Verges |
SE957062-SE957054 |
2.3 |
none |
|
|
Needs further surveying |
Defer decision until further survey work completed |
Saxby Verges South |
SE996165-SE999166 |
0.5 |
SNCI [B] |
|
CG1 |
Scores well - boundary ok |
Select as a LWS with boundary as recommended |
Saxby Verges North |
SE993173-SE994174 |
0.2 |
SNCI [B] |
|
|
De-select |
Reject as a LWS as no criteria are met |
Barnetby Road Verges |
TA059083-TA062089 |
1.3 |
SNCI [B] |
|
CG1 |
|
Select as a LWS with boundary as recommended |
Epworth Road Bank |
SE788043 |
0.5 |
SINC |
|
|
|
Reject as a LWS as no criteria are met |
Flixborough Road Verges |
SE869170-SE869162 |
3.4 |
none |
North |
|
|
Reject as a LWS as no criteria are met |
|
SE869162-SE870151 |
|
|
South |
|
|
|
Greetwell Road Verge, East |
SE943042-SE943046 |
0.1 |
none |
|
HE2 |
|
Select as LWS with boundary as recommended |
Newland Hill Verges |
TA037120-TA040124 |
1.6 |
none |
Road B North West side |
CG1 |
|
Select as LWS with boundary as recommended |
|
|
|
|
Road B South East side |
|
|
Reject as a LWS as no criteria are met |
A15/A1077 Verges |
TA019217 |
0.1 |
none |
North On-Slip, East |
Mos2/4 |
Include areas under Mos2 to extend total area of grassland Mos4 additonal features - anthills, bare ground/rock outcrop, steep slopes, south-facing slopes |
Select as LWS with boundary amalgamating twelve subsites |
|
TA019217 |
0.5 |
|
North On-Slip, West |
CG1 |
|
|
|
TA017215 |
0.4 |
|
A1077 North |
Mos1 (NG1 + CG1) |
|
|
|
TA017214 |
0.2 |
|
A1077 South |
Mos1 (NG1 + CG1) |
|
|
|
TA017214 |
0.2 |
|
A1077 South Track |
Mos2/4 |
|
|
|
TA019217 |
0.5 |
|
South Off-Slip, West |
Mos1 (NG1 + CG1) |
|
|
|
TA020215 |
0.2 |
|
A15 South East |
Mos2/4 |
|
|
|
TA019216 |
0.4 |
|
A15 West |
Mos2/4 |
|
|
|
TA019216 |
0.3 |
|
A15 East |
Mos2/4 |
|
|
|
TA020217 |
0.2 |
|
A15 North East |
Mos2/4 |
|
|
|
TA019216 |
0.2 |
|
Roundabout West |
Mos2/4 |
|
|
|
TA021216 |
0.2 |
|
Roundabout East |
Mos2/4 |
|
|
|
TA020215 |
0.1 |
|
A15 South West |
|
|
Reject as a LWS as no criteria are met |
Westfield Road Verge |
TA003221-TA007221 |
0.3 |
SINC |
|
CG1 |
|
Select as LWS with boundary as recommended |
For site descriptions/citations please contact Katie Milburn at Lincolnshire Environmental Records Centre [email address]
For criteria, please see “Local Wildlife Sites” on http://www.lincsbap.org/publications/index.php
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iv) Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) adjacent to/including road verges
(for maps and citations, see http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/Special/sssi/searchresults.cfm?sssi_name=&frmcounty=1022 )
Broughton Far Wood
Cleatham Quarry
Cliff Farm Pit
Eastoft Meadow
Epworth Turbary
Hatfield Chase Ditches
Haxey Grange Fen
Humber Estuary
Kirmington Pits
Manton and Twigmoor
Manton Stone Quarry
Messingham Heath
Messingham Sand Quarry
Misson Training Area
(North Killingholme Haven Pits- ditch- no verge)