Dear Sir or Madam,

If you run an ecological protection scheme for road verges in your
area, please could you provide me with the following details:

a) what protection measures a verge receives when it is included in
the scheme

b) the list of verges covered by the scheme (and their locations -
road name/number and six figure OS grid references would be fine)

c) for each verge, the specific reasons why the verge has been
included in the scheme - i.e. the notable species found there, or
the NVC community present

If you do not run such a scheme in your area, but you are aware
that another body does, please could you refer me to them instead.

Many thanks,

Susan Davis

Dear Sir or Madam,

Please could you let me have an update on progress in replying to
my request, submitted on 6 March.

Thanks,

Susan Davis

9-4-09 - Please note, this enquiry was acknowledged on its arrival
and responded to today, but the email link bounced the messages
back. We have therefore uploaded the response below.

Dear Ms Davis

Further to my acknowledgement dated 13 March 2009, sent to Alex
Skene ([email address]), I am pleased to enclose the
following information, which I believe satisfies your request:

Since the 1970s over 100 sites covering more than 44km of roadside
habitat in Essex have been designated as Special Roadside Verges.
These are linear grassland habitats which have a valuable wildlife
resource, providing shelter and food for a variety of species.
Special Verges are important remnants of old grasslands and are
often the only remaining sites where certain species can flourish.
There is a project aimed at highlighting and protecting areas of
verge that are important for wildlife, usually plants, some of
which are nationally rare. This is a joint project between Essex
County Council and Essex Wildlife Trust and I attach a general
leaflet about the project.

In response to your particular queries:

a) what protection measures a verge receives when it is included
in

the scheme

The Special Verges are not legally protected but ECC aims to
protect them where possible. However, safety always takes priority
and in most areas they receive the annual (or twice yearly) safety
cut. The Verges are cut at different times of year according to the
species. Management also varies to some extent depending on the
district. The areas of Special Verge are reviewed annually and
potential additions are assessed according to biodiversity and
safety criteria.

b) the list of verges covered by the scheme (and their locations -

road name/number and six figure OS grid references would be fine)

c) for each verge, the specific reasons why the verge has been

included in the scheme - i.e. the notable species found there, or

the NVC community present

We are currently completing and updating our database and GIS for
the Special Verges and so are currently unable to provide a full
list for the county. However, I might be able to provide a list for
a particular area if that would be useful. Most of the Special
Verges are in the north of the County, particularly Uttlesford. The
Verges are marked on the ground with wooden posts and white plastic
plaques positioned at either end of the Special Verges and at the
centre too if they are very long.

The verges are surveyed by Essex Wildlife Trust volunteers and they
send the survey results to EWT. They are not surveyed to NVC level,
but use a simple method similar to the ‘rapid condition monitoring’
method that Natural England use for their Sites of Special
Scientific Interest. This was developed by Essex Wildlife Trust,
who developed a similar method for monitoring its reserves. Contact
at EWT = Andy May Conservation Manager ([email address]).

If you would like to be involved in the project we would very much
welcome this. If you are from a consultancy we would normally
charge for our time in pulling the information together. If you
would like more information you are welcome to contact Emma
Simmonds, the Countryside and Ecology Officer, directly. Her email
address is [email address]. She will not be in the
office until after 20 April.

If you are not satisfied with my response to your request, please
let me know. If I am unable to resolve the issue immediately, I
will explain our complaints procedure.

If, after following our complaints procedure, you are still not
satisfied, you are entitled to ask the Information Commissioner to
review our decision. You can contact him at Wycliffe House, Water
Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF, telephone 01625 545700.

Regards

Julia Gallagher

Environment, Sustainability & Highways

Essex County Council | telephone: 01245 437010 | extension: 51010 |
mobile: optional | email [email address]

Dear Karen,

Thanks for this reply. Can you give me an indication of when your
work on updating your database is expected to be complete, so that
I could re-submit my request at that date.

Yours sincerely,

Susan Davis

Dear Ms Davis,
I have forwarded your enquiry to Julia Gallagher from
our Environment, Sustainability & Highways department who answered your
original query, and should be able to help. I just posted the query on
the website on her behalf due to the problems with the email link.

Many thanks,
Karen Lawrence

Karen Lawrence
ISIS Consultant
Information Services and Programmes

Essex County Council | telephone: 01245 431851 | extension: 21851 |
email: [email address]

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Dear Ms Davis,

My colleague was unable to answer you directly as
the email address failed again, so I am forwarding it on her behalf.

Many thanks,

Karen Lawrence

Karen Lawrence

ISIS Consultant

Information Services and Programmes

Essex County Council | telephone: 01245 431851 | extension: 21851 | email:
[1][email address]

EssexWorks

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Hi Karen,

Are you able to let me have an update? The latest information you
sent me was an email on 14 April, from your colleague Julia
Gallagher, who said she'd get back to me to let me know when the
database would be available, but I've not heard anything from Julia
since then.

Thanks,

Susan

Dear Ms Davis

I apologise for not getting back to you sooner regarding the above issue.
I have been in discussion with the team who are building the database and
they advise that they hope the work will be completed by the end of
August.

I trust this information is useful.

Regards

Julia Gallagher

Environment, Sustainability & Highways

Essex County Council | telephone: 01245 437010 | extension: 51010
| mobile: optional | email [email address]

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