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Lynford Pit – Restoration Award Winner

At the Quarry Products Association Showcase 2008 event, held at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London on 3 July, more than 400 guests from the construction industry witnessed the prestigious QPA Restoration Awards, which are given for outstanding achievement in quarry restoration.

Entry to the Restoration Awards is open to all full members of the Quarry Products Association and entries are encouraged to be made jointly with other bodies such as a conservation organisation, landowner, a local authority, or a developer who has had significant involvement in the restoration. Completed sites or phases may be entered subject to various stringent conditions. Planning history is scrutinised very carefully and each site is visited by the scheme’s expert judges and their decision is fully independent of the Association.

Ayton Products' Lynford Pit, in conjunction with its owners, the Forestry Commission, and land agent PDE Consulting Ltd, was entered for this year’s awards, following the completion of workings, restoration and the handing back of the site to the owners, in December 2007.

Lynda Thompson, Chairman of the QPA, said in her opening address: "The QPA Restoration Awards reflect the responsible and caring approach of an industry which is essential to society and can make significant contributions to biodiversity. Quarrying and restoration are synonymous with sustainability by providing lasting social, economic and environmental benefits to the local community. This year’s eight restoration entries have once again achieved highly impressive results and invariably show that operators go above and beyond to return land to beneficial uses."

Lynford Pit occupies 49.2 hectares and is a restored sand and gravel quarry within an area of Important Landscape Quality and an Environmentally Sensitive Area. It also lies partly within a Special Protection Area, is bounded on three sides by a SSSI and contains a County Wildlife Site – a floated water meadow.

The site comprises two lakes and an extensive variety of habitats and species have successfully been introduced, meeting biodiversity objectives. These habitats include valley fen, reedswamp mosaic, dry acid grassland, reedbeds and a floodplain grazing marsh. More than 4000 trees have been planted.

The floated water meadow to the west of the site was created in the nineteenth century to improve the quality of the pasture for grazing, and has been fully integrated into the final restoration scheme. The meadow is of special archaeological significance, but has not been the only important archaeological find. The remains of a butchered rabbit discovered alongside Iron Age/Roman pottery could prove rabbits were around in Britain a thousand years before informed opinion has had us believe.

Conifer plantations have been thinned on the site to create a more ecologically balanced landscape and to expose the attractive views of the lakes. To the south of the lakes are wildflower meadows and a small beach and picnic area which is popular with families seeking a pleasant day out. A bird hide has also been built and there is a disabled pathway which runs from the car park to the lake area. Lynford Pit is a scenic spot which supports biodiversity and provides particular enjoyment for the public.

Lynford Pit had operated since 1959 supplying high quality materials to support local construction, infrastructure, housing, agricultural land drainage schemes and extensive upgrades to the nearby A11 truck road. More than 1.6 million tonnes of high quality sand and gravel was extracted during its life.

Tony Hipperson, Ayton Products' General Manager, commented: "Being a Restoration Award Winner is a great achievement for everyone connected with the Lynford Pit, which in future years will provide a valuable and attractive local amenity."

Click here to read more about Lyndford Quarry.

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