The former Newington and Mission quarry was restored to create 11ha of reed beds and 19ha of wet grassland, in the hope of attracting a wide range of wildlife, including snipe, bittern, otters and water voles.
The earthworks have created a series of reed bed cells, which will be planted with common reed. The new wet grassland will be sown with a suitable mix this northern hemisphere spring.
The foundations for a new viewing platform have been established off Slaynes Lane, in Newington South, and once construction of the platform is complete later in 2019 visitors will be able to get an elevated view across the restored landscape.
Twelve hectares has also been restored to agricultural land and 2500 trees are being planted in blocks around the edge of the restored farmland. There will be 700m of new hedgerow.
Following final extraction later this year, the area known as Newington West will also be restored, providing additional wet grassland and incorporating a publicly accessible circular walk and another viewing platform.
Hanson has worked closely with Nottingham Wildlife Trust and a Habitat Management Committee, representatives from Natural England, RSPB, the Environment Agency, Mission Parish Council and Nottingham County Council, which will oversee the long-term management of the site.
“Following final restoration, we will be responsible for the management of the habitat for 26 years so that the benefits for wildlife will continue to be delivered for many years after extraction finishes at the site,” John Ingham, principle landscape architect at Hanson UK said.
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