Extension of the Moor Green Lakes Reserve

The Plan

The land to the west of the Moor Green Lakes Reserve is generally known as the "new workings" or "Manor Farm" because gravel extraction continues on that land, which was once part of Manor Farm. The area is that bounded by the existing Reserve on the east, the River Blackwater on the south, Longwater Road on the west and Lower Sandhurst Road on the north. Click here for an aerial view, which is how it looked in 2004. The whole of this area, with the exception of the property on Lower Sandhurst Road, the three paddocks in the NW corner and the sewerage treatment plant in the SW corner will become a 52 hectare (128 acre) extension to the Moor Green Lakes Reserve once extraction has finished and restoration is completed, which is anticipated to be in 2009/10.

The habitat to be provided comprises:

• 10 hectare (25 acres) of reed beds in three sections

• Areas of wet meadow

• Woodland along the north of the site by Lower Sandhurst Road.

• a significant lake and a pond

• an arable area regularly cultivated and planted in sections with particular crops to encourage farmland species

• open grassland

This will provide substantial additional diversity for the combined site. Click here to see the plan for the Reserve Extension.

The Colebrook Cut (the stream which passes behind the Colebrook Hide and is presently blocked off) will flow through the site and help maintain appropriate water levels on the reed beds and wet meadows. A footpath from the existing car park is proposed across the northern side of the site, just south of the areas of woodland along that edge. This will enable good views across the site towards the river. The riverside path will be extended around the western edge of the site to emerge onto Lower Sandhurst Road at its western end. The paths will link up to three "viewing mounds" to provide views across the reed beds. It is proposed to have an additional reserve entrance and car park off Longwater Road (subject to planning permission).

Extraction and restoration progresses in a westerly direction across the site and restoration of the the east and north sections is finished, except for some of the planting. The reeds cannot be planted until the water flow can be managed across the whole site, although some experimental planting has been done in the lake and reed bed area to test various propagation methods.

Additional Plans

CEMEX (the quarry operator) intend to seek permission to extract gravel from additional pasture land stretching for approximately 1.5km west from Longwater Road. This would extend operations by another 3 or 4 years and require access across the Manor Farm site to get the gravel, by conveyer, back to the existing processing plant south of the river in Eversley.  Although restoration of much of the open areas could proceed, limited further extraction would take place on the Manor Farm site until the new area is worked out and restored. This would delay completion of extraction and restoration of the Manor Farm site for up to 4 years and crucially it might delay implementation of the water management to the reed beds and wet meadows. While the details of the proposal are not yet public, indications from a consultation process in 2006 are that it could potentially add a further 50 or so hectares of land to the Reserve, should planning permission be granted.

What is happening on the new workings?

The workings to the west of the Reserve are being quarried to extract the gravel and sand mix which lies in a layer averaging about a metre thick. First the topsoil is removed and piled in banks around the edge of the area. Then a layer of material is removed to expose the gravel, which can be 0.5 to 2 meters below the surface. This overburden material is removed and transported directly to backfill areas where the gravel has already been removed. The gravel is then excavated and stockpiled near the conveyor so that it can be fed to the processing plant as required. Excavation of the gravel is not a continuous process, partly for economic reasons and also because it could disturb ground nesting birds at certain times of the year, such as Little Ringed Plover, which are legally protected.

Restoration consists of building up the ground to the required level and restoring the layer of topsoil. Lakebeds are just levelled, no topsoil is used. Field and wooded areas are then planted. A number of mature trees have been left in place, including several veteran trees and one oak that is estimated to be 400 years old.

There is no public access to the new workings, but good views across the site are available from the north-south bridleway and the riverside footpath that extends the whole length of the river to Longwater Road. At the east end of the site, land restoration is complete with the cultivated field north of the reed bed area and part of the lake by the river. As explained before, experimental reed planting has been undertaken. In the centre north section, the pond by the road is completed and the grassland extends to wet areas by the reed bed area. The reed bed consists of a sunken area in which there are deep channels to provide open water among the reeds. Some nest boxes have been installed in the completed areas, including a pole mounted Barn Owl box.

The centre and north west of the site awaits backfilling where gravel has been extracted, most of the south western area awaits gravel extraction, much of which depends on completion of the work west of Longwater Road, should permission be granted for this. Because the excavated areas are below the natural ground water level, continuous pumping is required to allow work to continue. Lorries transfer the gravel to the stockpile by the river bridge, which is loaded onto the conveyer to feed the processing plant across the river in Eversley.

The area of the new workings is attractive to a variety of wildlife. Roe Deer, Rabbits and Foxes are present and have bred there. Waterfowl and waders can congregate in large numbers on the undisturbed water and open areas - up to 1000 Lapwings and several hundred Gulls loaf on the gravel during the autumn and winter afternoons. There is a continuous flow of ground water into the excavations that attracts migrant waders and ducks. A significant proportion of rare visiting birds are discovered on the recent workings. Bird watchers will need a telescope to get the best chance of seeing such visitors. Heavy machinery creates less disturbance to the birdlife than a person on foot, so trespassing in this working quarry provides no advantage.