Purley Chase Habitat Bank

PROJECT BRIEF

Maydencroft Limited was commissioned to review and update an existing BNG Baseline Assessment report and metric for a 48ha former golf course site located near Nuneaton in Warwickshire, with the aim of creating a Habitat Bank. Purley Chase is situated within a rural area of farmland and wood pastures, shaped by intensive colliery and quarrying industries. Since the cessation of golfing, the site has begun a process of returning to a natural state, with great potential for providing a fantastic resource for biodiversity. Further to the initial study, we were then commissioned to build-upon initial findings to create a Landscape Masterplan and Habitat Management & Monitoring Plan (HMMP).

ASSESS

A walkover BNG Baseline Assessment was undertaken by our Ecologists to review all habitats present, including modified and neutral grasslands with areas of mixed scrub, scattered trees, mixed broadleaved woodland and ornamental ponds. Results from the assessment were input into an updated version of BNG Metric 4.0 which showed a relatively high baseline due to the presence of valuable habitats, but also good potential for enhancement and creation to generate units. The site lends itself to the continuation of natural processes that are already underway, with some targeted works and a long-term aim to introduce extensive conservation grazing to manage grassland and scrub habitats.

DESIGN

The design phase commenced with production of a Landscape Masterplan to set out the arrangement of habitat options, and to detail the various infrastructure works that would be required. The plan attempted to strike a balance between prescribing works to provide certainty over the achievement of habitat targets, but also encouraging the emerging ‘mosaic’ of habitats and allowing natural colonisation and diversity. The masterplan then fed into the production of a 30-Yr HMMP setting out work specifications for all habitat enhancement and creation, with Action Plan tables detailing ongoing maintenance requirements. The plan also included a strategy for monitoring, with information on remedial actions to take in the event of habitat targets not being achieved.

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