Winford Redding Pits

The Wildlife Trust has objected to a proposal by Red Mill Industries Limited to re-commence extraction of red ochre (iron oxide) at Winford Quarry, Redding Pit Lane, Winford. This mineral is used for the colouring of paving stones and mortar. In fact, a commercially produced alternative is available.

The quarry has been mined since Roman times, when the ochre was used in wall paintings and plaster. In the mediaeval period it was used for marking sheep. Small-scale mineral operations continued for some time but once it fell into disuse a mosaic of habitats developed on the site, which include species-rich calcareous grassland, scrub, broadleaved woodland, marshy areas and seasonal pools. There are also areas of bare open ground (excellent habitat for certain invertebrates) and old mine workings. This diversity of habitats has led to a very high diversity of species, causing Winford Quarry to be designated as a Site of Nature Conservation Importance under the North Somerset Local Plan 1999.

In June 1998 a Bristol NaturalistsÍ Society visit recorded 199 species of flowering plants and ferns. Ten of these are county notable species (as defined by Bristol Regional Environmental Records Centre), including bee orchid, kidney vetch and dyerÍs greenweed. The site is included on English NatureÍs Invertebrate Sites Register, which is a list of the most important invertebrate sites in the entire country. The butterflies include grizzled skipper, small blue and green hairstreak. A full invertebrate survey is yet to be done but would further emphasise the diversity and importance of the site.

Two species of Red Data Book bats, Greater and Lesser Horseshoes, use the old mine shaft in winter, and bats have been observed flying around the mine entrance in summer.

The impact of the new extraction process and the associated works; access roads, sites for buildings, processing and stockpiling areas, topsoil and subsoil bunds, would have severely damaging effects on the wildlife habitats, contravening Policy NE4 in the North Somerset Local Plan 1999, and destroying what has become one of North SomersetÍs most valuable wildlife sites. Plans to restore the wildlife habitats after operations cease are very unlikely to recreate the siteÍs current richness. And opportunities for natural re-colonisation are severely limited due to development and agricultural improvement of the surrounding land. The plants are no longer out there to act as a seed-bank.

The Wildlife Trust has no alternative but to object to these proposals.