Minera Quarry Trust

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Project 2—Landscape

AIMS

 

1.  To demonstrate the successful return of a former industrial and mining area to nature whilst taking care to maintain the historical aspects of the site.

2.  To provide an educational environment that will allow the investigation and comparison of restoration techniques.

3.  Reduction in amount of fine particulates washed into the Clywedog River in times of flood.

4.  Facilitate landscape requirements for other projects in scheme.

 

BACKGROUND

 

Quarrying activities in the past have left a number of considerable voids in the quarry and it is intended to develop these areas as much as possible as some form of nature reserve / public open space.  Safety will be paramount if the public is to be given access to these areas.  There are, in addition to the areas left bare by recent working, a number of areas that have already started to return to nature.  Currently the most important of these is the area surrounding the remaining Hoffman and high kilns which are included in the Ruabon Mountain SSSI.  It is intended that any landscaping activities will only seek to enhance the existing habitats that are to be found in this area.  The stream that runs through the quarry originates high on the moor to the south and becomes the River Clywedog.  Prior to any mining or quarrying operations the river would have occupied a shallow limestone gorge as it crossed the quarry, which would have been quite an unusual feature in this area.  At some point in the past the river was placed into a culvert and buried under fill to provide a flat area for the development of quarrying activity.

 

THEMES TO DEVELOP

 

1.  Restoration and clean-up of the original stream course through the quarry to provide a centre piece to the project.

2. Creation of “set aside” areas to investigate different approaches to land restoration for educational establishments and research organisations.

3.  Creation of new habitats to facilitate the aims of Project 6.

4. Sympathetic landscaping to enhance the presentation of existing buildings within the quarry whilst protecting the SSSI habitat  e.g. Hoffman kilns. (Project5).

 

MEANS

 

1.  Investigation of landscaping requirements for all projects in scheme.

2. Creation of landscaping plan for the whole site encompassing immediate and longer term remediation work.

3.  Excavate existing stream bed to expose original water course and underlying geology.

 

MQT/PR2/Draft1/6.2.06

1.  View across quarry from site of demolished Hoffman kiln.

2.  View over part of SSSI area.

3.  Scouring of banks following recent remedial works.  Further work has been done here but original stream bed has not been exposed.

4.  View across one of the voids in the recently worked areas.