Quarries and Mineral Workings

quarry environmental assessmentPenny Anderson Associates Ltd. (PAA) has a long established reputation for providing high quality, professional ecological services to the extractive industries. Our expertise involves being pro-active from the outset of planning through to the reinstatement and remediation of habitats post-extraction, including landfill. Our expertise in providing the required ecological assessment and undertaking wildlife surveys under UK and European law enables us to guide you through the planning process with confidence.

The National Planning Policy Framework sets out planning policies on the protection of biodiversity and geological conservation through the planning system. As such, any development proposal must assess the potential impact on both biodiversity and geodiversity; and planning decisions must aim to maintain, and enhance, restore or add to overall biodiversity and geological conservation interests.

PAA extends its ecological support to a range of clients, both large and small. We have worked with some of the major players in the UK extractive and landfill industries, Local Authorities, large utility companies, private developers, statutory and non-statutory conservation organisations.

How PAA can help
We can provide the following, tailored to the needs of our clients and their projects:

  • In-house geological and earth heritage specialists;
  • Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) on soil resources, geology, geomorphology and the physical environment;
  • Earth heritage mitigation strategies and management planning;
  • Site assessments, including protected species surveys, soil and hydrological assessments;
  • Quarry restoration schemes that integrate biodiversity and geodiversity conservation;
  • Management programmes to improve site access, interpretation and conservation;
  • Educational material, interpretation boards and create geological trails for sites of geological interest;
  • Work alongside ‘RIGS’ Groups and statutory agencies on behalf of the developer to find the best and sustainable ways to conserve earth heritage features.

Our Experience
Our portfolio includes a wide range of projects across the UK including the following examples:

quarry ecology survey

  • A major winter sports centre of excellence in the south-east located at an extensive former quarry.
  • PAA frequently undertakes work in the Thames Gateway, an area littered with marshes, quarries, brown-field sites and SSSI. Our involvement has included the development of chalk pit and sand cliff brown-field sites noted for their invertebrate diversity; the development of conservation plans for key invertebrate receptors such as aculeate Hymenoptera (bees, wasps and ants) and Diptera (true flies), and the creation of compensation habitat for invertebrates (and reptiles) in consultation with Buglife.
  • We have worked extensively in sensitive landscapes such as National Parks, e.g. the Peak District National Park in Derbyshire where we regularly undertake vegetation and protected species assessments in support of applications to reopen former workings or to reinstate ecological quality at the conclusion of operations, or in abandoned quarries. Works have also included undertakings on National Trust land and on the estates of Stately Homes.
  • A multi-million pound restoration programme for one of the UK flagship Stately Homes has meant the re-opening of the former quarry within its grounds from where its stone was originally hewn in 16th & 17th centuries. PAA was instrumental in helping the process through planning. This resulted in the rescue and translocation of rare plants, the control and management of invasive species, the selective felling of trees under supervision to protect birds and bats, drafting and implementation of a mitigation strategy for the house restoration works, and woodland management.

For more details on our services relating to quarries and mineral workings, please contact us