Case Studies
Project Area
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The project area is approximately 2,500 km2 and contains more than
15 active quarry sites undertaking both hard rock and sand and gravel extraction.
North Yorkshire is now the fourth largest provider of minerals in the UK. The region has a wide range of hydrological settings and varied geology including glacial sands and gravels and underlying rocks of Carboniferous, Permian and Triassic age.
More than 13 designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and 77 Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINCS) occur in the region, many of them related to river, lake and wetland habitats.
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Flood risk strategy in the region is considered of major importance with
the catchment lying upstream of York, Ripon and Boroughbridge where flooding
regularly occurs.
Public and private water supply in the region is from both groundwater and surface water, both of which may be sensitive to quarry restoration schemes. Several major airbases are located in the region and the Ministry of Defence is actively opposing the creation of new open waterbodies leading to the consideration of other habitats such as fens and reedbeds which do not encourage large flocks of birds.
The Vale of York and Mowbray, which comprises the majority of the project area, forms a low-lying area between the uplands of the Pennines to the west and the North Yorkshire Moors to the east. Drainage of the western part of the Vale is primarily by the Rivers Swale and Ure, which have a large catchment area within the Pennines. Where these rivers meet they form the River Ouse, which drains into the Humber Estuary. The landscape setting and cultural environment of the region comprises a diverse range of elements of which archaeology, farming, recreation, local communities and the minerals industry are but a few.
Key sites of interest that have been identified for detailed study include: (refer to Project area plan)