The impact of sand extraction at Formby Point ... - Sefton Council

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4 of the disused Lifeboat Station. Much of the latter area has been lost to subsequent coast erosion and dune development. It may well be, however, that the severe damage done by sand-winning began the process of frontal dune deflation which was exacerbated by public pressure in the 1960s. Thus, the deflation area north of Lifeboat Road shown in the 1961 and later photographs corresponds very closely to the 1945 sand quarry. Wind erosion seriously weakened the coast-protection function of the dunes, the area becoming a priority for dune restoration in the early years of the Sefton Coast Management Scheme (1978 to 1985). It was eventually stabilised after recontouring, planting with Marram (Ammophila arenaria) and formalisation of footpath access (Smith 1999). Over 20 years on, this area is now a gentle west-facing slope of Rabbit-grazed, rather impoverished, mossy, semi-fixed dune with sparse Marram. A series of small Natterjack Toad breeding pools has been maintained in the lowest-lying part of this area, just east of the coast fringe of mobile-dunes. These attracted large numbers of adults in the 1980s but the status of current population is not clear. There is a considerable extent of suitable terrestrial habitat which should be capable of supporting a large number of toads. Successful breeding was recorded in 2006 (100s of toadlets) but there was no monitoring in 2005. Three extant scrapes (6, 7 & 8) are small and only one (no. 6) held water at the time of the survey. This is also the only scrape with an interesting flora, which includes the notable Grey Club-rush (Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani), Small-fruited Yellow-sedge (Carex viridula ssp. viridula), Brookweed (Samolus valerandi), Seaside Centaury (Centaurium littorale), Early Marsh-orchid (Dactylorhiza incarnata) and Variegated Horsetail (Equisetum variegatum). Further east were originally situated high dunes imposing enough to have been given the local names “Beacon Hill” and “Shorrock’s Hill”. These were entirely removed, leaving a quarry, the eastern edge of which is a bluff about 10m high, once steep and sandy but now slumped to about 30 o and clothed with pine planted in 1983 and regenerating poplar. The adjacent quarry floor was invaded by scrub from the late 1960s onwards and now supports a dense mixed woodland, especially of Grey Poplar (Populus x canescens), Aspen (P. tremula), Hybrid Black-poplar (P. x canadensis) and Balm-of-Gilead (P. x
5 jackii) with a smaller component of Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus), oak (Quercus), birch (Betula) and Grey Alder (Alnus incana) and Corsican Pine (Pinus nigra ssp. laricio). Damper areas have been colonised by Grey Willow (Salix cinerea), Crack Willow (S. fragilis), Hybrid Crack-willow (S. x rubens) and Fine Osier (S. x forbyana), with much Creeping Willow (S. repens) in canopy gaps. Despite their relatively young ages, the trees have trunk diameters averaging 30-40cm, with a few up to 80cm. Beneath the trees is a varied ground flora of grasses, herbs and ferns. In the 1960s and 1970s, the now wooded area contained a series of slacks which were mapped and described by Smith (1978a, 1978b). They flooded deeply in 1968/69 and again in spring 1977, supporting large numbers of Common Toads (Bufo bufo). They also had a diverse vegetation, including such nationally/regionally notable plants as Small-fruited Yellow-sedge, Early Marsh-orchid, Marsh Helleborine (Epipactis palustris), Variegated Horsetail, Grass-of-Parnassus (Parnassia palustris), Seaside Centaury, Brookweed and Flat-sedge (Blysmus compressus). Unfortunately, some of the slacks were filled in during the construction of a new access track to the carpark in 1978 (Smith 1978b). A relict of one slack, surrounded by scrub, survives at SD 27768 06645. This is now much dryer, is dominated by Creeping Willow and retains few wet-slack plants, such as Cuckoo-flower (Cardamine pratensis), Marsh Bedstraw (Galium palustre) and Shore Horsetail (Equisetum x litorale). Another small slack which once supported a fine stand of Flat-sedge has long disappeared under scrub. Within the woodland, two narrow basins were deepened in about 1980 to form “newt scrapes”. These are now rather shaded and moss-dominated with a few relict wetland plants, such as Common Reed (Phragmites australis), Hard Rush (Juncus inflexus), Common Spike-rush (Eleocharis palustris), Lesser Spearwort (Ranunculus flammula) and Water Mint (Mentha aquatica). The only notable plant is Brookweed. The southern scrape contains a little of the invasive alien New Zealand Pigmy-weed (Crassula helmsii). The edges of former slacks adjacent to the access track are now picked out by willows, which include three specimens of the nationally rare hybrid Salix x doniana, known from
Page 1 and 2: 1 The impact of sand extraction at
Page 3: • Rapid, up-to-date assessment of
Page 7 and 8: grazed, fixed-dune grassland charac
Page 9 and 10: 9 The vegetation of the main quarry
Page 11 and 12: 11 on the Sefton Coast occur here b
Page 13 and 14: leaved Wintergreen (Pyrola rotundif
Page 15 and 16: 15 Slack 2 was progressively invade
Page 17 and 18: are often accompanied by nationally
Page 19 and 20: 19 by blown sand is mentioned; thes
Page 21 and 22: Creeping Willow nearby seems to be
Page 23 and 24: 6.3.1. Smaller-scale 23 • Cut bac
Page 25 and 26: Smith, P.H. (1978c). Cabin Hill - a

The impact of sand extraction at Formby Point ... - Sefton Council

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