Working Together to Improve Norfolk's Wildlife
Access
Post-code: NR20 5BF
What3Words: agree.multiply.thighs
OS Map Reference: TG 009 289
Directions: From the crossroads of Fulmodeston Rd and the B1110, travel south east for three-quarters of a mile. The site is on the east side of the B1110 near Holt Road Farm, approximately 2½ miles north of Guist.
Parking: There is no parking by the surveyor’s allotment.
There is no public access at this site while habitat restoration work is underway
Habitat
The former clay pit is dominated by a large pond in a shallow depression. The remainder of the one- acre site is mixed woodland and scrub, predominantly Willow, but with other species such as Field Maple and Crab Apple. The whole site is surrounded by an impenetrable hedge.
The site has been abandoned for many years and as a result the pond is seriously degraded and the rest of the site is overgrown. Nonetheless, with appropriate management and restoration, the site has the potential to provide a wildlife refuge within the largely arable landscape which is inhospitable to wildlife.
Habitat Management
Habitat management work began in the autumn of 2023.
We have begun a programme of species monitoring, as a starting point for our habitat management plans, aiming to improve the site for biodiversity.
What are our future plans?
Create safe access into the site to allow habitat management work to be carried out
Create and maintain a network of paths which provide access for conservation and monitoring work
Install pedestrian gate
Secure boundary with post & wire fencing as necessary
Gap up hedge around perimeter where necessary, using appropriate local native species, to create dense hedge from the base, providing a wildlife corridor for mammals suitable nesting and sheltering sites for birds
Appropriate management of existing hedgerow
Cut area of scrub on a rotational basis to maintain scrub habitat
Dispose of any historical fly-tipping waste
Remove debris and overgrown vegetation from pond, with guidance from Norfolk Pond Project
Selective felling/pruning of trees over pond to allow light to penetrate, with guidance from Norfolk Pond Project
Create log piles from felled saplings or coppicing to provide habitat for invertebrates
Other felled or sawn branches to be left in situ to encourage fungi and invertebrates
Selective ivy control/removal
Erect bird and bat boxes as appropriate
Consider potential SuDs (sustainable drainage systems) to manage road runoff to protect the water bodies from pollution
Erect relevant interpretive signage, subject to funding and any approvals
Carry out a programme of species monitoring