Havannah Nature Reserve

Last updated

A path through Havannah Nature Reserve Havannah Nature Reserve (geograph 2150939).jpg
A path through Havannah Nature Reserve

Havannah Nature Reserve lies to the west of the village of Hazlerigg, approximately five miles north of the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne in the north of England. It was declared a nature reserve in 1998 and is designated a Site of Local Conservation Interest. A wildlife corridor runs through the site.

Contents

Owned by Newcastle City Council and managed by Urban Green Newcastle, it is often referred to as Havannah and Three Hills Nature Reserve, so called after the drift mine and the slag heaps, which were located at the site when Hazlerigg Colliery was operational, from 1892 to 1964.

Location

The site is an oblong area roughly 1.3 kilometres (0.81 mi) east-west and 0.3 kilometres (0.19 mi) north-south, with Hazlerigg forming the east boundary; Main Road the western boundary between it and the eastern extent of Newcastle Airport; and Coach Lane the northern boundary. A triangular extension of the site descends south to a point on the boundary with the former Sage Group campus.

Ecology

A pond near the western end of Havannah Nature Reserve Pond, Havannah Nature Reserve, Hazelrigg (geograph 5261861).jpg
A pond near the western end of Havannah Nature Reserve

It is one of only two areas of lowland heath in Newcastle. Much of the landscape is a result of the site's industrial past, and many of the wet areas result from subsidence associated with mining activity. There is great biodiversity within the site, which has around 40 hectares of habitat including woodlands, meadows, scrub, grazed fields, marshland and ponds. Several smaller ponds have been added in recent years, and the hydrology of the site has changed much due to subsidence associated with mining activity. The diverse range of habitat provides for populations of plants and animals of local, regional and national importance.

The woodland consists of broadleaf and coniferous trees. An abundance of coniferous trees provides habitat for red squirrels, which are breeding successfully in the reserve. A section of land has been fenced off at the top of the Three Hills part of the reserve, to keep dogs and people separate from the squirrels' breeding area. The wooden fencing was flattened in several places by fallen trees that had been blown over by Storm Arwen in November 2021. Newcastle is one of the last urban areas with a population of red squirrels, and Havannah Nature Reserve is one of only three places within the city area that supports them. The red squirrel is a legally protected species and is covered by Schedules 5 and 6 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981.

The other two sites that provide red squirrel habitat in Newcastle are Woolsington Woods and Gosforth Park Nature Reserve. In 2011, housing developer Bellway Homes submitted a planning application to North Tyneside Council for proposed development adjacent to Gosforth Park Nature Reserve, approximately 2 miles southeast of Havannah Nature Reserve. The local group Save Gosforth Wildlife campaigned against the plans, which did not go ahead and as a result there is a local precedent for concerns about housing developments adjacent to red squirrel habitat. In 2014, a planning application was submitted for a housing development at Woolsington, which would have involve felling over 1,000 mature trees in Woolsington Woods, approximately 3 miles west of Havannah Nature Reserve.

Havannah Nature Reserve also provides habitat for the Dingy Skipper butterfly, which is covered under section 41 (England) of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act (2006) and on the UK list of Priority Habitats and Species. The ponds and ditches provide habitat for breeding populations of great crested newt, which is a European protected species. Yellowhammer birds, a species on the UK red list of Birds of Conservation Concern, can be seen and heard in the bushes and hedgerows around the scrubland within the reserve.

Development proposal

In 2015, the Banks Property Group developer submitted a planning application for permission to build up to 500 houses directly opposite Havannah Nature Reserve. Local wildlife conservation groups objected to the plans, including the Northumberland Wildlife Trust, the Natural History Society of Northumbria and the campaign groups Save Gosforth Wildlife and Save Newcastle Wildlife.

From 2018, a large housing development was built directly north of Havannah on the other side of Coach Lane, called Havannah Park.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Site of Special Scientific Interest</span> Protected area in the United Kingdom

A site of special scientific interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an area of special scientific interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of Man. SSSI/ASSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in the United Kingdom are based upon them, including national nature reserves, Ramsar sites, Special Protection Areas, and Special Areas of Conservation. The acronym "SSSI" is often pronounced "triple-S I".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom implemented to comply with European Council Directive 79/409/EEC on the conservation of wild birds. In short, the act gives protection to native species, controls the release of non-native species, enhances the protection of Sites of Special Scientific Interest and builds upon the rights of way rules in the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. The Act is split into 4 parts covering 74 sections; it also includes 17 schedules.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Forest</span> National park in southern England

The New Forest is one of the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in Southern England, covering southwest Hampshire and southeast Wiltshire. It was proclaimed a royal forest by William the Conqueror, featuring in the Domesday Book.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cotswold Water Park</span> Lake system and park in England

The Cotswold Water Park is the United Kingdom's largest marl lake system, straddling the Wiltshire–Gloucestershire border, north-west of Cricklade and south of Cirencester. There are 180 lakes, spread over 42 square miles (110 km2).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newcastle upon Tyne North (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1918 onwards

Newcastle upon Tyne North is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Catherine McKinnell of the Labour Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northumberland Wildlife Trust</span>

Northumberland Wildlife Trust was established in 1971 to help conserve and protect the wildlife of Northumberland, Newcastle upon Tyne and North Tyneside in the UK. The Trust is a charity, and a member of The Wildlife Trusts partnership.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RSPB Dearne Valley Old Moor</span> English wetlands nature reserve

RSPB Dearne Valley Old Moor is an 89-hectare (220-acre) wetlands nature reserve in the Dearne Valley near Barnsley, South Yorkshire, run by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). It lies on the junction of the A633 and A6195 roads and is bordered by the Trans Pennine Trail long-distance path. Following the end of coal mining locally, the Dearne Valley had become a derelict post-industrial area, and the removal of soil to cover an adjacent polluted site enabled the creation of the wetlands at Old Moor.

Hazlerigg is a village and civil parish north of the City of Newcastle upon Tyne in Tyne and Wear, England. It is about 5 miles (8.0 km) north of the city centre, on the A1. It is split between Newcastle upon Tyne and North Tyneside, each side of the A1 being a different district. The parish council administer the Newcastle side, whereas the area located in North Tyneside is unparished. Much of the Newcastle Great Park development is within the area administered by the Hazlerigg Parish Council. Located in the village is a post office, a fish & chip shop, a beauty salon, a hairdresser, a garage, a convenience store and a social club that is now open under new management. In spite of having a population of 1,053, and almost 800 homes, Hazlerigg has never had a pub. The population of the civil Parish taken at the 2011 Census was 980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Kingdom Biodiversity Action Plan</span> British response to the Convention on Biological Diversity

The United Kingdom Biodiversity Action Plan or (UK BAP) was the UK government's response to the Convention on Biological Diversity, opened for signature at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992. The UK was the first country to produce a national Biodiversity Action Plan. It was published in 1994 and created action plans for priority species and habitats in the UK that were most under threat so as to support their recovery.

Site of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCI), Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC) and regionally important geological site (RIGS) are designations used by local authorities in the United Kingdom for sites of substantive local nature conservation and geological value. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has recommended the generic term 'local site', which is divided into 'local wildlife site' and 'local geological site'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parklands, Newcastle upon Tyne</span> Ward in England

Parklands is an electoral ward of Newcastle upon Tyne in North East England. It encompasses the northern edge of the suburb of Gosforth, north of the Metro line and bisected north–south by the Great North Road to the northern boundary of the City of Newcastle, bounded to the west by the A1 and east by the A189.

Teffont Evias Quarry and Lane Cutting is a 3.6 hectare geological Site of Special Scientific Interest at Teffont Evias in Wiltshire, England, notified in 1989. It consists of two parts, Teffont Evias Quarry, and Teffont Evias Lane Cutting. Forest trees are currently growing on both sites, but there are small accessible exposures on the sides of quarry and roadway cuttings.

Brunswick Village is a village split between North Tyneside and Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. It is situated approximately 6 miles north of Newcastle upon Tyne, and borders Hazlerigg, Dinnington and Wideopen. It was formerly known as Dinnington Colliery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portbury Ashlands</span>

Portbury Ashlands which is now known as Portbury Wharf Nature Reserve is a nature reserve between Portishead and the Royal Portbury Dock in Somerset, England. It was formed from the redevelopment of the area of Portishead formerly occupied by two power stations. To the east of the harbour, an area known as "the Ashlands" was used for over 50 years to get rid of power station waste which was dumped into lagoons on the site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Three Brooks Local Nature Reserve</span> Park in Bradley Stoke, United Kingdom

The Three Brooks Nature Reserve is a Local Nature Reserve of approximately 44 hectares in Bradley Stoke, South Gloucestershire, England. It is named after the Hortham, Patchway, and Stoke Brooks which run through it, meeting at Three Brooks Lake before flowing eastwards back under the M4 motorway as Bradley Brook.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waxcap grassland</span> Type of grassland

Waxcap grassland is short-sward, nutrient-poor grassland that supports a rich assemblage of larger fungi, particularly waxcaps, characteristic of such habitats. Waxcap grasslands occur principally in Europe, where they are declining as a result of agricultural practices. The fungal species are consequently of conservation concern and efforts have been made in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to protect both the grasslands and their characteristic fungi. Over 20 species of European waxcap grassland fungi are assessed as globally "vulnerable" or "endangered" on the IUCN Red List of threatened species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gosforth Nature Reserve</span> Nature reserve in Tyne and Wear, UK

Gosforth Nature Reserve is a wildlife haven in Tyne and Wear, England. It includes extensive woodland and wetland habitats and is managed by the Natural History Society of Northumbria. Access to the reserve is restricted to NHSN members and those in possession of a valid day pass. Dog walking and other recreational activities are not permitted on site. The reserve is part of Gosforth Park, the old estate of Gosforth House.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newcastle Great Park</span> Human settlement in England

Newcastle Great Park is a new suburb in the north of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Much of Newcastle Great Park is still under development and is sandwiched in between older areas of Newcastle, namely Gosforth, Fawdon and Kingston Park to the south, and Hazlerigg to the north. Newcastle Great Park is the largest housing development in the North East of England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marine conservation zones in Yorkshire</span> List of Marine Conservation Zones in Yorkshire

The marine conservation zones in Yorkshire, were created in 2016 and 2019 after an extensive consultation, which drew criticism of the UK Government's plans which designated only 31 zones out of the projected 127 zones in 2013. An £8 million study recommended the 127 sites, of which, eight lay in and around the coast of Yorkshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kirk Deighton SSSI</span> Site of Special Scientific Interest in North Yorkshire, England

Kirk Deighton SSSI is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Alton's Field, Kirk Deighton, North Yorkshire, England. This site has been recognised as having one of the largest known breeding populations of great crested newts in the United Kingdom. It is a Special Area of Conservation, and is listed for protection under a number of directives. This ordinary-looking grassland field, with a couple of ponds in it, is ideal habitat for the newts, which use the grassland for foraging, the ponds for breeding, and surrounding walls, hedges and woodpiles for hibernation. The site is not accessible to the public, and it is not permissible to survey the ponds without a licence.

References

    55°02′25″N1°39′14″W / 55.04035°N 1.65398°W / 55.04035; -1.65398