MEP backs mineral site restoration at Eversley and beyond
Catherine Bearder MEP inspects restoration work and hears latest on progress of RESTORE project
CATHERINE Bearder, MEP for South East England, recently paid a visit to Eversley sand and gravel quarry on the Berkshire/Hampshire border for a close-up inspection of the restoration work taking place at the site. Her visit was hosted by CEMEX UK and the RSPB, with Nature After Minerals’ restoration adviser also in attendance.
Eversley Quarry and the adjoining Moor Green Lakes complex are already an important site for wildlife and the community, but restoration plans for the future include wetland, grassland and wet woodland habitat creation, in addition to new sports pitches and public footpath provision.
Ms Bearder has taken a keen interest in the great potential for minerals restoration to deliver for biodiversity and people on a landscape scale, both here in the UK and across the rest of Europe. She backed the objectives of the RESTORE project when speaking at its official launch event in September 2013, and was also in attendance at the Mineral Products Association’s Restoration & Biodiversity Awards in the Autumn.
Commenting on her visit to Eversley visit, a spokesperson for Nature After Minerals (NAM) said: ‘We were pleased to have the opportunity to update Ms Bearder on the progress of the RESTORE project and NAM’s work within it. We explained how we are continuing to work on exchanging innovative ideas and lessons learned in high-quality minerals restoration with our RESTORE partners in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, and we agreed that there is an aspiration to spread that knowledge further afield across the rest of Europe.’
Meanwhile, following the success of its first mineral planning policy seminar in Surrey last September, the RESTORE project is to hold a mid-term conference in Dortmund, Germany, on 4 June 2014.
The conference entitled ‘RESTORE mineral sites for future benefits’ is open to all stakeholders with an interest in minerals restoration for people and biodiversity. A morning plenary session will provide updates on the progress of the project, while afternoon workshops and parallel sessions will facilitate networking, open discussions and debate, and the sharing of best practice on a variety of topics.
Topics covered will include: the benefits of ecosystems services and biodiversity; planning and governance; best practice in minerals restoration; and communications and community engagement.
Attendance at the conference is free of charge with places available on a first-come, first-served basis. For further information or to reserve a place, contact Dr Karsten Rusche via email at: karsten.rusche@ils-research.de
