Greetwell Hollow Quarry 37
Grid Ref: TF020724
graphic

Status:     Site of Special Scientific Interest (English Nature)   

Greetwell Hollow Quarry is a 60ha active quarry that has been designated as an SSSI for its geological interest, although the site also has a rich ecological resource. Greetwell Hollow Quarry has been designated as Critical Natural Asset for the following reasons:

1) The quarry face shows deposits of Lincolnshire Limestone, a calcareous rock laid down during the Jurassic period, approx. 170 million years ago. This particular site has provided most of the ammonite fauna used to place the Lincolnshire Limestone deposits in a correct geological context.  The thin sequence of rocks representing the lower part of the Lincolnshire Limestone is also of importance. This site is one of only two geologically important sites within Lincoln.

2) The site supports 3.5ha of unimproved calcareous grassland. This habitat type is a declining resource in Lincolnshire, and Greetwell Hollow contains approx. 35% of the calcareous grassland in Lincoln, 4% of Lincolnshire's limestone grassland, and approx. 2% of the county's unimproved calcareous grassland. The site is the second largest of the four sites containing significant areas of calcareous grassland within the City.

3) The site supports the following rare and endangered species.
Great crested newt  Triturus cristatus
Examples of this localised and declining amphibian were found in temporary pools on the site in 1993. This species is listed in Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and the 1992 EC Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Flora and Fauna 92/43/EEC (more widely known as the 1992 Habitats Directive).

Note: The boundary for this site includes the whole area notified as a geological Site of Specific Scientific Interest at the date of production of this report. Hence the boundary includes the area defined as Critical Natural Asset, the Special Policy Area and the working area of the quarry.

Landscape Value
The area included on the Proposals Map as Critical Natural Asset lies partly within, and partly outside the Greetwell Quarry SSSI.
The landform of this area is a result of former mining operations and nutrient-rich limestone soils, which have combined to produce a visually impressive and colourful semi-natural grassland. The site forms part of a proposed Green Wedge of open land from the countryside beyond the City boundary into the urban area.