Grid Ref: TF020724
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.