Grid Ref: SK966732 

Status:     Site of Nature Conservation Importance (Lincolnshire Trust)

This site consists of 6.5ha of neutral, unimproved rough grassland and scrub, along Burton Road. It has been designated as Critical Natural Asset for the following reasons:

1) The site is one of 11 in the City to consist largely of neutral grassland, representing 3% of this resource in Lincoln.   However, the habitats on site are diverse and include scrub and poorly drained areas dominated by rushes Juncus sp. and willowherbs Epilobium sp. Herbaceous species present include wood avens Geum urbanum, bristly oxtongue Picris echioides, lesser celandine Ranunculus ficaria and black horehound Ballota nigra.    Agriculturally unimproved grassland is a declining commodity in Lincolnshire, with 74% lost in the county since 1938.   The rough grassland to the north of the site is dotted with anthills, an indication of the site's long history as grassland, and is a regular spot for feeding green woodpecker, a species uncommon in urban Lincoln, preferring woodland on adjoining heath or acid grassland.

2)  The site is an important component in a complex of SNCIs in the north-west of the City, including Hobbler's Hole SNCI, Old Quarry SNCI and West Common SNCI.   This area represents the only complex of sites of nature conservation value in the north of the city.  

Landscape Value     

A mixture of grassland and scrub in a visually prominent position, helping to define the Lincoln Edge, an important landscape feature which is an essential part of the character of the city, and which greatly enhances the setting of the Cathedral and the city's historic core. The land , together with the Old Quarry, West Common and adjoining agricultural land, maintains a continuous link between the Lincoln Cliff Area of Great Landscape Value protected by West Lindsey District Council, bringing the open countryside into the urban area as part of a proposed Green Wedge.