Restoration at our Mountsorrel Quarry

We are committed to restoring the land in and around our quarries to create new spaces that can be enjoyed by the local community. For our Mountsorrel quarry we work closely with Leicestershire County Council, Natural England and the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust to review our progress each year.

The quarry has been identified as a potential future storage facility for public water supply. We have made provisions for tree planting around the perimeter of the quarry, and to install a network of public access routes through these areas for local people to enjoy the landscape.

In 2022, we completed the restoration of an area at our Mountsorrel quarry, known as site 2. For these works we used surface rocks and soil excavated during the quarrying process to shape new landforms. We then planted these areas with grass seeds, trees and hedges. We also restored an area of grassland through hydroseeding, this process involves applying a mixture of seeds and mulch fertilisers in a water solution which supports grass growth.

In 2023, we continued with the aftercare of this area, including replanting any trees that had not survived. To reduce our use of plastics we trialled fencing and planting at part of the site without guards and the use of biodegradable tree guards, rather than traditional plastic, however these guards were less effective and needed extra support.

In 2024, we will be continuing with the restoration works at this site by opening footpaths across and creating a viewing area so it can become a place the local community can enjoy.

Key facts from this restoration project:

• As part of the restoration 8,250 trees and 550m of hedgerow were planted
• In 2022, 6 hectares of land was restored back to woodland, grassland and scrubs
• Over 62 hectares restored so far in the whole site