Unsurprisingly with the wettest winter since 2013, all 3 streams in the Tufa Field are now running freely.
The East stream is in full flow, and creating significant marsh areas south of the reptile fence.
The Main (Central) stream is also in full spate, traversing the field from south to north and eventually entering a culvert which joins the stream feeding the Moorlands Sandpits.
The Western stream runs less often, but is now also evident.
All of this water is soaking into the field infrastructure where it joins the main aquifer, eventually emerging as springs further down the hill in Moorlands, but also creating immensely difficult building conditions.
Meanwhile, none of the work scheduled for December to February has been started, with no resolution of boundary issues, further hydrology investigation or clearance work, delaying the delivery of this scheme by at least 3 months. With the nesting season fast approaching, and Magpies already building nests in trees designated for destruction, this will pose further problems to developers and council alike.
How much ?!
Cabinet papers just published include a projected final cost of £17.65M !
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February 25, 2026 at 4:52 pm
Have you had any invertebrate survey of what is breeding in your tufa streams and runnels? There should be some soldierflies of such limy springs to be found.
March 3, 2026 at 2:13 pm
Unfortunately, the Council (who own the site) ecological survey did not include any expertise on calcareous wetland entomology, so there is no information. However, earlier observations suggested that there may be a rich source of such species, from wet grassland that has been undisturbed for over 50 years. The building work to be undertaken in this SNCI means that we will probably never know.