Tufa Field SNCI – Update September 2026

Following initial repair work to the reptile fence and exfiltration testing, work has now begun in earnest to clear the field.

Grasses and wildflower plants have been cut with brushcutters removing the cover for voles, fieldmice and reptiles as well as amphibians making their way across the field.

Cutting has been restricted to a few inches above ground, which is necessary since there are still plenty of Slow Worms in the litter.

Subsidence

We have been monitoring an area of land slippage for a number of years. This particular year of 2026 has been exceptionally wet until March, then exceptionally dry until September. This has probably led to the substantial increase seen in a land slip at the Eastern end (what3words ///narrow.blank.outer) , the cumulative movement is of the order of 2 feet, doubling that observed in previous years. Similar movements have been observed at the southern boundary edge.

The development will require a reinforcement retaining wall to prevent impact on buildings. It also points up the difficulty of building here, where strip foundations will likely be inadequate, causing later building cracking.