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List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Cheshire

This article is about SSSIs in Cheshire. For other counties, see List of SSSIs by Area of Search.

There are 63 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) in Cheshire, England, covering a total area of 19,844 hectares (49,035 acres). Of these, 51 have been designated for their biological interest, 7 for their geological or geomorphological features, and 5 for both.[1]

Mosslands, such as Risley Moss, are one of the major habitat types in Cheshire

SSSIs are governed by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which mandates that sites be selected for their "flora, fauna, or geological or physiographical features".[2] The body responsible for designating biological SSSIs in England is Natural England,[3] which took over the role of designating and managing SSSIs from English Nature on its creation in 2006. Earth sciences SSSIs are notified separately by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee across the entire UK via Geological Conservation Review.[4] Natural England, like its predecessor bodies, uses a system of areas termed "Areas of Search", which broadly correspond with the 1974–1996 counties,[2] and for consistency the same approach is followed here. In the case of Cheshire, the Area of Search differs from the modern ceremonial county boundary. Since the 1990s, nature conservation in England has also focused on 120 natural areas: regions defined by natural features rather than by administrative boundaries.[5][6] The Cheshire Area of Search encompasses four natural areas.[1][7]

Sketch map showing the broad locations of the four natural areas

The majority of the SSSIs fall within the Meres and Mosses natural area, which covers the bulk of the county, extending into Shropshire and Staffordshire to the south.[1][6] This region is dominated by the Cheshire Plain, a wide expanse of flat or gently undulating farmland which rarely rises above 100 metres in elevation. Despite intensive agricultural use, diverse wetland habitats survive including mosses (bogs), swamps, fens, meres and thousands of ponds. Flashes, originating in subsidence after salt extraction, contain examples of inland salt marsh, an extremely rare habitat internationally.[6] Ancient woodland is sparse throughout this area, but is found on the slopes of the Mid Cheshire Ridge and in river valleys towards the north of the county. The lowland heath habitat is very rare, occurring only at a handful of sites. The Mid Cheshire Ridge rises abruptly in the middle of the plain, with a high point of 227 metres; its Triassic sandstones are exposed at the Raw Head geological site.[6]

Raw Head is one of the area's geological SSSIs

Two extensive sites, Goyt Valley and Leek Moors, lie at the eastern edge of the county and the south-western end of the Pennines, within the South West Peak natural area of the Peak District.[1][8] At a significantly higher elevation than the other Cheshire SSSIs and underlain by millstone grit and shale, they contain a variety of upland habitats, predominantly heather moorland, grassland and blanket mire.[8]

Ten SSSIs are located in Warrington and Halton and the former borough of Ellesmere Port & Neston, in the north-west of the county. These fall within the Urban Mersey Basin natural area, which also covers Greater Manchester and Merseyside. Although the area as a whole is one of the most densely populated regions in Europe, much of the area within Cheshire is farmland. Semi-natural habitats here include ancient woodland, raised bog and freshwater wetland. The Rixton Clay Pits site represents former industrial land, and railway cuttings expose geological features.[1][9] Finally, the Liverpool Bay coastal region contains two estuaries, the Mersey and Dee, which are Cheshire's largest SSSIs.[1][10]

Sites

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Site name Reason for designation Area[A] Grid reference[B] Year in which notified Map[C] Citation[D]
Biological interest Geological interest Hectares Acres
Abbots Moss  Y 38.4 94.8 SJ597690 1984 Map [2]
Alderley Edge  Y 93.6 231.2 SJ848776 1951 Map [3]
Bagmere  Y 26.9 66.3 SJ795643 1963 Map [4]
Bar Mere  Y 12.8 31.5 SJ536478 1979 Map [5]
Beechmill Wood and Pasture  Y 6.2 15.4 SJ540768 1979 Map [6]
Betley Mere  Y 29.6 73.2 SJ747480 1963 Map [7]
Bickerton Hill  Y 91.0 224.8 SJ498530 1979 Map [8]
Black Lake, Delamere  Y 1.7 4.3 SJ537709 1963 Map [9]
Brookhouse Moss  Y 10.1 24.9 SJ806617 1979 Map [10]
Chapel Mere  Y 11.8 29.1 SJ540518 1987 Map [11]
Comber Mere  Y 65.0 160.5 SJ585442 1963 Map [12]
Dane-In-Shaw Pasture  Y 8.2 20.2 SJ877625 1990 Map [13]
Danes Moss  Y 51.3 126.8 SJ905704 1985 Map [14]
Dee Cliffs, Farndon  Y 2.0 5.0 SJ414542 1979 Map [15]
Dee Estuary  Y 5,241.2 12,951.2 SJ240804 1954 Map [16]
Dunsdale Hollow  Y 6.9 17.0 SJ513763 1987 Map [17]
Flaxmere Moss  Y 7.0 17.2 SJ556723 1965 Map [18]
Flood Brook Clough  Y 5.1 12.6 SJ532800 1979 Map [19]
Frodsham Railway and Road Cuttings  Y 1.3 3.3 SJ520780 1979 Map [20]
Gannister Quarry  Y 1.6 4.0 SJ869592 1985 Map [21]
Gleads Moss  Y 2.8 6.9 SJ821685 1979 Map [22]
Goyt Valley  Y 1,332.6 3,292.9 SK028746 1951 Map [23]
Hallwood Farm Marl Pit  Y 0.1 0.3 SJ343759 1986 Map [24]
Hatch Mere  Y 13.3 32.7 SJ551721 1951 Map [25]
Hatherton Flush  Y 1.9 4.8 SJ671482 1985 Map [26]
Hatton's Hey Wood, Whittle's Corner and Bank Rough  Y 23.7 58.5 SJ570770 1979 Map [27]
Holcroft Moss  Y 18.1 44.7 SJ685932 1991 Map [28]
Holly Banks[E]  Y 9.3 23.1 SJ815659 1979 Map [29]
Inner Marsh Farm  Y 22.5 55.6 SJ307733 1998 Map [30]
Leek Moors  Y  Y 3,970.8 9,812.1 SK010649 1954 Map [31]
Lindow Common  Y 17.7 43.7 SJ834811 1963 Map [32]
Linmer Moss  Y 2.4 5.8 SJ547707 1994 Map [33]
Little Budworth Common  Y 54.4 134.3 SJ585655 1979 Map [34]
Madams Wood  Y 9.5 23.4 SJ877650 1990 Map [35]
Mersey Estuary  Y 6,714.5 16,591.9 SJ395818 1951 Map [36]
Norbury Meres  Y 23.7 58.6 SJ559492 1979 Map [37]
Oak Mere  Y 68.8 169.9 SJ574677 1986 Map [38]
Oakhanger Moss  Y 14.4 35.6 SJ767550 1994 Map [39]
Peckforton Woods  Y 57.9 143.0 SJ531576 1984 Map [40]
Pettypool Brook Valley  Y 46.7 115.3 SJ617702 1951 Map [41]
Plumley Lime Beds  Y 23.3 57.5 SJ707750 1963 Map [42]
Quoisley Meres  Y 28.3 70.0 SJ548455 1963 Map [43]
Raw Head  Y 13.5 33.4 SJ508544 1979 Map [44]
Red Brow Cutting  Y 0.2 0.4 SJ567816 1991 Map [45]
Risley Moss  Y 83.8 207.1 SJ667917 1986 Map [46]
River Dane[E]  Y 295.8 730.8 SJ808661 1994 Map [47]
River Dee (England)  Y  Y 371.5 917.9 SJ407658 1996 Map [48]
Rixton Clay Pits  Y 13.7 33.7 SJ685901 1979 Map [49]
Roe Park Woods  Y 35.4 87.5 SJ858583 1990 Map [50]
Rostherne Mere  Y  Y 152.5 376.8 SJ743842 1984 Map [51]
Sandbach Flashes  Y  Y 157.1 388.2 SJ726607 1963 Map [52]
Sound Heath  Y 4.8 11.9 SJ620479 1963 Map [53]
Tabley Mere  Y 44.9 110.9 SJ723768 1963 Map [54]
Tatton Meres  Y 90.3 223.2 SJ755799 1963 Map [55]
Taylor's Rough & Wellmeadow Wood  Y 6.5 16.0 SJ493453 1979 Map [56]
The Mere, Mere  Y 19.4 48.0 SJ732818 1985 Map [57]
Warburton's Wood and Well Wood  Y 6.9 17.0 SJ554761 1979 Map [58]
Well Rough and Long Plantation  Y 8.6 21.2 SJ455443 1979 Map [59]
Wettenhall and Darnhall Woods  Y 45.3 111.9 SJ649626 1979 Map [60]
Wimboldsley Wood  Y 16.4 40.6 SJ672643 1979 Map [61]
Witton Lime Beds  Y 16.4 40.5 SJ660749 1979 Map [62]
Woolston Eyes  Y 269.8 666.7 SJ662885 1985 Map [63]
Wybunbury Moss  Y  Y 23.2 57.4 SJ696501 1951 Map [64]

Notes

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All tabulated data are sourced from the Natural England website, and were last updated on 1 March 2010.[11][12]

A Data rounded to one decimal place. Area in acres converted from hectare value.

B Grid reference is based on the British national grid reference system, also known as OSGB36, and is the system used by the Ordnance Survey.[13]

C Link to maps using the Nature on the Map service provided by Natural England.[14]

D Natural England citation sheets for each SSSI.

E The River Dane and Holly Banks SSSIs overlap.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Sites of Special Scientific Interest: Cheshire". Natural England. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
  2. ^ a b Guidelines for the Selection of Biological SSSIs, Part A: "Rationale". (Nature Conservancy Council; 1989) (ISBN 086139 544 1). Downloaded from "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 September 2008. Retrieved 14 April 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link), 14 April 2010.
  3. ^ "Notification of SSSIs". Natural England. Archived from the original on 15 May 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2006.
  4. ^ Joint Nature Conservation Committee: Geological Conservation Review (GCR) (accessed 14 April 2010)
  5. ^ Natural England: Natural Areas (accessed 15 April 2010)
  6. ^ a b c d English Nature: Meres and Mosses (27 February 1998) (accessed 10 April 2010)
  7. ^ Natural England: Natural Areas: Search Natural Areas Archived 2009-07-17 at the Wayback Machine (accessed 15 April 2010)
  8. ^ a b Natural England: The South West Peak Natural Area Profile (accessed 13 April 2010)
  9. ^ English Nature: The Urban Mersey Basin Natural Area: A Nature Conservation Profile (March 1997) (accessed 13 April 2010)
  10. ^ Natural England: Liverpool Bay Natural Area: A nature conservation profile (29 October 1997) Archived 22 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine (accessed 14 April 2010)
  11. ^ SSSI background data (Cheshire) – compiled 01 Mar 2010. Retrieved from [1]; 11 April 2010.
  12. ^ Natural England citation sheets for each SSSI. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
  13. ^ "Guide to National Grid". Ordnance Survey. Archived from the original on 27 October 2007. Retrieved 7 August 2006.
  14. ^ Natural England: Nature on the Map: Welcome to Nature on the Map (accessed 15 April 2010)
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