The impact of sand extraction at Formby Point ... - Sefton Council

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The impact of sand extraction 

at Formby Point, Merseyside 

Assessment of ecological impacts of sand extraction at 

Formby Point and opportunities for habitat 

maintenance, restoration or creation linked to targets 

within the North Merseyside Biodiversity Action Plan 

prepared for Sefton Council as part of the project ‘The impact of sand extraction at Formby Point, 

Merseyside’, supported through Defra’s Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund: Application TAL0183 

by 

Dr. Phil Smith 

March 2008

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Assessment of ecological impacts of sand extraction at Formby Point and 

opportunities for habitat maintenance, restoration or creation linked to targets 

within the North Merseyside Biodiversity Action Plan 

Philip H. Smith, March 2008 

1. Introduction 

Formby Point is part of the Sefton Coast sand-dune system, the largest area of coastal 

dunes in England. Reflecting its importance for wildlife, Formby Point is included in the 

Sefton Coast Site of Special Scientific Interest designated in 2000. The area also benefits 

from EU protection, being part of a Special Area of Conservation and Natura 2000 site. 

The dune system has been listed as a wetland of international importance under the 

Ramsar Convention and is also a Site of Local Biological Interest under the Sefton 

Unitary Development Plan. 

The Sefton Coast sand-dunes have been subject to extensive modification by a wide 

range of human activities (Smith 1999), one of these being large-scale removal of sand 

for industrial purposes. From at least the 1920s or 1930s onwards, sand-winning took 

place from several sites at Formby Point, despite the fact that the coastline had been 

subject to rapid marine erosion since about 1906. In the early years, the industry appears 

to have been unregulated but there are records of planning applications for sand 

extraction between 1949 and 1959, while a public inquiry took place in the 1960s. In 

1958, a Coast Protection Order was enacted by Formby Urban District Council and no 

further applications were considered to the west of an arbitrary line, though sand removal 

continued to take place until 1970. 

This report was commissioned in September 2007, its aim being to investigate the 

ecological impacts of sand extraction at Formby Point. The Project Brief requested the 

following: 

• Review relevant information held by the contractor and other sources, if appropriate. 

• Assess the positive and negative impacts of the industry.

• Rapid, up-to-date assessment of the condition of the habitats and species associated 

with former sand extraction sites, noting any positive and negative trends. 

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• Advise on management of existing sites, with reference to the management plans for 

Lifeboat Road, Ravenmeols Local Nature Reserve and Cabin Hill National Nature 

Reserve. 

• Assess potential for future habitat maintenance, restoration and creation at several 

scales – from small-scale and local (e.g. single slack) to large-scale (e.g. restoration 

plan for whole extraction site). 

• Comment on potential for positive habitat management, restoration or creation for 

BAP habitats and species, including Natterjack Toad, Sand Lizard, Common Lizard, 

Great Crested Newt, Northern Dune Tiger Beetle, Colletes Vernal Mining Bee, 

Grayling, Dark Green Fritillary and others. 

2. Ecological survey 

2.2. Methods 

Locations of major sand quarries at Lifeboat Road, Ravenmeols and Cabin Hill, as 

defined by recent Lidar survey and aerial photographs taken in 1945, 1961 and 1979, 

were visited in early October 2007. Notes were made on habitats and vegetation, with 

particular reference to habitats scheduled in the EU Habitats Directive and 

regionally/nationally notable species, including those considered in the North Merseyside 

BAP. Changes over time were determined by reference to aerial photographs, National 

Vegetation Classification (NVC) reports and maps, other reports, personal note-books 

and transparencies. Site Management Plans were examined in the context of habitat and 

species management and potential for future habitat restoration/creation. 

2.3. Results 

2.3.1. Lifeboat Road 

All of this area is owned by Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council. As determined from 

the 1945 photographs, the main quarry site is bounded by pine woodland in the east, 

Lifeboat Road to the south, Wicks Lane path in the north and former Asparagus fields to 

the west. It is also inferred that sand removal took place from frontal dunes to the north

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of the disused Lifeboat Station. Much of the latter area has been lost to subsequent coast 

erosion and dune development. It may well be, however, that the severe damage done by 

sand-winning began the process of frontal dune deflation which was exacerbated by 

public pressure in the 1960s. Thus, the deflation area north of Lifeboat Road shown in 

the 1961 and later photographs corresponds very closely to the 1945 sand quarry. Wind 

erosion seriously weakened the coast-protection function of the dunes, the area becoming 

a priority for dune restoration in the early years of the Sefton Coast Management Scheme 

(1978 to 1985). It was eventually stabilised after recontouring, planting with Marram 

(Ammophila arenaria) and formalisation of footpath access (Smith 1999). Over 20 years 

on, this area is now a gentle west-facing slope of Rabbit-grazed, rather impoverished, 

mossy, semi-fixed dune with sparse Marram. 

A series of small Natterjack Toad breeding pools has been maintained in the lowest-lying 

part of this area, just east of the coast fringe of mobile-dunes. These attracted large 

numbers of adults in the 1980s but the status of current population is not clear. There is a 

considerable extent of suitable terrestrial habitat which should be capable of supporting a 

large number of toads. Successful breeding was recorded in 2006 (100s of toadlets) but 

there was no monitoring in 2005. Three extant scrapes (6, 7 & 8) are small and only one 

(no. 6) held water at the time of the survey. This is also the only scrape with an 

interesting flora, which includes the notable Grey Club-rush (Schoenoplectus 

tabernaemontani), Small-fruited Yellow-sedge (Carex viridula ssp. viridula), Brookweed 

(Samolus valerandi), Seaside Centaury (Centaurium littorale), Early Marsh-orchid 

(Dactylorhiza incarnata) and Variegated Horsetail (Equisetum variegatum). 

Further east were originally situated high dunes imposing enough to have been given the 

local names “Beacon Hill” and “Shorrock’s Hill”. These were entirely removed, leaving 

a quarry, the eastern edge of which is a bluff about 10m high, once steep and sandy but 

now slumped to about 30 o and clothed with pine planted in 1983 and regenerating poplar. 

The adjacent quarry floor was invaded by scrub from the late 1960s onwards and now 

supports a dense mixed woodland, especially of Grey Poplar (Populus x canescens), 

Aspen (P. tremula), Hybrid Black-poplar (P. x canadensis) and Balm-of-Gilead (P. x

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jackii) with a smaller component of Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus), oak (Quercus), 

birch (Betula) and Grey Alder (Alnus incana) and Corsican Pine (Pinus nigra ssp. 

laricio). Damper areas have been colonised by Grey Willow (Salix cinerea), Crack 

Willow (S. fragilis), Hybrid Crack-willow (S. x rubens) and Fine Osier (S. x forbyana), 

with much Creeping Willow (S. repens) in canopy gaps. Despite their relatively young 

ages, the trees have trunk diameters averaging 30-40cm, with a few up to 80cm. Beneath 

the trees is a varied ground flora of grasses, herbs and ferns. 

In the 1960s and 1970s, the now wooded area contained a series of slacks which were 

mapped and described by Smith (1978a, 1978b). They flooded deeply in 1968/69 and 

again in spring 1977, supporting large numbers of Common Toads (Bufo bufo). They 

also had a diverse vegetation, including such nationally/regionally notable plants as 

Small-fruited Yellow-sedge, Early Marsh-orchid, Marsh Helleborine (Epipactis 

palustris), Variegated Horsetail, Grass-of-Parnassus (Parnassia palustris), Seaside 

Centaury, Brookweed and Flat-sedge (Blysmus compressus). Unfortunately, some of the 

slacks were filled in during the construction of a new access track to the carpark in 1978 

(Smith 1978b). A relict of one slack, surrounded by scrub, survives at SD 27768 06645. 

This is now much dryer, is dominated by Creeping Willow and retains few wet-slack 

plants, such as Cuckoo-flower (Cardamine pratensis), Marsh Bedstraw (Galium palustre) 

and Shore Horsetail (Equisetum x litorale). Another small slack which once supported a 

fine stand of Flat-sedge has long disappeared under scrub. Within the woodland, two 

narrow basins were deepened in about 1980 to form “newt scrapes”. These are now 

rather shaded and moss-dominated with a few relict wetland plants, such as Common 

Reed (Phragmites australis), Hard Rush (Juncus inflexus), Common Spike-rush 

(Eleocharis palustris), Lesser Spearwort (Ranunculus flammula) and Water Mint 

(Mentha aquatica). The only notable plant is Brookweed. The southern scrape contains 

a little of the invasive alien New Zealand Pigmy-weed (Crassula helmsii). 

The edges of former slacks adjacent to the access track are now picked out by willows, 

which include three specimens of the nationally rare hybrid Salix x doniana, known from

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only six post-1987 10km squares (hectads) in the British Isles. Nearby, are two bushes of 

Salix x friesiana (14 post-1987 hectads), also nationally rare. 

To the west of the mature woodland, a zone of regenerating scrub, mainly Balm-of- 

Gilead much affected by fungal die-back, gradually gives way to a gently undulating 

landscape, the vegetation of which consists of a mosaic of grassy fixed-dune and fixed 

dune with Creeping Willow with scattered small trees of birch and pine. There is one 

fine young specimen of Salix x doniana at SD 27646 06693. The western edge of the 

quarry here is a 3-4m-high fixed dune ridge, beyond which lies the Lifeboat Road carpark 

on what were probably originally Asparagus fields. 

To the south, a square pine plantation on top of a 3-4m-high plateau survived sandwinning. 

On its southern flank, next to Lifeboat Road, is a level area which was probably 

one of the first to be excavated for sand. This is now heavily Rabbit-grazed fixed-dune 

dominated by Red Fescue (Festuca rubra) and Common Bent (Agrostis capillaris) with a 

diversity of herbaceous plants, including Common Stork’s-bill (Erodium cicutarium), the 

nationally scarce Sticky Stork’s-bill (E. lebelii) and their rare hybrid Erodium x 

anaristatum, known only from coastal dunes in Wales and South Lancashire. 

Immediately west of the pine block is a dune hollow, a blow-out in 1978, which was 

deepened to produce a Natterjack Toad scrape about 20m in diameter in the 1980s (no. 

10). This now contains a few slack plants, the only notable species being Small-fruited 

Yellow-sedge. It has not been used by Natterjacks for some time but, in wet years, has 

been known to support dragonflies. 

Moving north of the wooded part of the quarry is a low-lying, almost level area traversed 

by footpaths. Its vegetation consists of a mosaic of Grey Poplar scrub (some recently cut 

but re-sprouting), patches of Creeping Willow and acid fixed-dune grassland, dominated 

by Common Bent and Sand Sedge (Carex arenaria). The latter also supports the notable 

species Smooth Cat’s-ear (Hypochaeris glabra) (Smith 2007a) and Sticky Stork’s-bill. 

Where pedestrian trampling has kept the turf short, there is heavy Rabbit grazing. This 

area slopes upwards to the north by about 1.5m to a near-level plateau of open, partially-

grazed, fixed-dune grassland characterised by Sand Sedge and Common Bent with 

frequent Dewberry (Rubus caesius), Rosebay Willowherb (Chamerion angustifolium) 

and Common Ragwort (Senecio jacobaea). Several formal and informal footpaths cross 

the area. Patches of taller vegetation add to habitat diversity but this is restricted by the 

lack of a varied topography. 

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Further north, the land rises to fixed-dune ridges and then falls to Wicks Lake where I 

photographed sand-winning as recently as 1970. The lake was created in 1979 by 

deepening an existing basin-site formed by earlier sand extraction. For about ten years, it 

was used as a recreational facility but concerns about water-quality led to the wetland 

being fenced off and managed as a nature conservation site. The margins were planted 

with Alder (Alnus glutinosa) and a variety of willows, now up to 7m tall, while various 

wetland plants were introduced to produce a marginal reed-swamp of Bulrush (Typha 

latifolia), Common Reed, Grey Club-rush and Lesser Pond-sedge (Carex acutiformis). 

By the 1990s, the site was particularly noted for its dragonflies (Odonata) and was 

featured in the field guide by Brooks & Lewington (1997). However, in recent years, an 

increasing population of ducks fed by visitors has polluted the water and predated aquatic 

life, leading to the almost complete elimination of Odonata. The western, shallower, arm 

of the lake has developed interesting slack-like, semi-aquatic vegetation, including many 

marsh-orchids (Dactylorhiza), Brookweed, Cyperus Sedge (Carex pseudocyperus) and 

Brown Sedge (C. disticha). A single bush of Salix x friesiana was noted. However, this 

section is now being colonised by scrub, especially suckering Alder and Grey Willow, 

while an area of about 25m x 20m supports a dense population of the invasive New 

Zealand Pigmy-weed. 

To the west and south-west of Wicks Lake, the final section of the extraction zone 

consists partly of a large level of fixed-dune dominated by Red Fescue, Common Bent 

and Sand Sedge. This site, which has patchy Rabbit grazing, was used as a football pitch 

in the early 1970s. It is delineated to the west by an old field boundary of wind-pruned 

poplar trees reinforced by pine planting in 1985. Adjoining it to the south are gently 

undulating fixed-dunes with occasional small blow-outs, one of which has been recently

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infilled and supports ruderal vegetation of Common Ragwort, Evening-primrose 

(Oenothera) and Hound’s-tongue (Cynoglossum officinale). Otherwise, the area has a 

rather mossy, open, Rabbit-grazed sward of acid grassland with a scattered population of 

Smooth Cat’s-ear. 

Gateley & Michell (2004) report trends at Lifeboat Road since the previous NVC survey 

in 1988/89. Thus, mixed scrub/woodland has spread over many areas of open dune and 

slack in the eastern and southern parts of the site, while former areas of open water and 

slack vegetation are diminished. Even Wicks Lake was dry at the time of their field work 

in 2004. 

2.3.2. Ravenmeols LNR 

South of Lifeboat Road, a large area of Ravenmeols dunes, owned by Sefton Council, has 

also been subject to past sand-winning, the area affected being more readily determined 

by reference to Lidar mapping than to the 1945 and 1961 aerial photographs. On the 

ground, an obvious quarry edge can be seen where taller dunes rise to the west, north and 

south, the eastern boundary being much more difficult to determine, partly due to dense 

scrub colonisation. 

Smith (1980) conducted the first detailed ecological survey of this area, making reference 

to several wet-slacks which seemed to have originated from sand-winning and also to 

areas of small hummocks, north of Alexandra Road, which probably represent 

overburden tipped in already extracted sites. It is also clear that large quantities of sand 

were removed from the frontal dunes, working in a south-easterly direction from the 

shore. Smith (1980) refers to a “blow-through” cutting though the main mobile-dune 

ridge about 250m south of Lifeboat Road, which evidently had been caused by sandwinning. 

At the time of his survey, this feature was 50m wide at its seaward end and 

blown sand was smothering the adjacent fixed-dunes. This blow-through was brushwood 

fenced and planted with Marram from 1979 under the auspices of the Sefton Coast 

Management Scheme.

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The vegetation of the main quarry area was mapped and its (pre-NVC) communities 

described by Smith (1980). Twenty-seven years on, the area is essentially similar; a 

slightly undulating topography supports a mosaic of grassy fixed-dune on the higher 

ground and extensive areas of fixed-dune with Creeping Willow in the lower-lying areas. 

The latter community corresponds with the NVC’s SD16 (Salix repens – Holcus lanatus 

dune-slack) (dryer type) while the former is mapped as SD7 (Ammophila arenaria – 

Festuca rubra semi-fixed dune) by Gateley & Michell (2004). To the east, the Creeping 

Willow is frequently accompanied by Tuberous Pea (Lathyrus tuberosus), an attractive 

alien which has been known here since the 1920s (Smith 1980). The nationally rare 

Dune Helleborine (Epipactis dunensis) occurs sparingly amongst the Creeping Willow 

but none was seen during this study. 

Especially to the north and east are scattered clumps of scrub, comprising mainly White 

Poplar (Populus alba), Sea Buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides), Grey Willow, Fine 

Osier, Balm of Gilead, birch and Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna). The White Poplar 

and Sea Buckthorn clumps are suckering freely into adjacent habitats. Several specimens 

of Salix x friesiana were recorded. Interestingly, at various points along the western and 

southern quarry boundaries there are large willow patches, dominated by Fine Osier and 

Grey Willow, but also including Osier (S. viminalis), Goat Willow (S. caprea) and S. x 

friesiana. Their establishment may have been encouraged by percolation of water from 

the adjacent high dunes. 

Three wet-slacks were mapped by Smith (1978a); these together with three damp slacks 

were sampled by Smith (1980) using NVC methodology. They flooded in 1977 and, 

especially deeply, in 1982 when Natterjack Toads bred successfully. In 1980, all these 

slacks had a diverse vegetation, though most were dominated by Creeping Willow. This 

is still the case, although the slacks now appear to be dryer, as would be expected after 27 

years of sediment accumulation. The largest and richest was slack 1, described by Smith 

(1980) as having Creeping Willow around the edge, which soon gives way to a heavily 

Rabbit-grazed sward dominated by bryophytes together with a high diversity of lowgrowing 

vascular plants. As in 1980, a well-used informal footpath runs the length of the

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slack. Its vegetation is still species-rich, the most notable plants being Grass-of- 

Parnassus, Marsh Helleborine and Early Marsh-orchid. The central area, although now 

with more Creeping Willow, retains a short Rabbit-grazed sward with sedges but fewer 

bryophytes, indicating its dryer condition. A damp slack in the central part of the 

quarry, recorded in 1980, still supports a population of Marsh Helleborine and Grass-of 

Parnassus within a 15cm-high sward of Creeping Willow. Nearby is a scrape dug in 

2000 when a patch of Sea Buckthorn was removed. Its floor is about 1.5m below the 

general dune surface and is quite wet, with a stand of Hard Rush together with good 

populations of the notable slack plants Small-fruited Yellow-sedge, Grass-of-Parnassus, 

Marsh Helleborine, Seaside Centaury, Variegated Horsetail and Knotted Pearlwort 

(Sagina nodosa). This vegetation is currently maintained by heavy Rabbit-grazing. 

Immediately west of the caravan site is another low-lying area which probably also arose 

from sand-winning and had breeding Natterjack Toads in 1982. It is dominated by 

Creeping Willow but now lacks the wet-slack plants, including orchids, which were 

recorded here in the 1980s. The final slack to be mentioned is one created by a 1980s 

scrape in the floor of a small blow-out on the southern edge of the quarry, near Alexandra 

Road. This is now vegetated and supports an impressive population of marsh-orchids, 

together with Marsh Helleborine and Grass-of-Parnassus. 

To the south of slack 1, the area of hummocks described by Smith (1980) is now much 

less obvious. The topography has become obscured by surface erosion and by vegetation 

changes. Previously dominated by bryophytes, the hummocks now mainly support 

Creeping Willow with occasional grassy patches. 

To the south of the main quarry area, in the vicinity of Alexandra Road and Albert Road, 

is a series of small sand extraction areas identified from aerial photographs and Lidar 

survey. These are partly covered in dune-scrub and were not investigated in detail. 

As to the north of Lifeboat Road, sand-winning in the Ravenmeols frontal-dunes has 

largely been obscured by later marine erosion and sand-blow. Some of the highest dunes

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on the Sefton Coast occur here but there is a lower-lying area, surrounded by Marramdominated 

dune ridges, which is probably a relict of earlier sand removal. One blow-out 

in this area has eroded down to the water-table but not sufficiently, as yet, to form a 

slack. There is a large area of prime Natterjack Toad habitat here but, unfortunately, 

nowhere for the creature to breed. To the east of the highest ridge, is a dune valley which 

probably originated from sand-winning. Clothed by Creeping Willow and Marram, it 

contains a scrape dug in 1987. Due to sand-accumulation, this is now relatively dry, 

containing only a little Marsh Pennywort (Hydrocotyle vulgaris) to indicate the proximity 

of the water-table. 

Ravenmeols was surveyed in 1988/89 and 2003 for the Sefton Coast NVC. Gateley & 

Michell (2004) report that fixed-dune communities became simplified with a greater 

proportion being recorded as SD7. Meanwhile, the areas of damp-slack decreased and 

the dry SD16 community, dominated by Creeping Willow, became more extensive. 

Their findings support the observations made during the current study. 

2.3.3. Cabin Hill 

Cabin Hill contains two extensive sand-winning areas, the most obvious one at the end of 

Range Lane, in the ownership of Sefton Council, covers about 4.5ha and is well 

demarcated on three sides by cliffed dunes. The marks of heavy machinery are 

particularly well shown on the 1961 aerial photograph. The other, larger, site is less well 

defined both on aerial photographs and on the ground and covers part of the 28.4ha Cabin 

Hill National Nature Reserve leased in 1985 by the Nature Conservancy Council (now 

Natural England) and declared in 1991. The name of this area refers to the largest sanddune 

and landmark on this part of the coast which was completely removed, in places 

down to the water-table. This so weakened the coast protection function of the dune belt 

that the then Mersey & Weaver River Authority constructed a flood defence barrier bank 

about 750m long in 1970/71, at great public expense. To build the bank, sand was 

excavated from a series of linear borrow-pits, creating wetlands which, from about 1976 

to 1988 became the most important Natterjack Toad breeding site on the Sefton Coast, 

250 spawn strings being counted in spring 1978 (Smith 1978c). In the late 1970s, the

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population in slack 1 was considered to be the largest using a single water body in Britain 

(English Nature 2004). During this period, the site also supported breeding Snipe, 

Lapwing and Moorhen and probably Sedge Warbler and Redshank. Passage birds 

included Spoonbill, Osprey, Temminck’s Stint, Black Terns, Little Gulls, Lapland 

Bunting and the first British Eleonora’s Falcon in August 1977 (Smith 1978c). These 

interests, and also threats from a proposed golf course development, were major reasons 

for the establishment of the NNR. In 1983, 206 and in 1988, 219 Natterjack spawn 

strings were counted at Cabin Hill but, during 1990s, maturation of the habitats and 

invasion of the wetlands by an enormous population of Common Toads led to a severe 

decline in the rarer species here, only 19 strings being found in 2003 (English Nature 

2004). Various management initiatives, including the introduction of extensive winter 

sheep-grazing, have not, as yet, reversed this trend. 

The northern quarry at Cabin Hill has a slightly undulating floor, most of which is 

occupied by semi-fixed-dune vegetation dominated by Marram, Red Fescue and Sand 

Sedge with frequent Dewberry and Common Ragwort. There is also an abundance of 

mosses and bare patches encouraged by heavy Rabbit-grazing. In the north-central area 

is a large scrape excavated in 1987, 3-4m below the general surface. At the time of the 

survey, this held shallow water (15cm deep). There is a large stand of the regionally 

notable Grey Club-rush at the western end and Stoneworts (Charophytes) occur in the 

water. The dryer margins have a species-rich, Rabbit-grazed turf of sedges and other 

herbaceous plants, including Glaucous Sedge (Carex flacca), Small-fruited Yellowsedge, 

Grass-of-Parnassus, Marsh Helleborine, Bog Pimpernel (Anagallis tenella), 

Square-stalked St John’s-wort (Hypericum tetrapterum) and Selfheal (Prunella vulgaris). 

The site is also rich in bryophytes. 

The eastern part of the quarry has three sizeable damp slacks which probably date back to 

the earliest phase of sand-winning here. All have an east/west orientation and are 

dominated by Creeping Willow. There is an increasing trend of wetness and of botanical 

richness from north to south. The northern, driest, slack has a few spikes of Marsh 

Helleborine, a single, rather moribund, bush of Salix x friesiana, and a little Round-

leaved Wintergreen (Pyrola rotundifolia ssp. maritima). The middle basin supports 

Marsh Helleborine and also marsh-orchids, while the southernmost basin has these in 

abundance and other slack plants such as Marsh Pennywort, sedges, Yellow-wort 

(Blackstonia perfoliata) and Silverweed (Potentilla anserina). The southern slack is 

flanked to the east by a large suckering clump of Sea Buckthorn. These slacks were 

briefly described 28 years ago by Smith (1979) when they supported very similar 

vegetation. 

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Once part of the quarry edge, the south-facing slope immediately north of these slacks 

has a patchy sward of Marram with plenty of bare sand patches produced by Rabbits. A 

juvenile Sand Lizard was photographed here on the rather late date of 21 st October 2007. 

The higher, more mobile, ridges on the southern flank of Devil’s Hole have dense stands 

of Marram which are suitable for adult Sand Lizards during the breeding season while the 

lower south-facing slopes, with more open vegetation, are ideal for adults later in the year 

and for juveniles (D. Hardaker pers. com.). Some small, suckering stands of Balm-of- 

Gilead and Fine Osier in this area may require controlling where they impinge on prime 

Sand Lizard habitat. 

To the east is a region of undulating terrain with much Creeping Willow and also stands 

of larger willows, including Fine Osier, Grey Willow, Goat Willow, Osier and Silkyleaved 

Osier (Salix x smithiana). One small hollow contains nine bushes of putative 

Salix x friesiana, though some may be referable to the even rarer Salix x angusensis (ten 

post-1987 British hectads). The latter taxon is extremely difficult to identify. Another 

nine specimens of S. x friesiana are associated with a line of willow bushes that form part 

of the probable eastern boundary of the sand quarry. 

The northern quarry at Cabin Hill is separated by a semi-fixed-dune ridge about 4-5m 

high from the larger southern extraction area, within the NNR, which extends south to the 

Altcar Rifle Range boundary and beyond. The western section is mainly fixed or semifixed 

dune, dominated by Marram, sloping gradually upwards to the higher ridges which 

survived quarrying and have been reinforced by over 100m of new dune formation since

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1961. The 1945 aerial photo shows that sand-winning invaded this area but evidence on 

the ground has been obscured by later accretion. About 100m north of the Rifle Range 

boundary is an enclave of lower-lying land extending about 100m westwards and 

probably representing an old extraction site. Except for some low semi-fixed, ridges, this 

area is now largely covered with Creeping Willow. One deeper basin (slack 28) was 

excavated as a small Natterjack Toad scrape in 1988 and reprofiled in 2005. The 

shallow central area has been colonised by Common Spike-rush (Eleocharis palustris) 

and Water Horsetail (Equisetum fluviatile), while the dryer surrounds support a rich plant 

community, including Small-fruited Yellow-sedge, marsh orchids, Grass-of-Parnassus, 

Seaside Centaury, Knotted Pearlwort, etc. Another, larger, slack basin to the south (slack 

26) is mostly dominated by tall Creeping Willow but, around the margins, it has Marsh 

Helleborine, marsh-orchids and the nationally scarce Round-leaved Wintergreen, the 

latter in some abundance. 

To the east is a large enclosure winter-grazed by Herdwick sheep and year-round by 

Rabbits. Most of this plot has a more-or-less level topography with extensive Creeping 

Willow. Slightly higher ground supports a sward of Red Fescue and Marram with much 

Dewberry. Small, scattered, bare patches are associated with Rabbit activity but sheep 

do not seem to have had much effect on the substrate. The Dune Helleborine has been 

recorded as “local” on fixed-dunes within the reserve (English Nature 2004) but was not 

observed during my visits. There is a scattering of larger willows, mainly Grey Willow, 

but also many bushes of Salix x friesiana and one or two that may be S. x angusensis. A 

small plot, fenced to exclude livestock, is heavily colonised by large willows. The 

frequency of willow bushes increases near to the main borrow-pit, this being one of the 

greatest concentrations on the Sefton coast of rare willow hybrids, including about 50 

bushes of Salix x friesiana. Adjacent to the borrow-pit are two large (c. 1ha) wet-slack 

basins, numbered 2 and 20 by Smith (1978a). No. 20 supports an important population of 

Flat-sedge and a number of willows, including a single Purple Willow (S. purpurea), one 

bush of S. x doniana, 18 of S. x friesiana and also a Bay Willow (S. pentandra) which, 

although not notable, is rare in the dunes.

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Slack 2 was progressively invaded by mainly Grey Willow over a thirty year period, until 

2005 when site managers removed all but the rare hybrid willows, there being now eight 

S. x friesiana bushes and, nearby, one of the nationally scarce Salix x subsericea (16 

post-1987 hectads in the British Isles). Follow-up surveys (Smith 2007b) showed that the 

cleared slack was colonised by 139 vascular plants, 28 being new to the NNR and 11 

regionally/nationally notable. 

The western borrow-pit (slack 1), being wetter than the adjacent dunes and slacks, has 

large areas of semi-aquatic vegetation, including stands of Common Reed (Phragmites 

australis), Sea Club-rush (Bolboschoenus maritimus), Blunt-flowered Rush (Juncus 

subnodulosus) and Water Horsetail with some Shore Horsetail. Dryer fringes are rich in 

slack plants such as Marsh Helleborine, marsh-orchids, Yellow Bartsia (Parentucellia 

viscosa) (regionally notable) and Grass-of-Parnassus. In the dryer, eastern borrow-pit 

(slack 3), the latter species achieves arguably its greatest abundance in the entire dune 

system, assisted by heavy Rabbit-grazing which reduces competition from taller-growing 

plants. 

Slack 1 has been reprofiled several times since its formation in attempts to improve its 

value as a Natterjack Toad breeding site. Most recently, in 2006, a central section was 

lined with fresh sand. This was used for spawning by a few Natterjacks but also, 

unfortunately, by large numbers of Common Toads. 

This borrow-pit is also deep enough to support Odonata in some years, species recorded 

here including Emerald Damselfly (Lestes sponsa), Emperor (Anax imperator), Migrant 

Hawker (Aeshna mixta) and Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum). 

3. Ecological impact of sand-winning: positive and negative trends 

Because detailed records were not kept before about 1970, it is now difficult to assess the 

ecological impact of sand-winning. Clearly, when it first took place there must have been 

catastrophic disruption to ecosystems, including loss of habitat, local species extinctions 

and destruction of soils and seed-banks. Increased sand-blow may also have affected

16 

adjacent habitats for a time. However, sand-dune ecosystems are known to recover quite 

quickly from major disturbances, a proportion of their characteristic biota being adapted 

to unstable conditions, including rapid colonising ability. The fact that large areas of 

undisturbed habitat remained between sand-quarries would have helped this process. 

Natterjack Toads, for example, may well have thrived in the open sandy conditions which 

followed sand extraction and which would have included abundant shallow pools in the 

quarry floors. 

There are circumstances in which large-scale disturbance to sand-dunes may be 

positively beneficial to wildlife. Thus, most larger dune systems in Britain, including the 

Sefton Coast, are over-stabilised due to lack of grazing, the introduction of non-native 

trees and shrubs and a recent preoccupation of land-managers with preventing sand-blow 

(Houston 1997). This encourages over-representation of mature successional stages with 

consequent threat to the many species that require younger, more open, habitats. Thus, it 

could be argued that sand-winning at Formby Point reversed, for a time, the trend 

towards more stable conditions and provided opportunities for the plants and animals of 

open dunes. However, the validity of this argument is reduced by the fact that, at the 

time when most sand-winning took place, the dune vegetation was more open and sandy 

than it has been in recent decades. 

While the sand quarries represent younger landscapes than would have been the case, 

they show plenty of evidence of having aged markedly since their creation. Thus, the 

eastern section of the Lifeboat Road quarry has become heavily wooded over the past 30 

to 40 years, and trees and shrubs, many of which are non-native, are still spreading. Tall 

Creeping Willow, almost all of the coastal variety argentea, has overgrown the lowerlying 

parts of Ravenmeols and Cabin Hill, while larger willows have invaded some of the 

wetter basin sites. Several slacks, which were formed when excavation breached the 

water-table, have become dryer, probably due to increased evapotranspiration and 

accumulation of sediment. Not all these trends are wholly deleterious however. For 

example “fixed dune with Creeping Willow”, which is so extensive on quarry floors, is 

listed for conservation under Annex 1 of the EU Habitats Directive. The larger willows

are often accompanied by nationally rare hybrids and dune scrub is known to be 

important for breeding birds and invertebrates (Smith 1999). 

17 

Although we do not know whether important slacks were lost to sand-winning, the 

extracted landscape is nearer the water-table and therefore often wetter than might have 

been the case previously. Indeed, Smith (1978a) points out that natural wet-slacks at 

Formby Point were probably infilled for Asparagus cultivation during an earlier period. 

As is well-known, many of the Sefton Coast’s most charismatic species are associated 

with wet-slacks (Smith 1999) 

The topography of extracted sites is often less varied than before, several large dunes, 

such as Beacon Hill, Shorrock’s Hill and Cabin Hill having been removed. Undulating 

dune topography, notably lacking in most sand-quarries, is highly beneficial to 

biodiversity by creating a wide range of different micro-climates and habitats. For 

example, the plant communities on north-facing slopes of fixed dunes differ from those 

on south-facing slopes (Smith 1999). It can be inferred that animals are also influenced 

by such differences; for example the Northern Dune Tiger Beetle (Cicindela hybrida) is 

largely confined to localities with a southern exposure (Judd 2003), while Sand Lizards 

are also known to favour a southerly aspect. 

4. Potential for habitat maintenance, restoration or creation 

4.1. Smaller-scale 

Large parts of the three main sites are already subject to formal Management Plans 

(Sefton Coast Life Project 1996; English Nature 2004), which provide prescriptions for 

habitat and species management within areas previously extracted for sand. That for 

Cabin Hill NNR is especially detailed. It recommends, for example, reintroduction of 

summer grazing, including trials of ponies, to supplement winter sheep grazing, accepting 

that the current regime has been successful in controlling birch but not willow. Summer 

grazing was originally thought to be deleterious to Natterjacks through trampling and 

nutrient enrichment but these are no longer considered to be problems. Larger livestock 

should help to create more bare patches. Another suggestion is to encourage Rabbit-

18 

grazing of Creeping Willow by mowing patches of the plant adjacent to warrens and 

already grazed areas. Additional warrens might be created by forming sand mounds in 

places that are too wet for them at present. 

It is also proposed to remove all scrub over 1.5m high in the grazing enclosure and 

stump-treat, apart from the rare hybrids. As described earlier, in 2005 this was done in 

slack 2, with beneficial results for biodiversity. 

Two small Natterjack scrapes (27 and 29) are proposed to be reprofiled and two new ones 

excavated in the mobile dunes. One each of these was completed in 2005 but their use by 

the toads has been poor. A particular problem at Cabin Hill may be that the dunes are 

now so stable and heavily vegetated that the terrestrial habitat is becoming unsuitable for 

adult Natterjacks which are known to require a very open vegetation structure for 

successful foraging. 

The Ravenmeols and Lifeboat Road Management Plan proposes various actions to 

control succession and enhance nature conservation interest, including in areas of former 

sand quarrying. For example, the feasibility of livestock grazing at Ravenmeols is to be 

examined. Also, Rabbit-grazing could be encouraged by mowing areas beyond the paths 

and main warrens. Turf-stripping should be considered, especially in slacks, to remove 

nutrients and encourage early successional communities. The presence of several patches 

of Sea Buckthorn is mentioned; these are said to be attractive to birds and should be 

maintained at their present extent but prevented from invading slacks. The wider value 

of dune-scrub to birds is acknowledged and the fact that this could be improved by 

rotational coppicing to create glades and open patches. Overall, it is recommended that 

scrub cover should be reduced to less than 5% of the area, with removal especially in and 

around slacks and Sand Lizard colonies. Three introduction sites for captive-bred Sand 

Lizards are mentioned. Six releases, totalling 189 individuals, took place between 1983 

and 1989 but it is stated that the success of this operation is unknown. This area is to be 

intensively studied by the North Merseyside Amphibian & Reptile Group in 2008 (D. 

Hardaker pers. com.). The problem of gradual infilling of Natterjack Toad breeding sites

19 

by blown sand is mentioned; these will require occasional reprofiling. The Plan also 

recommends the maintenance of “key pools” for Natterjacks at strategic points along the 

coast. 

The present study shows that the excavation of scrapes which breach the seasonal watertable 

can provide marked biodiversity improvements, particularly in respect of the humid 

dune-slack habitat and associated notable plant species. Where terrestrial habitat is 

suitable, such scrapes have also been shown to provide vital spawning sites for the 

Natterjack Toad in landscape where this species would otherwise be unable to breed. 

4.2. Larger-scale 

The Ravenmeols and Lifeboat Road Management Plan advocates a feasibility study into 

reprofiling the sand-winning area in the southern part of Ravenmeols (i.e. at the western 

end of Range Lane) to improve the habitat for Natterjacks and Sand Lizards through the 

provision of mobile-dune and slacks. It makes no mention of the potential for similar 

works at Lifeboat Road. 

5. Potential for positive habitat management for BAP habitats and species 

The following North Merseyside BAP habitats and species are well represented in the 

sand-winning areas: 

HAPs: Sand Dunes. 

SAPs: Natterjack Toad, Sand Lizard, Dune Helleborine; Common Lizard, Northern 

Dune Tiger Beetle, Vernal Colletes Bee, Grayling, Dragonflies, Stoneworts, Sefton Coast 

Rare and Scarce Plants (hybrid willows). 

Burkmar (2006) has summarised North Merseyside BAP progress during the first five 

years of the Plan. As regards sand-dunes, the report emphasis the findings of Gateley & 

Michell (2004) and others that the Sefton Coast dune system continues to be overstabilised 

with neutral grassland expanding in areas where fixed-dune or dry-slack 

vegetation might be expected. An important factor may well be aerial deposition of

nitrogen, inputs lying within the critical load range of 10-20kg/ha/annum. Required 

management responses include turf-stripping, grazing and re-mobilisation of dunes. 

20 

Such management will also benefit most of the BAP species listed above. Natterjacks 

have faired reasonably well in the dune system as a whole but not at Formby Point where 

adverse competition with Common Toads and possible deterioration of terrestrial habitat 

have resulted in declines. Good progress has been made against all SAP targets for Sand 

Lizard and, perhaps in part due to past under-recording, the species is now thought to 

occur in much higher numbers than was previously realised. Similarly, the Common 

Lizard seems to be thriving in suitable places on the dunes. Recent warmer summers 

may have been influential in the success of these two species and also dragonflies. The 

Sefton Coast dune system is a key breeding area for these insects. However, the presence 

of their predatory aquatic larvae is undoubtedly deleterious to Natterjack Toad tadpoles 

and it is important that pools used by the latter species are shallow enough to dry up in 

late summer, thereby eliminating predators. Unpolluted duneland pools with a high 

calcium content are a key habitat for stoneworts, for which there is a need for a 

comprehensive survey of distribution and status. 

The Northern Dune Tiger Beetle (Cicindela hybrida), Vernal Colletes Bee (Colletes 

cunicularius ssp. celticus) and Grayling butterfly (Hipparchia semele) require semi-fixed 

or mobile dunes with sparse vegetation and bare patches. All three have been the subject 

of recent ecological studies on the Sefton Coast. Thus, Judd (2003) cites 24 records of 

the Tiger Beetle at Lifeboat Road/Ravenmeols and eight at Cabin Hill, most being on the 

more mobile dunes near the sea. None was found in the more eastern sand-quarries. 

Judd considers this Red Data Book insect is a good indicator of habitat quality and states 

that over-stabilisation is the main threat to its success. He recommends positive 

management by scrub-clearance and the creation of more south-facing, bare-sand habitat. 

The status of Vernal Colletes Bee at Formby Point is unclear and requires investigation. 

Taylor (2004) surveyed this species in Ainsdale NNR, finding nest sites in open, 

undisturbed and ungrazed dunes which were not densely vegetated. An abundance of

Creeping Willow nearby seems to be important, as the bees forage on the catkins in 

spring. Ravenmeols and Cabin Hill, in particular, are well endowed with such habitat. 

21 

Graylings are widespread and often common on mobile and semi-fixed dunes all along 

the Sefton Coast, including the study area. Recent research by Delf (2001) has provided 

useful, but limited, information on behaviour and habitat, showing the importance of 

bare-sand settling and basking sites close to foodplants. 

Of the BAP plants within the study areas, the nationally rare Dune Helleborine (Epipactis 

dunensis) is arguably the most important. Casual observations show that the plant 

remains widespread along the coast, being associated particularly with Creeping Willow, 

light scrub, pine woodland and disturbed areas adjacent to footpaths, etc. Scrub-control 

and the introduction of extensive grazing may have aided this species. Thirty years ago, 

there was a sizeable population of Dune Helleborine in the main sand-extraction area at 

Ravenmeols but this may have declined. There is an urgent need for a comprehensive 

survey of the plant’s distribution and status to update information gathered as long ago as 

1992. 

As the current study has demonstrated, the nationally rare/scarce hybrid willows (Salix x 

friesiana, S. x doniana, S x subsericea and, possibly, S. x angusensis) are represented in 

the sand quarries, two populations at the end of Range Lane and within the grazed plot on 

Cabin Hill NNR are among the strongest anywhere along the Sefton Coast. S. x 

friesiana is quite frequent elsewhere in the dune system but the other three hybrids may 

each be represented by less than 20 bushes. The hybrids appear spontaneously, 

sometimes at considerable distances from their parents, in damp disturbed sites, often 

with Creeping Willow. Individual bushes can be quite long-lived and survive well in 

sheep-grazed areas, but some are susceptible to bark-stripping in winter by Rabbits. 

6. Opportunities for habitat maintenance, restoration or creation 

6.1. Context

22 

This study suggests that biodiversity within the sand-extracted areas could be improved 

by implementing existing Management Plan prescriptions, such as scrub-control and 

encouraging or introducing grazing animals, including larger types. Areas of relatively 

level topography would benefit from a degree of reprofiling to mimic a more natural dune 

landscape of ridges and slacks. This would, in particular, encourage many specialised 

duneland species (including several in the NMBAP) which depend on younger and more 

mobile dune habitats. Even small scrapes within the study area are shown to have a 

surprisingly rich assortment of notable plant species, provided that the water-table is 

breached. Natterjacks require shallow water-bodies in areas of suitably open terrestrial 

habitat. Deeper ponds are important for dragonflies and stoneworts but may encourage 

Common Toads which competitively exclude the rarer Natterjacks. Before such works 

are carried out, the areas should be surveyed for their biological interest, especially the 

presence of BAP species. 

6.2. Lifeboat Road 

6.2.1. Smaller-scale 

• Cut back regenerating scrub in the eastern part of the quarry to the edge of the 

older woodland. 

• Create larger glades in the woodland, based on the old dune-slack at SD 2777 

0665 and the northern newt-scrape. 

• Control regenerating Alder and Grey Willow in the western arm of Wicks Lake. 

• Fill in the southern newt-scrape to eliminate New Zealand Pigmy-weed. 

• Investigate feasibility of controlling New Zealand Pigmy-weed at Wicks Lake. 

6.2.2. Larger-scale 

• Examine feasibility of creating more Natterjack breeding habitat in the vicinity of 

scrapes 6, 7 and 8 by enhancing the landscape. For example, scrape 8 could be 

extended to the east to join up with a nearby basin site. Spoil should be used to 

create east-west ridges which are then planted up with Marram. 

6.3. Ravenmeols


23 

• Cut back suckering Sea Buckthorn and poplar. 

• Re-excavate 1987 scrape in dune valley, east of frontal dunes. 

• Identify suitable site for turf-stripping/scraping in central area. 

• Excavate Natterjack Toad breeding site in frontal dunes. 

6.4. Cabin Hill 


• Control Balm-of-Gilead and Fine Osier on south-facing slopes above the northern 

quarry. 

• Cut back suckering Sea Buckthorn bordering one of three northern damp-slacks. 

• Consider turf-stripping northernmost and driest of these basins. 

• Introduce cattle into grazed NNR plot and consider their use on the frontal dunes. 

• Investigate feasibility of a second Natterjack scrape in the NNR frontal dunes. 

6.4.2. Larger-scale 

• Enhance parts of the northern quarry to produce slacks and north-south dune 

ridges. At least two additional scrapes could be accommodated, the spoil being 

used to extend and join up existing low ridges to the western edge of the quarry. 

The new ridges should be planted up with Marram to create additional Sand 

Lizard habitat. 

7. Acknowledgements 

I am grateful to David Hardaker of the North Merseyside Amphibian & Reptile Group for 

advice in the field on Sand Lizard habitat and management. 

8. References 

Brooks, S. & Lewington, R. (1997). Field Guide to the Dragonflies and Damselflies of 

Great Britain and Ireland. British Wildlife Publishing, Hook, Hants.

Burkmar, R. (ed.) (2006). The North Merseyside Biodiversity Action Plan. The First 

Five Years 2001-2006. Merseyside Biodiversity Group. 

24 

Delf, J. (2001). Modelling the habitat of the Grayling butterfly (Hipparchia semele L.) 

on the Sefton Coast sand dune system, U.K., using a geographical information system 

(GIS). In: Houston, J.A., Edmondson, S.E. & Rooney, P.J. Coastal Dune Management. 

Shared Experience of European Conservation Practice. Liverpool University Press. 

English Nature (2004). Cabin Hill Management Plan 2004-2009. Ainsdale NNR 

archive. 

Gateley, P.S. & Michell, P.E. (2004). Sand Dune Survey of the Sefton Coast. TEP. 

Houston, J. (1997). Conservation management practice on British dune systems. British 

Wildlife 8 (5): 297-307. 

Judd, S. (2003). Status and Biology of the Northern Dune Tiger Beetle Cicindela hybrida 

(L.) in Britain with special reference to the Sefton Coast. English Nature Contract no. 

SGBP01/04. National Museums Liverpool. 

Merseyside Biodiversity Group (2001). North Merseyside Biodiversity Action Plan. 

Sefton Coast Life Project (1996). Ravenmeols Hills and Lifeboat Road, Formby Point. 

Management Plan 1996-2001. Sefton Coast Management Scheme. 

Smith, P.H. (1978a). The ecological evaluation of wetland habitats in the north 

Merseyside sand-dune system. Unpub. report to Merseyside County Council. 

Smith, P.H. (1978b). Route of alternative access, Lifeboat Road, Formby, in relation to 

damp dune slacks. Unpub. report to Merseyside County Council.

Smith, P.H. (1978c). Cabin Hill – a proposed nature reserve. Unpub. report to 

Lancashire Naturalists’ Trust. 

25 

Smith, P.H. (1979). Notes on slack basins in the area of the proposed Liverpool Bay Golf 

Course at Cabin Hill, Formby. Unpub. report. 

Smith, P.H. (1980). An ecological survey of Raven Meols sandhills and foreshore, 

Formby Point. Unpub. report to Merseyside County Council. 

Smith, P.H. (1999). The Sands of Time. An introduction to the sand-dunes of the Sefton 

Coast. National Museums & Galleries on Merseyside. 

Smith, P.H. (2007a). Population explosion of Smooth Cat’s-ear (Hypochaeris glabra) on 

the Sefton Coast, Merseyside. Unpub. report. 

Smith, P.H. (2007b). Further studies of a scrub-cleared slack at Cabin Hill NNR. 

Unpub. report to Natural England. 

Taylor, S. (2004). Colletes cunicularius (L.) – the vernal mining bee. Survey of nesting 

burrows at Ainsdale Sand Dunes National Nature Reserve, 2004. Unpub. report to 

English Nature.

9.0 Appendix 

26

The impact of sand extraction at Formby Point ... - Sefton Council

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