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Habitat Creation Area Discription

Habitat Creation Area A
This is a 10.7ha area of land presently in agricultural use as a mix of rough pasture and arable. The following works have been undertaken:

• Alteration to field drainage (breaking or blocking);
• Land forming works to create a freshwater lagoon approximately 3.8ha in area; shallow seasonally wet scrapes up to 0.2m in depth, which connect with deeper areas to form a singlewaterbody during wet periods; and a connecting ridge and furrow ditch system to hold water on the land. Islands of raised ground have been provided within the deeper areas of the Wetlands to provide areas for wading birds safe from predators. A new drain has been constructed along the southern boundary of this area to ensure that drainage of the agricultural land to the south is not affected, which connects with the existing ditch network at the drain that runs parallel to Easington Road. A new ditch and bund screen have also be provided along the southern (north of the new drain) and western boundary adjacent to Easington Road. The bund screen has been set back by a minimum of 10m from the highway boundary to maintain the line of sight along the road from the existing field access points;
• Installation of 0.3m high containment bunds, with inset overspill weirs to manage water levels and to divert excess water to the existing drainage network in controlled manner;
• Provision of stock proof fencing: the area will continue to be grazed by sheep or cattle or cut to keep vegetation short;
• Provision of a single storey bird hide of timber construction;
• New foot crossing over existing drain to give foot access into Habitat Creation Area A; and
• The existing agricultural access track from Easington Road, along the southern boundary of the area, has been retained.

Baseline studies identified a number of potential historical assets within or adjacent to Area A. In response to this issue, the design deliberately didn’t propose any excavation within 20m of the outer boundary of these features, in order to minimise the risk of damage to, and further truncation of, these assets. Tracking of heavy machinery was similarly avoided within 20m of these assets.

Habitat Creation Area B
This is a 6.3ha area comprising improved grassland in the areas landward of an internal field bund and dune grassland in areas seaward of an internal field bund. The area is adjacent to the southern boundary of the Wetlands SSSI and forms the most southerly component of the Kilnsea Wetlands Nature Reserve.

Discussions with Natural England and South Holderness Countryside Society, who presently own and manage the land, identified this was a potential area for biodiversity enhancement through the creation of a number of brackish and saline waterbodies.
Creation of these waterbodies comprised works to:

• Lower sections of the redundant internal field bund to allow water from the seasonal tidal flooding of the Wetlands to enter an existing low point on the area to create a new saline lagoon;
• Excavation of a 1m deep and 1m wide ‘Haha’ adjacent to the southern perimeter of the new saline lagoon. This will prevent livestock entering the new lagoon area;
• Create a series of foot drains, a total of 3.0m wide and a maximum of 0.4m deep, with 30 degree slope to hold water on gently sloping land;
• Create two further waterbodies, of maximum depth 1.0m in the centre surrounded by shallower seasonally wet areas up to 0.4m deep, which collect rainwater and sea spray and are located in higher areas of land within the field;
• Excavate a series of linear ditches of 1.0m maximum depth, in addition to those already created by the South Holderness Countryside Society, adjacent to the southern field boundary;
• Minor works to break internal field drains; and
• Provision of stock proof fencing: the area will be grazed by sheep or cattle or cut to keep vegetation short.

Baseline studies identified the potential existence of a barrow in the northwest corner of Area B. No excavation took place within 20m of the outer boundary of this feature in order to minimise the risk of damage to this asset. Tracking of heavy machinery was also similarly avoided within 20m of this asset.

Habitat Creation Area C
This is a 7.7ha area of rough pasture, part of which is within the boundary of the Humber Estuary SSSI. Natural England has advised that the habitats and wildlife interest of this area can be enhanced. The proposed works comprised:

• Minor works to break internal field drains;
• Shallow land-forming to create a network 3 No. wetland scrapes. These are seasonal waterbodies, expanding and contracting dependent on the supply of water, with 0.7m deep permanently wet areas;
• Creation of new bund to a maximum height of 0.2m above existing ground level, using the material excavated to form the scrapes, to divert surface water away from the agricultural land to the south; and
• Provision of stock proof fencing: the area will continue to be grazed by sheep or cattle to keep vegetation short.

Habitat Creation Area D
Area D is a 5.8ha parcel of improved grassland, recently acquired by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust (YWT). YWT is managing the land to create wet grassland habitat for waders, but YWT has advised that the biodiversity interest of this land can be further enhanced by creating additional habitats. Works to create these habitats comprised:

• Shallow land-forming to create two seasonally wet shallow scrapes with an average depth of 0.25m;
• Minor alterations to the existing field drainage comprising blocking/breaking or removal of internal field drains through excavation and backfilling of a ditch within the perimeter of the field, and replacement of a perforated pipe drain with a closed pipe drain; and
• Provision of stock proof fencing: the area will continue to be grazed by sheep or cattle to keep vegetation short.

Habitat Creation Area E
This is a 13ha area of rough pasture land at Long Bank Marsh, which is managed for nature conservation by Natural England under a long-term lease agreement with Associated British Ports. The proposed works to create and improve habitats comprised:

• Minor drainage alteration works to make it wetter by breaking remaining field drains through excavation and backfilling of a slit trench around the perimeter of the field;
• Shallow land-forming to create a network 6 No. wetland scrapes, which will be seasonally wet up to a depth of 0.3m;
• Creation of ditch and bund screen in the east section of the field; and
• Provision of stock proof fencing: the area will continue to be grazed by sheep or cattle to keep vegetation short.

Figure 6 displays the Kilnsea Wetlands Habitat Creation Project Site Plan.

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