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  • 122-hectare quarry transformed into a mosaic of wildlife habitats, including the largest reedbed in the English East Midlands
  • Tarmac created a unique structure of shallow islands using soils reserved from the quarry, to establish reedbeds to rewild the site
  • Sixty bird species now breeding on site, including the rare and elusive bittern
Division(s)
CRH Europe
Product Type(s)
Aggregates
Location
Langford, United Kingdom

Tarmac, A CRH Company, has transformed a 122-hectare quarry into a mosaic of wildlife habitats at its Langford site in the UK.

Tarmac, in partnership with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB,) have dedicated years of planning to turn an exhausted proportion of the quarry into a thriving wetland, which provides a sanctuary for birdlife while helping to protect the local community from flooding.

A best-in-class quarry transformation
For years, the 122-hectare Langford Lowfields was a Tarmac sand and gravel extraction site. But in a collaborative effort, Tarmac and the RSPB have been working to develop an oasis of nature amidst an otherwise agricultural landscape.

This included the planting of a 68 hectare reedbed, now the largest in the East Midlands, complemented by areas of forest, grassland and open water.

Tarmac helped create a varied topography onsite, excavating waterways of various depths – from deep pools to shallow channels – designed to cater to the establishment of reedbeds, and thus to the needs of different species.

Rare birds breeding demonstrates quality of habitat
These new waterways provide an ideal habitat for fish, otters and wintering waterfowl. To date, over 200 bird species have been recorded at the site, of which 60 are now breeding. These include reedbed specialists such as the bittern, whose nests were recorded at Langford in 2023, a first for the county and another milestone in the recovery of this formerly threatened species in the UK.

The return of the bittern is just one of many remarkable success stories from Langford Lowfields. The wetland also provides an ideal habitat for dragonflies. They in turn provide prey for the hobby, a stunning falcon that is now a summer visitor to the site. In winter, the skies above Langford provide a backdrop of starlings, swarming in their thousands over this new wildlife haven.

Protecting the community from flooding
Langford Lowfields is now operated by the RSPB as a nature reserve. It includes a viewing platform and nearly six miles of footpaths, allowing the local community to enjoy the spectacular wildlife now making a comeback at the site. But the wetlands provides an additional benefit to the nearby village, in its ability to soak up floodwater when water levels from the nearby river get too high.

At CRH, our biodiversity efforts are focused on increasing species diversity, populations and habitats at the sites we operate. We recognise the role that quarries can play in halting and reversing nature oss, both during their operation and post quarry-use. This includes the construction of wetlands and the creation of high-quality habitats, such as that now on display at Langford Lowfields.