Large areas of the rifle range SSSI have been unnecessarily scraped off and removed by the new owner, apparently with the support of Natural England. The original permission was to move boulders and parts of the chalk butts from one end to the other (south) end to fill the hole behind the sea wall.
Permission was given to create a single track from north to south...... but whole areas at each end have been scraped flat, crushing colonies of Kidney Vetch (with Small Blues) and Early Spider Orchids as well as many other species.
Astonishingly, Natural England had concluded that the grassland was not of any value and that the arisings should be taken off-site.
161 plant species have been recorded in this small area and it's heart-breaking to think how many have now been lost.
It remains to be seen what may have survived, and hopefully at least most of the Oxtongue Broomrape areas have been avoided.
And the huge gap in the northern part of the sea wall remains; will the contractors fill this in as well, and if so what materials will be used this time? I fear it could become a dumping ground for spoil from elsewhere.
Historic photos: 1929 showing vegetated shingle in 1929,
... and an aerial picture apparently showing clean chalk after works in the 1930s.
I don't think I'll see its recovery in my lifetime.
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