About Shardlow quarry
Shardlow quarry re-opened in 2015 after being mothballed for two years during the recession. It first opened in 1989 and is one of the largest sand and gravel operations in the Trent valley. The quarry lies between the River Trent and the main A50 and covers around 120 hectares. The mineral is a river terrace sand and gravel deposit laid down in glacial and inter-glacial periods. It averages six metres in thickness and is overlain by two metres of soil and overburden. Planning permission for a 3.5 million tonne extension was granted in 2014.
The quarry restoration is based on replicating the pre-industrial pastoral floodplain landscape. This includes reinstating flood meadow grassland enclosed by restored hedgerows with trees, connecting with field-corner woodlands and riparian tree cover. Woodland mammals, invertebrates and birds will benefit, alongside species attracted to the traditional enclosed farmland now being recreated agriculture by backfilling the voids with soils and other imported inert materials. Parts of the site have been progressively restored to create water storage reservoirs. The various water bodies feature a variety of conservation habitats.
