Minerals and Waste

The County Council has a statutory responsibility for regulating minerals development and waste management in Hampshire

The distribution of minerals across the county means that many extraction sites are in close proximity to valuable habitats, including internationally designated areas of nature conservation importance.

Accordingly, the Ecology Group advises on measures to avoid or minimise ecological impacts during the operational life of the extraction site. Some sites actually provide a valuable contribution to biodiversity by providing exposed faces suitable for nest sites for sand martins. The Group also advised on restoration and after-use of extraction areas to benefit biodiversity, for example lagoons and wetlands.

Active and closed waste sites are dispersed across the county. The majority of closed landfill sites are restored to agriculture. However, some have an after-use that directly benefits biodiversity. For example, Westwood Woodland Park, near Netley, includes an important area of meadow and scrub habitat on a restored landfill