Mosslands, such as Risley Moss, are one of the major habitat types in Cheshire

There are 63 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) in Cheshire, England, covering a total area of 19,844 hectares (49,035 acres). Of these, 51 have been designated for their biological interest, 7 for their geological or geomorphological features, and 5 for both.[1]

SSSIs are governed by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which mandates that sites be selected for their "flora, fauna, or geological or physiographical features".[2] The body responsible for designating biological SSSIs in England is Natural England,[3] which took over the role of designating and managing SSSIs from English Nature on its creation in 2006. Earth sciences SSSIs are notified separately by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee across the entire UK via Geological Conservation Review.[4] Natural England, like its predecessor bodies, uses a system of areas termed "Areas of Search", which broadly correspond with the 1974–1996 counties,[2] and for consistency the same approach is followed here. In the case of Cheshire, the Area of Search differs from the modern ceremonial county boundary. Since the 1990s, nature conservation in England has also focused on 120 natural areas: regions defined by natural features rather than by administrative boundaries.[5][6] The Cheshire Area of Search encompasses four natural areas.[1][7]

Sketch map showing the broad locations of the four natural areas

The majority of the SSSIs fall within the Meres and Mosses natural area, which covers the bulk of the county, extending into Shropshire and Staffordshire to the south.[1][6] This region is dominated by the Cheshire Plain, a wide expanse of flat or gently undulating farmland which rarely rises above 100 metres in elevation. Despite intensive agricultural use, diverse wetland habitats survive including mosses (bogs), swamps, fens, meres and thousands of ponds. Flashes, originating in subsidence after salt extraction, contain examples of inland salt marsh, an extremely rare habitat internationally.[6] Ancient woodland is sparse throughout this area, but is found on the slopes of the Mid Cheshire Ridge and in river valleys towards the north of the county. The lowland heath habitat is very rare, occurring only at a handful of sites. The Mid Cheshire Ridge rises abruptly in the middle of the plain, with a high point of 227 metres; its Triassic sandstones are exposed at the Raw Head geological site.[6]

Raw Head is one of the area's geological SSSIs

Two extensive sites, Goyt Valley and Leek Moors, lie at the eastern edge of the county and the south-western end of the Pennines, within the South West Peak natural area of the Peak District.[1][8] At a significantly higher elevation than the other Cheshire SSSIs and underlain by millstone grit and shale, they contain a variety of upland habitats, predominantly heather moorland, grassland and blanket mire.[8]

Ten SSSIs are located in Warrington and Halton and the former borough of Ellesmere Port & Neston, in the north-west of the county. These fall within the Urban Mersey Basin natural area, which also covers Greater Manchester and Merseyside. Although the area as a whole is one of the most densely populated regions in Europe, much of the area within Cheshire is farmland. Semi-natural habitats here include ancient woodland, raised bog and freshwater wetland. The Rixton Clay Pits site represents former industrial land, and railway cuttings expose geological features.[1][9] Finally, the Liverpool Bay coastal region contains two estuaries, the Mersey and Dee, which are Cheshire's largest SSSIs.[1][10]

Sites

Site name Reason for designation Area[A] Grid reference[B] Year in which notified Map[C] Citation[D]
Biological interest Geological interest Hectares Acres
Abbots Moss Green tick 38.4 94.8 SJ597690 1984 Map
Alderley Edge Green tick 93.6 231.2 SJ848776 1951 Map
Bagmere Green tick 26.9 66.3 SJ795643 1963 Map
Bar Mere Green tick 12.8 31.5 SJ536478 1979 Map
Beechmill Wood and Pasture Green tick 6.2 15.4 SJ540768 1979 Map
Betley Mere Green tick 29.6 73.2 SJ747480 1963 Map
Bickerton Hill Green tick 91.0 224.8 SJ498530 1979 Map
Black Lake, Delamere Green tick 1.7 4.3 SJ537709 1963 Map
Brookhouse Moss Green tick 10.1 24.9 SJ806617 1979 Map
Chapel Mere Green tick 11.8 29.1 SJ540518 1987 Map
Comber Mere Green tick 65.0 160.5 SJ585442 1963 Map
Dane-In-Shaw Pasture Green tick 8.2 20.2 SJ877625 1990 Map
Danes Moss Green tick 51.3 126.8 SJ905704 1985 Map
Dee Cliffs, Farndon Green tick 2.0 5.0 SJ414542 1979 Map
Dee Estuary Green tick 5,241.2 12,951.2 SJ240804 1954 Map
Dunsdale Hollow Green tick 6.9 17.0 SJ513763 1987 Map
Flaxmere Moss Green tick 7.0 17.2 SJ556723 1965 Map
Flood Brook Clough Green tick 5.1 12.6 SJ532800 1979 Map
Frodsham Railway and Road Cuttings Green tick 1.3 3.3 SJ520780 1979 Map
Gannister Quarry Green tick 1.6 4.0 SJ869592 1985 Map
Gleads Moss Green tick 2.8 6.9 SJ821685 1979 Map
Goyt Valley Green tick 1,332.6 3,292.9 SK028746 1951 Map
Hallwood Farm Marl Pit Green tick 0.1 0.3 SJ343759 1986 Map
Hatch Mere Green tick 13.3 32.7 SJ551721 1951 Map
Hatherton Flush Green tick 1.9 4.8 SJ671482 1985 Map
Hatton's Hey Wood, Whittle's Corner and Bank Rough Green tick 23.7 58.5 SJ570770 1979 Map
Holcroft Moss Green tick 18.1 44.7 SJ685932 1991 Map
Holly Banks[E] Green tick 9.3 23.1 SJ815659 1979 Map
Inner Marsh Farm Green tick 22.5 55.6 SJ307733 1998 Map
Leek Moors Green tick Green tick 3,970.8 9,812.1 SK010649 1954 Map
Lindow Common Green tick 17.7 43.7 SJ834811 1963 Map
Linmer Moss Green tick 2.4 5.8 SJ547707 1994 Map
Little Budworth Common Green tick 54.4 134.3 SJ585655 1979 Map
Madams Wood Green tick 9.5 23.4 SJ877650 1990 Map
Mersey Estuary Green tick 6,714.5 16,591.9 SJ395818 1951 Map
Norbury Meres Green tick 23.7 58.6 SJ559492 1979 Map
Oak Mere Green tick 68.8 169.9 SJ574677 1986 Map
Oakhanger Moss Green tick 14.4 35.6 SJ767550 1994 Map
Peckforton Woods Green tick 57.9 143.0 SJ531576 1984 Map
Pettypool Brook Valley Green tick 46.7 115.3 SJ617702 1951 Map
Plumley Lime Beds Green tick 23.3 57.5 SJ707750 1963 Map
Quoisley Meres Green tick 28.3 70.0 SJ548455 1963 Map
Raw Head Green tick 13.5 33.4 SJ508544 1979 Map
Red Brow Cutting Green tick 0.2 0.4 SJ567816 1991 Map
Risley Moss Green tick 83.8 207.1 SJ667917 1986 Map
River Dane[E] Green tick 295.8 730.8 SJ808661 1994 Map
River Dee (England) Green tick Green tick 371.5 917.9 SJ407658 1996 Map
Rixton Clay Pits Green tick 13.7 33.7 SJ685901 1979 Map
Roe Park Woods Green tick 35.4 87.5 SJ858583 1990 Map
Rostherne Mere Green tick Green tick 152.5 376.8 SJ743842 1984 Map
Sandbach Flashes Green tick Green tick 157.1 388.2 SJ726607 1963 Map
Sound Heath Green tick 4.8 11.9 SJ620479 1963 Map
Tabley Mere Green tick 44.9 110.9 SJ723768 1963 Map
Tatton Meres Green tick 90.3 223.2 SJ755799 1963 Map
Taylor's Rough & Wellmeadow Wood Green tick 6.5 16.0 SJ493453 1979 Map
The Mere, Mere Green tick 19.4 48.0 SJ732818 1985 Map
Warburton's Wood and Well Wood Green tick 6.9 17.0 SJ554761 1979 Map
Well Rough and Long Plantation Green tick 8.6 21.2 SJ455443 1979 Map
Wettenhall and Darnhall Woods Green tick 45.3 111.9 SJ649626 1979 Map
Wimboldsley Wood Green tick 16.4 40.6 SJ672643 1979 Map
Witton Lime Beds Green tick 16.4 40.5 SJ660749 1979 Map
Woolston Eyes Green tick 269.8 666.7 SJ662885 1985 Map
Wybunbury Moss Green tick Green tick 23.2 57.4 SJ696501 1951 Map

Notes

All tabulated data are sourced from the Natural England website, and were last updated on 1 March 2010.[11][12]

A Data rounded to one decimal place. Area in acres converted from hectare value.

B Grid reference is based on the British national grid reference system, also known as OSGB36, and is the system used by the Ordnance Survey.[13]

C Link to maps using the Nature on the Map service provided by Natural England.[14]

D Natural England citation sheets for each SSSI.

E The River Dane and Holly Banks SSSIs overlap.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Sites of Special Scientific Interest: Cheshire". Natural England. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
  2. 1 2 Guidelines for the Selection of Biological SSSIs, Part A: "Rationale". (Nature Conservancy Council; 1989) (ISBN 086139 544 1). Downloaded from "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 September 2008. Retrieved 14 April 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link), 14 April 2010.
  3. ↑ "Notification of SSSIs". Natural England. Archived from the original on 15 May 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2006.
  4. ↑ Joint Nature Conservation Committee: Geological Conservation Review (GCR) (accessed 14 April 2010)
  5. ↑ Natural England: Natural Areas (accessed 15 April 2010)
  6. 1 2 3 4 English Nature: Meres and Mosses (27 February 1998) (accessed 10 April 2010)
  7. ↑ Natural England: Natural Areas: Search Natural Areas Archived 2009-07-17 at the Wayback Machine (accessed 15 April 2010)
  8. 1 2 Natural England: The South West Peak Natural Area Profile (accessed 13 April 2010)
  9. ↑ English Nature: The Urban Mersey Basin Natural Area: A Nature Conservation Profile (March 1997) (accessed 13 April 2010)
  10. ↑ Natural England: Liverpool Bay Natural Area: A nature conservation profile (29 October 1997) Archived 22 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine (accessed 14 April 2010)
  11. ↑ SSSI background data (Cheshire) – compiled 01 Mar 2010. Retrieved from ; 11 April 2010.
  12. ↑ Natural England citation sheets for each SSSI. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
  13. ↑ "Guide to National Grid". Ordnance Survey. Archived from the original on 27 October 2007. Retrieved 7 August 2006.
  14. ↑ Natural England: Nature on the Map: Welcome to Nature on the Map (accessed 15 April 2010)
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