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Barlaston and Rough Close Common

Local Nature Reserve

| Management Plan | Grazing Leaflet |
| Barlaston and Rough Close Newsletter Winter 2008 |

| Reporting Anti-social Behaviour at the LNR |

Grid References: SJ 923396 and SJ 926399

Barlaston and Rough Close Common LNR is a 20.61ha site on the northern edge of Stafford Borough. It is a Registered Common, which is owned and managed by Stafford Borough Council. The site comprises two areas of lowland heathland, which are divided by a minor road that runs approximately north-south through the site. The vegetation is relatively diverse, with distinct variations between the separate parts of the site.

Dry heath and dry acid grassland with locally abundant heather, bilberry and bell heather dominate the eastern section of the site. The western part comprises mainly acidic marshy grassland, containing purple moor-grass, wavy hair grass, soft rush and heath rush, with patches of wet heath where cross-leaved heath is present. Areas of woodland and scrub fringe the site. On the northern edge of the common is a pool with open water and emergent vegetation.

A management plan was first prepared for Barlaston and Rough Close Common in 1992 and the site has been managed in accordance with this document ever since. The site was declared as a Local Nature Reserve in 2000. A new 10-year management plan for the Common was completed in 2002.

Ecological Importance

This vastly important site is one of the few surviving examples of heathland in the North of the Borough. Historically livestock owned locally by the community grazed it. The area has been in decline for decades with the cessation of management and was in danger of succeeding to scrub land.

The Council have been able to include the site and its management under the Countryside Stewardship Scheme a government grant funded application that forms part of the England Rural Development Programme. This has enabled many management tasks to be undertaken by volunteer organisations and specialised environment agents to recreate and restore some of the heathland habitats. These have included scrapes and the re-sowing of heather brash on Rough Close, the control of Bracken and gorse and the maintenance of footpaths.

For past few years the Council along with partners have been in consultation with various stakeholders and government in applying for a grazing permit for Barlaston Common. This was granted in late 2006 and permission was given to be able to fence the boundary of the common so livestock can once again become the agents to the common's recovery as a wet heathland.

The objectives at Barlaston and Rough Close Common are in keeping, and will contribute towards, the following objectives/targets in national and local BAPS.

UK lowland heathland habitat action plan

• Maintain and improve by management all existing lowland heathland

UK lowland dry acid grassland habitat action plan

• Arrest the depletion of unimproved lowland acid grassland throughout the UK.
• Secure favourable condition over the resource

Staffordshire habitat action plan for lowland heathland

• Maintain and improve all existing lowland heathland
• Halt the decline of heathland quality of all remaining sites by re-introducing appropriate management.

Staffordshire habitat action plan for lowland acid grassland

• Prevent any further net losses of unimproved acidic grassland (except for restoration to heathland and heath/grassland mosaics).

Staffordshire species action plan, for ground nesting, solitary bees and wasps.

• Ensure important sites for solitary bees and wasps are not adversely affected.
• Increase current important populations of solitary bees and wasps by site enhancement.

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