Hanson opens its Condover quarry for biodiversity competition

Hanson’s Condover sand and gravel quarry, near Shrewsbury, is among the sites participating in the fifth round of the company’s biodiversity competition, the Quarry Life Award.

The international competition is run every three years by Hanson’s parent company HeidelbergCement to raise the understanding of the biodiversity value of quarrying sites during and after extraction and share new best practices.

Quarry manager Kyle Beaven said: “The aim is to encourage projects which can support or enhance the work we are already doing at Condover to improve biodiversity and the quality of restoration. We also want to hear from people who have ideas which will create a better understanding of the importance of quarrying and its vital role in improving the built environment.”

The site has recently obtained planning permission to access another 2.85 million tonnes – about 15 years’ worth of material – to the south of the main pit. The new extension is approximately 54 acres, with 22 acres being processed to supply mineral to the Shropshire area, and will provide a range of diverse habitats once restored.

The Quarry Life Award is being held in more than 20 countries across the globe and aims to increase the understanding of the interaction between nature and quarries as well as contributing to global nature conservation goals in raising the awareness of the importance of biodiversity and bringing people closer to nature.

At a national level, the competition has two streams: research and community, both of which offer a £5,000 top prize.

The research stream focuses on scientific projects that increase knowledge of quarry-specific ecology and/or lead to improved biodiversity, landscape, or water management. It is aimed principally at academics, scientists and research groups.

The community stream is for projects that educate about biodiversity in quarries or help the quarry to better connect with its neighbours and raise awareness among the wider general public of the biodiversity at extraction sites. This stream is open to everyone – individuals, students, schools and community groups.

National winners are then put forward into the international stage of the competition, with projects judged to be the best in each of six categories (biodiversity management, habitat and species, beyond quarry borders, biodiversity and education, connecting quarries and local communities, and nature-based solutions) receiving a prize of £8,700 (€10,000) with the best project overall receiving no less than a total of £26,000 (€30,000).

The deadline for submitting outline proposals is November 18, 2021. A panel of experts will then select six of the proposals to become projects to be carried out on Hanson sites between January and September 2022. The UK winners will be chosen by a national jury and share a prize fund of £10,000 and will also go forward to the international competition.