UK's largest wetland project passed halfway point

The project to create one of the biggest reedbeds in the UK at Ouse Fen Nature Reserve is more than half complete

A major project to create one of the biggest reedbeds in the UK at a quarry site has passed the halfway point.

Work to expand Ouse Fen nature reserve, north of Cambridge, started in 2001.

New wetland was being created by the phased restoration of Needingworth Quarry, where sand and gravel had been extracted for use by the construction industry.

In the last 20 years, the site has become a habitat for bitterns, marsh harriers and bearded tits as well as otters, water voles and 22 different species of dragonfly.

Some 16 million tonnes of aggregates was also quarried from the site to make way for wetland habitat.

The reserve will grow to the size of nearly 980 football pitches by the end of the project.

The current quarry operator, Brice Aggregates, is gradually handing the restored wetland over to the RSPB.

Volunteers have helped to plant reeds and created walking routes from nearby villages.

When the project is completed, Ouse Fen along with its neighbouring RSPB nature reserves - Fen Drayton Lakes and the Ouse Washes - will form a near continuous 3,000 hectare wetland habitat - about half the size of nearby Ely.

The quarry restoration scheme will take another decade to complete

Chris Hudson, senior site manager at RSPB Ouse Fen said: "We have achieved such a lot here, and we are over the moon at how this long-term project has nurtured endangered wildlife populations, but there is still much more work to do."

Mr Hudson said the project would take another decade to complete and will "create one of the biggest reedbeds in the UK and a wonderful wetland wilderness for both wildlife and people to enjoy."

Oliver Brice, managing director of Brice Aggregates, said: "The quarrying operations at Needingworth provide vital raw materials to the construction industry across the East of England and East Midlands whilst supporting jobs and economic activity locally.

"What differentiates this site however is the focus on restoration from the outset and the proactive collaboration between industry and the RSPB."