Borough  of  Brent  SINC  Review  2014  

Site:  Abbey  Estate  Wayleave  L32  

Current  Designation:    Draft  new  site  

Summary:    Upgrade  designation  to  SBI  Grade  I  and  adopt  site  boundary  as  proposed  

Key  Habitat  and  Species:    The  main  habitat  on  this  segmented  site  is  species  poor  grassland  which  does  not  qualify  as  a  Section  41  Habitat  of  Principle  Importance  in  England.    One  Species  of  Principle  Importance  in  England,  the  Stag  Beetle,  has  been  recorded  on  the  site.    Although  this  record  is  now  15  years  old,  it  does  not  indicate  that  the  species  is  no  longer  present  on  the  site.    The  lack  of  records  is  more  likely  to  be  an  indication  that  nobody  has  surveyed  the  site  in  the  intervening  years.      

Links:    Abbey  Estate  Wayleave  adjoins  the  Piccadilly  Line  and  runs  through  a  dense  residential  area  and  thus  has  a  connection  to  wider  sites  through  the  lineside  habitat.  

Description:  

Access  to  the  site  was  restricted  to  visual  inspection  only  due  to  the  entire  site  being  fenced  in  with  metal  railings.    The  species  list  in  the  Target  Notes  is  therefore  not  extensive,  but  is  indicative  of  the  habitat  quality.    Each  segment  of  the  wayleave  was  similar  in  species  composition  of  the  grassland,  and  each  had  a  few  scattered  scrub  or  tree  species  on  the  edges.    Species  such  as  Yarrow,  Red  Clover,  Hedge  Mustard,  Creeping  Thistle,  Common  Mallow,  Ribwort  Plantain  characterise  the  sward,  with  Common  Nettle  and  other  ruderal  species  occurring  at  the  edges  by  the  fencing.    Adjacent  to  the  railway  a  small  area  of  woodland  with  mature  Pedunculate  Oak,  Sycamore,  Hawthorn  and  English  Elm  fills  the  end  of  the  first  segment  of  the  way-­‐leave.      

Designated  Species  recorded  on  site:  

Species     Designation           Date  of  record  

Cicones  undatus   LSOCC     1999  Hawthorn  Jewel  Beetle     LSOCC,  Na     1999  Stag  Beetle   HSD2p,  S41,  UKBAP,  Nb,  LBAP,  LSOCC     1998    

S.41  =  Section  41  of  NERC  Act  (Species  of  Principal  Importance  in  England)  UKBAP  =  UK  Biodiversity  Action  Plan  Nb  =  Nationally  Notable  B  (Rare  and  scarce  species)  LBAP  =  Local  Biodiversity  Action  Plan  LSOCC  =  London  Species  of  Conservation  Concern  

 

Species  potentially  supported  by  habitat  on  site:  

Reptiles,  Birds,  Invertebrates,  foraging  Bats  

Boundary  status:  

There  have  been  no  incursions  into  the  existing  boundary.  

Further  recommendations  

There  are  no  further  recommendations  for  boundary  changes.    

Management  recommendations  

Appendix 2-1

Provide  an  element  of  broadleaved  dead  wood  in  the  first  segment  of  the  wayleave  by  the  railway  line  to  encourage  the  Stag  Beetle.    Ensure  that  this  is  not  cleared  away  as  the  Stag  Beetle  has  a  long  life  cycle;  the  larvae  live  in  the  dead  wood  or  in  the  ground  beneath  it  for  up  to  five  years.    Clearance  of  dead  wood  can  be  catastrophic  to  the  local  population  of  this  protected  species.  

   

Appendix 2-2

Site L32 Abbey Estate Wayleave

Ecological Planning & Research

Ordnance Survey (c) Crown copyright 2007. All rights reserved. License number 100005596.

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DATE: June 2014

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Brent SINC Review

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SINC boundary draft site amendment

Broadleaved semi-natural woodland

Poor semi-improved grassland

Tall ruderal

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Target note (with ID)

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Typical view of thewayleave showing longunmown Semi-improved grasslandwith species such asCreeping Buttercup,Common Thistle and

Looking west acrossthe wayleave towardsthe broad-leaved semi-natural woodland of therailway embankment(part of the PicadillyLine).

Appendix 2-3