Juniper Hill, Edgeworth

Biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, England

51°45′05″N 2°06′18″W / 51.751297°N 2.104976°W / 51.751297; -2.104976InterestBiologicalArea11.25 hectareNotification1974Natural England website

Juniper Hill, Edgeworth (SO928058 and SO928064) is an 11.25-hectare (27.8-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1974.^[1]^[2]^[3] The site is listed in the 'Cotswold District' Local Plan 2001-2011 (on line) as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS).^[4]

Location

The site lies in the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is in two sections. It is one of a small number of sites on Jurassic limestone which has Juniper as its dominant species.^[1]

Flora

The Juniper on the site is recorded as being of a great age, with specimens which are over 100 years old.^[1]

Ungrazed calcareous grassland makes up the northern section of the site, which consists mainly of Upright Brome, Tor-grass, Common Rock Rose and Old Man's Beard. Larger trees such as Oak and Ash are regenerating in this area. There is an adjacent Larch plantation which is supporting Juniper.^[1]

Grazed grassland makes up the southern section under the Juniper, and this is made up of a greater amount of fescues and herbs typical of the unimproved limestone grassland of the Cotswolds.

Conservation

Many of the Juniper plants are dying and management is underway to attempt regeneration.^[1]^[5]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Natural England SSSI information on the citation
^ Cotswold District Local Plan, Appendix 1, Sites of Special Scientific Interest Archived 2012-03-26 at the Wayback Machine
^ Stroud District Local Plan, adopted November 2005, Appendix 6 ‘Sites of Nature Conservation Interest’ Archived 2012-06-06 at the Wayback Machine
^ Cotswold District Local Plan, Appendix 2, Key Wildlife Sites Archived 2013-10-13 at the Wayback Machine
^ Natural England SSSI information on the Juniper Hill, Edgeworth unit