Borough of Brent SINC Review 2014 Site: Northwick Park and the Ducker Pool BI03 Current Designation: Site of Borough Importance Grade I Summary: Retain 2006 boundary with an amendment and extend to include whole golf course Key Species and Habitats: There are no records for Habitats of Principle Importance in England on this site. There is one record for Species of Principle Importance in England, the House Sparrow. Links: Northwick Park and the Ducker Pool SINC has excellent links with a wider network of wildlife sites and habitats through the Northwick Park and Kenton Railsides SINC and the wider network of railtrack. To the west is Harrow on the Hill with its open fields and extensive wildlife corridor westwards. Description: This site designation extends over most of the golf course, includes the woodland around the site of the old Ducker Pool in the northwest corner, the southern boundary of the golf course, adjacent field and the public park, and the tree line with ditch running along the western boundary of the public park. Contained within it is a mosaic of habitat types forming an area of high value within the suburban environment. At the entrance to the golf course, fronting the road, is an intact Hawthorn hedge with mature Ash trees. The area around the golf club is highly maintained and the grassland kept mown short for amenity purposes. The woodland in the northwest corner, surveyed from the edges, is characterised by mature standards of Pedunculate Oak, Horse Chestnut, and Sycamore, with Elder, Hawthorn, Blackthorn and Bramble on the margins. The wood encircles the old Ducker Pool which has been colonised by scrub and trees. The southern boundary of the woodland has a narrow grass margin and a wider margin of tall ruderal vegetation dominated by Bramble, Stinging Nettle, Cow Parsley and Goat’s Rue. Notably, the narrow grass margin is relatively species rich. Song birds were abundant within the wood with Song Thrush, Wren and Dunnock recorded by their song. Running eastwards from the wood along the northern boundary of the golf course is a mature, intact hedgerow of Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Bramble, Yew, Ash and Cherry; to the south of it is a wide track with a public footpath. The path is worn to bare soil, but the grassland each side is long. Local topographic changes and the edges of mounds, possibly remnants of the landfill margins on which the golf course is built, create structural and therefore habitat diversity, with areas of tall ruderal vegetation occurring in places. This trackway is fenced off from the golf course. Along the golf course side of the fence is a scallopedged, approximately 510m wide, margin of speciesrich naturalised grassland with scattered young trees. Within the grassland legumes are well represented with Bush Vetch, Common Vetch, Smooth Tare Grass, White Clover, Red Clover, Lesser Trefoil and Grass Vetchling, along with native grasses. A similar community extends along the western end of the hedge separating the golf course from the field between it and the public part of Northwick Park. This is a planted, intact, speciesrich hedge with Field Maple, Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Elder and Dog Rose. The roughs on the golf course are not as species rich as the marginal meadow areas but do provide important habitat, particularly to butterflies and moths which require this habitat for their larvae. Appendix 2-132
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Borough of Brent SINC Review 2014
Site: Northwick Park and the Ducker Pool BI03
Current Designation: Site of Borough Importance Grade I
Summary: Retain 2006 boundary with an amendment and extend to include whole golf course
Key Species and Habitats: There are no records for Habitats of Principle Importance in England on this site. There is one record for Species of Principle Importance in England, the House Sparrow.
Links: Northwick Park and the Ducker Pool SINC has excellent links with a wider network of wildlife sites and habitats through the Northwick Park and Kenton Railsides SINC and the wider network of railtrack. To the west is Harrow on the Hill with its open fields and extensive wildlife corridor westwards.
Description:
This site designation extends over most of the golf course, includes the woodland around the site of the old Ducker Pool in the north-‐west corner, the southern boundary of the golf course, adjacent field and the public park, and the tree line with ditch running along the western boundary of the public park. Contained within it is a mosaic of habitat types forming an area of high value within the sub-‐urban environment.
At the entrance to the golf course, fronting the road, is an intact Hawthorn hedge with mature Ash trees. The area around the golf club is highly maintained and the grassland kept mown short for amenity purposes.
The woodland in the north-‐west corner, surveyed from the edges, is characterised by mature standards of Pedunculate Oak, Horse Chestnut, and Sycamore, with Elder, Hawthorn, Blackthorn and Bramble on the margins. The wood encircles the old Ducker Pool which has been colonised by scrub and trees. The southern boundary of the woodland has a narrow grass margin and a wider margin of tall ruderal vegetation dominated by Bramble, Stinging Nettle, Cow Parsley and Goat’s Rue. Notably, the narrow grass margin is relatively species rich. Song birds were abundant within the wood with Song Thrush, Wren and Dunnock recorded by their song.
Running eastwards from the wood along the northern boundary of the golf course is a mature, intact hedgerow of Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Bramble, Yew, Ash and Cherry; to the south of it is a wide track with a public footpath. The path is worn to bare soil, but the grassland each side is long. Local topographic changes and the edges of mounds, possibly remnants of the landfill margins on which the golf course is built, create structural and therefore habitat diversity, with areas of tall ruderal vegetation occurring in places. This trackway is fenced off from the golf course. Along the golf course side of the fence is a scallop-‐edged, approximately 5-‐10m wide, margin of species-‐rich naturalised grassland with scattered young trees. Within the grassland legumes are well represented with Bush Vetch, Common Vetch, Smooth Tare Grass, White Clover, Red Clover, Lesser Trefoil and Grass Vetchling, along with native grasses. A similar community extends along the western end of the hedge separating the golf course from the field between it and the public part of Northwick Park. This is a planted, intact, species-‐rich hedge with Field Maple, Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Elder and Dog Rose. The roughs on the golf course are not as species rich as the marginal meadow areas but do provide important habitat, particularly to butterflies and moths which require this habitat for their larvae.
Appendix 2-132
Running southwards from the woodland a shallow channel carries a stream through a man-‐made gorge in the golf course. It winds its way naturalistically through a copse where it widens out to form a pond, before running down a shallow valley lined with Crack Willow. Yellow Flag, Pendulous and Remote Sedge occur in patches here, before the stream goes underground on the southern boundary.
Three ponds have been created on the golf course, each with its own character. The pond in the stream is in part dominated by Common Reedmace, with Reed Sweet-‐grass, Brooklime, Water Mint, and Water Starwort forming a structurally diverse aquatic habitat. To the west of this pond is a deep water pond with a fringing bed of Common Reedmace, Soft Rush, Brooklime and Yellow Archangel. An artificial rocky channel feeds pumped water in at the western end. A significant fish population was present, reducing the value of this pond for amphibians. The third pond on higher ground to the south appears to be rain-‐water fed with shallower shelving banks with a good population of Water Starwort and occasional fringing Floating Sweet-‐grass. Blue damselflies, not identified to species level but probably common blue damselflies, were common here. There was no sign of any fish in this pond, which has the potential to develop into one of very high habitat value in the future. All of the ponds had clear water.
The southern boundary to the golf course has a mature hedge of predominantly Hawthorn, with a 10m wide woodland belt with poor structural diversity. The field layer is dominated by Ivy, and is heavily shaded. The hedge running around the church in the far south-‐western corner is Beech. Running beside the hedge through the adjacent field and the public park is a dry ditch with a narrow rough grass margin. Occasional stands of marginal plants include Yellow Flag and Great Willowherb.
A line of mature Crack Willow and Poplar species with Hawthorn, Elder, and Blackthorn forms the north-‐western boundary of the public park with a heavily shaded ditch running beneath it. Stretches of the ditch are typically associated with stands of Stinging Nettle and Cow Parsley. This ditch and the associated tree line runs to the southern boundary where it goes underground.
Along the eastern boundary of the public park is a line of mature Crack Willow. These have been subject to storm damage and limbs have been removed for safety reasons and stacked up along the fencline forming habitat piles. These mature trees will be immensely beneficial for a number of taxonomic groups and it is recommended that they are included within the designation.
A groundsman reported that the long grass in TN8 isn’t cut on an annual basis. Lack of cutting will lead to a reduction in species-‐richness and a gradual replacement of the meadow community with tall ruderal, and eventually scrub and woodland if no management intervention is made. This grassland has been sown, presumably with the intention of creating a meadow habitat, and it would be beneficial for biodiversity to maintain it as such.
Designated Species recorded on site (from GIGL 2014):
Lime NS 2005 Scot’s Pine NS 2013 Short-‐eared Owl BD1, LSOCC 2005 Song Thrush Bred, LBAP, LSOCC 2013
Hab Regs = Habitat Regulations WCA = Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) S41 = Section 41 of NERC Act UKBAP = UK Biodiversity Action Plan BRed = British Red Data List LBAP = Local Biodiversity Action Plan LSOCC = London Species of Conservation Concern NS = Nationally Scarce
Species potentially supported by habitat on site:
Reptiles, Amphibians, Invertebrates, Birds, foraging and potentially roosting Bats
Boundary status:
There have been no changes to the existing boundaries.
Further recommendations
The draft site amendment following the 2007 survey excludes the golf course clubhouse and its surrounds, including the hedgerow on the boundary. It is recommended that the hedge is retained within the site boundary.
Amend the boundary on the north-‐east of the golf course to include the remainder of the course with meadow grassland and hedgerow, as shown on the phase 1 survey map.
Include the line of Crack Willow on the eastern boundary of the public park within the designation, as per the phase 1 survey map.
Assessment and Management recommendations
Northwick Park and the Ducker Pool SINC is a relatively large site with a diverse habitat mosaic of woodland, short and long grassland, ponds, hedges, tree lines, mature/veteran trees and streams. As such it is one of the more valuable biodiversity sites in the borough.
Cut the boundary meadow areas on the golf course twice a year only, once in early spring and once in late August to September, and remove arisings.
Cut the vegetation on the Capital Ring route as it follows the northern boundary of the golf course twice a year only, once in early spring and once in late August to September, and remove arisings.
Allow meadow areas to develop adjacent to all boundaries in the public park. A margin of between 5-‐10m wide with scalloped edges would be immensely beneficial to biodiversity within the area.
In several locations along the eastern boundary of the public park develop reptile refugia.
Appendix 2-134
Site BI03 Northwick Park & The Ducker Pool
Ecological Planning & Research
Ordnance Survey (c) Crown copyright 2007. All rights reserved. License number 100005596.
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