Wicklesham Quarry SSSI has revealed another of its unique characteristics. The unconfined aquifer that rises in the quarry because of the Faringdon Sponge Gravels is “highly unusual” and “in fact unique” in the Thames Valley area, according to TVERC. The map above shows part of the aquifer that flows through the Lower Greensands until it meets the impenetrable rock of the Corralian Ridge. Near the end of the aquifer is Wicklesham Quarry, where the Sponge Gravels were deposited in a single inlet of the coral reef by an ancient sea millions of years ago.
Maps of the aquifer by the British Geological Survey provide a mirror image of the sands and ‘highly localised’ sponge gravels that form the geological formation called the ‘Faringdon trough’. The aquifer flows through the Lower Greensands beneath Baulking, Fernham, and Ringdale Hill, where the deep sands form a wide band that is now part the Midvale Ridge.
Only at Wicklesham Quarry does the aquifer rise above the surface of the ground. Atmospheric pressure alone affects the height of the aquifer because of the permeability of the Sponge Gravels, which the British Geological Survey (BGS) states are 50 metres deep. The hydrology itself provides the strongest demonstration that Wicklesham Quarry is the ONLY site where the Faringdon Sponge Gravels exist.
THE AQUIFER KEEPS RISING AS IT HAS DONE THROUGHOUT LIVING MEMORY
Faringdon residents have described the ponds, the newts they used to catch as children, and the rich wildlife of this unique site decades before Wicklesham Quarry was re-opened for extraction. Wicklesham’s aquifer continues to rise and fall, refilling ponds and gulleys, and flooding the quarry on a regular basis. Efforts to suppress the aquifer by depositing up to 3 metres of material on top of the base in 2018-19 were wasted.* The unconfined aquifer is once again close to the surface, as recorded in the applicant's Ground Conditions Report, and continues to flood whenever conditions are right – and Wicklesham’s newts, including the protected Great Crested Newts for which the quarry is a breeding habitat – continue to make it their home.
THAMES VALLEY ENVIRONMENTAL RECORDS CENTRE (TVERC)
The Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre is reviewing the characteristics of the unconfined aquifer, which they say, “is highly unusual in this area, it is in fact unique”. If TVERC identifies the quarry’s habitat as ‘aquifer-fed fluctuating water bodies’, then it is a Priority Habitat. We sent TVERC:
- The applicant’s Ground Conditions (1) Report, which refers three times to the ‘aquifer’ or ‘underground river’,
- Photographs of the quarry extensively flooded between December 2024 and May 2025,
- Maps of the aquifer by BGS, together with other scientific data.
Hydrogeologists of the British Geological Survey have helpfully provided more information, adding to that of the Environment Agency submitted during consultations. These sources state that the aquifer is:
- ‘A Secondary A aquifer which comprises permeable layers that can support local water supplies, and may form an important source of base flow to rivers.’
- Classified as ‘highly productive’
- Highly vulnerable to pollution ‘as there are no superficial deposits overlying the bedrock aquifer meaning it is likely close to surface.’
At Wicklesham the height of the aquifer in relation to ground level is determined by the relationship between atmospheric pressure and the flow of the aquifer through the nearby Greensands.
FAILURE TO DISCLOSE THE QUARRY'S HYDROLOGY
The applicants -
- Failed to describe Wicklesham Quarry’s hydrology,
- Denied the regular flooding with which local people are familiar, & which we photographed,
- Persuaded the case officer that flooding was caused by run-off.
The ecologist’s report claimed erroneously that the quarry had ‘remained dry’ for several years and was no longer a suitable habitat for Great Crested Newts. These assertions were made a few months before a pair of swans took up residence for several weeks, apparently contemplating building a nest!
We pointed out to Oxfordshire County Council that ‘No one told the newts’ their habitat was ‘unsuitable’, and sent photographs of the Great Crested Newts and other newt species as they emerged from winter dormancy in large numbers. We offered to arrange a visit for the Biodiversity Officer to show him their location, to which he failed to respond.
The case officer’s Report to the Planning Committee referred to ‘overground flooding’ and stated dismissively that there was ‘no evidence’ of where our photographs were taken – in spite of our offer. The officer failed to acknowledge the rest of the evidence contained in our letter, including that of the Ground Conditions Report itself, and the applicants failed to submit TVERC’s Biodiversity Report for Wicklesham Quarry- which is a requirement of the Validation List.
WICKLESHAM'S AQUIFER IS IMPORTANT -
- Because of the vulnerability of this natural resource to ground pollution;
- Because it regularly floods the quarry – raising questions about how the applicants intend to suppress it;
- Because it is a crucial element of a rare ecology, providing important primary and secondary habitat for amphibians, birds, insects, ten species of bats, and several species of terrestrial mammals.
TVERC’s Biodiversity Report for Wicklesham Quarry records over 30 Priority Species within 1km radius of the centre of the quarry.
Like so much else in this planning application, the biodiversity, hydrology and ecology of Wicklesham Quarry SSSI, which is part of the Conservation Target Area of West Oxfordshire Heights, were systematically overlooked, denied and misrepresented.
We will keep you posted about TVERC’s conclusions.
*Measurements of the material added to the base of the quarry are shown in the Ground Conditions (1) Report.
Please get in touch with any queries or comments. Email: protectwicklesham@gmail.com.