ANNUAL AFTERCARE MEETING RECORD

Site:Land at Faulkbourne Farm, Witham, Essex

Planning Ref:ESS/13/10/BTE

Operator:Sewells Reservoir Construction Ltd (SRC Ltd)

Date of Meeting:17thApril 2014

PRESENT:Ms B Ramsay(Strutt and Parker)

Mr R Smith(Strutt and Parker Farms)

Mr T McCarthy(Essex County Council)

Mr M Stephen(Mark Stephen Land Management, advising Essex County Council)

OBJECT:

To inspect the site and discuss the aftercare programme.

CURRENT AFTERCARE STATUS

Phase or Area Reference / YEAR OF AFTERCARE
1st / 2nd / 3rd / 4th / 5th
Whole site / √

COMMENTS ON STRATEGY REPORT

  1. Satisfactory annual Aftercare details, including soil analysis results,were supplied in advance of the meeting.

SITE INSPECTION

  1. The Aftercare site meeting followed a prolonged dry period after an exceptionally wet winter.
  2. The land was under-drainedin 2012, but not moled as conditions were unsuitable. Moling had not yet been carried out. Last year the majority of the land was not sown with a crop due to the wet conditions in autumn 2012 and there were numerous ruts that were holding water.
  3. This year the land was growing a reasonably good crop of winter oilseed rape. There were a few areas of variable crop: the low area surcharged with soil after harvest last year; the area where silt had been spread during restoration and the old access area. However, Mr Smith had cultivated the soils to 30 cm depth and planned to do so again to around 35 cm depth after harvest to help improve the soil structure.Tramlines had held up well. Poultry manure was applied to the land in August 2013 to provide nutrients and increase organic matter. Further applications of poultry manure and/or FYM are proposed in future by Mr Smith.
  4. Soils were very dry and digging pits to view the soil profile proved impractical. However, crop growth indicated significantly improved soil conditions, despite the extremely wet winter.

ACTIONS AGREED

  1. Mr Smith will clean out the drainage ditch and mark the drain outfalls so that they can be inspected and to prevent them from being damaged.
  1. Winter wheat will follow the current oilseed rape crop this autumn.

Mark Stephen

April 2014