Quarrying in the area goes back to 1875, and Machen quarry originally served a number of small limekilns, which were used to convert limestone into quicklime. Remains of these limekilns are still on site, as well as a 1920s transformer house near the rail yard.
From the early 1880s, the quarry was producing 33,000 tonnes of crushed stone per year, and by 1950 the machinery had been modernised, greatly increasing production to 50,000 tonnes per year.
Machen quarry was previously owned by Powell Duffryn Quarries and then ARC South Wales until the name change to Hanson Aggregates (now Heidelberg Materials), in 1999. The quarry was inactive for a short period between 2012-16 due to the economic downturn but now supplies around 900,000 tonnes of much needed aggregate a year.
Biodiversity and Restoration
Heidelberg Materials supports nature positivity via our biodiversity programmes and sustainable water management. This includes our commitment to allocating a minimum of 15% of all active quarry sites for space for nature by 2030.
Our approach for Machen quarry is set out in our Biodiversity Action Plan . Our aim is to enhance fauna and flora, improve and augment wildlife corridors through the linking and management of perimeter woodland and provision of calcareous grasses.
Restoration work within the quarry site will see the creation of fauna and flora habitats reflective of the area’s natural heritage. This will include the development of further species-rich grassland, grazed pasture and extensive broadleaved woodland comprising of native tree and shrub species such as birch, oak and beech. Along with the development of wetland areas the restoration will encourage species such as tree sparrows and bats, reptiles, amphibians and a wide range of invertebrates.
For a map outlining a restored Machen quarry see below.
For details of Heidelberg Materials’ biodiversity and research competition, The Quarry Life Award, which aims to inspire biodiversity and restoration projects at extraction sites globally go to https://www.quarrylifeaward.com
