In February this year the RSPB raised serious concerns about a proposed development of 57 homes at Radford Quarry in Plymouth. The quarry is a County Wildlife Site, important because of it’s calcareous grassland. It is also important for another reason, which caught the headlines this week. It is one of only two known sites globally for the remarkably named horrid ground-weaver spider. The other site has been lost – so Radford quarry might be the only place in the world where this tiny beastie lives.
When we registered our concerns we were worried by the lack of adequate ecological assessment of the existing biodiversity interest, the harm that the proposed development would cause to what is a UK Priority Habitat, and the lack of effective mitigation proposals.
The application was refused. However, the developers have a appeal and an inquiry starts on 20 January.
Buglife are flying the flag for nature conservation on this one, and for our spider ... Alice Farr from the national charity takes up the story ..."
Critically Endangered spider under threat from development – you can help by signing Buglife’s petition!
Within an old limestone quarry in Plymouth an unusual spider is lurking. So rare it is found only in Plymouth and nowhere else in the world. It is known at just three sites, one of which has already been built on and lost. A proposed development for 57 new houses in Radford Quarry, in Plymstock, would destroy the second site and a vital ‘green lung’ of Plymouth.
Originally the development was refused by Plymouth City Council but the applicant is appealing the decision and a planning inquiry is due to start on the 20th January. An online petition has been created by Buglife asking for help from the public to stop this destruction, but there is less than a week left before the petition must be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate, who will ultimately make the decision.
The Horrid ground-weaver (Nothophantes horridus) is a species of small money spider with a total body length of just 2.5mm. The spider’s name comes from the fact that its body is rather bristly - ‘horridus’ is Latin for bristly.
An illustration of a female horrid ground-weaver by Fergus McBurney
Radford Quarry is a County Wildlife Site and home to a wonderful array of interesting bugs and other wildlife, including Greater horseshoe bats. As well as being home to the Critically Endangered Horrid ground-weaver spider, there are also butterflies such as the Wall brown (Lasiommata megera), Small heath butterfly (Coenonympha pamphilus) and Dingy skipper (Erynnis tages ), a Red Data Book spider Episinus maculipes and the ground beetle Tachys bistriatus, all of which have declined over recent years.
The site is an interesting mix of limestone grassland and open mosaic ‘brownfield-type’ habitat.
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