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Special Areas of Conservation

Ox Close

Designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC)
Country England
Unitary Authority North Yorkshire
Centroid* SD984903
Latitude 54.30805556
Longitude -2.024444444
SAC EU Code UK0030234
Status Designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC)
Area (ha) 141.07
* This is the approximate central point of the SAC. In the case of large, linear or composite sites, this may not represent the location where a feature occurs within the SAC.
Location of Ox Close SAC

General site character

  • Inland water bodies (Standing water, Running water) (0.5%)
  • Dry grassland, Steppes (52.5%)
  • Humid grassland, Mesophile grassland (32.5%)
  • Improved grassland (2.5%)
  • Broad-leaved deciduous woodland (7%)
  • Other land (including Towns, Villages, Roads, Waste places, Mines, Industrial sites) (5%)

Download the Standard Data Form for this site (PDF <100kb)

Note When undertaking an appropriate assessment of impacts at a site, all features of European importance (both primary and non-primary) need to be considered.

Annex I habitats that are a primary reason for selection of this site

  • 6130 Calaminarian grasslands of the Violetalia calaminariae

    Ox Close is a large site representing Calaminarian grassland in the central Pennines. The site is unusual in that it encompasses the three main situations in which this habitat occurs in the UK, including near-natural forms on cliffs and scars, old spoil-heaps from past lead-mining, and metal-enriched river alluvium. This site supports a rich metallophyte flora with substantial populations of five species of higher plant metallophytes: thrift Armeria maritima, moonwort Botrychium lunaria, Pyrenean scurvygrass Cochlearia pyrenaica, spring sandwort Minuartia verna and alpine penny-cress Thlaspi caerulescens. The site shows the full succession from open sparsely-vegetated spoil to closed turf. Transitions from Calaminarian grassland to 6210 semi-natural dry grassland and flushes also occur.

Annex I habitats present as a qualifying feature, but not a primary reason for selection of this site

Annex II species that are a primary reason for selection of this site

  • Not Applicable

Annex II species present as a qualifying feature, but not a primary reason for site selection

  • Not Applicable

Many designated sites are on private land: the listing of a site in these pages does not imply any right of public access.