Orwell Clunch Pit
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About Orwell Clunch Pit
The Pit is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) of national importance for its rich chalk grassland flora. It is located on a chalk outcrop called Toot Hill which is at the western end of a ridge where Bronze Age and Iron Age settlements have been found. The welldrained chalk hillside with springs at its foot and fertile heavy clay soil in the valley below made it attractive to early settlers. Archaeological evidence of Roman and AngloSaxon settlers has been found in Orwell village.
More information can be found in the document below, and on informational signage around the site.
Orwell Clunch Pit Management Trust
Orwell Clunch Pit is managed by the Clunch Pit Management Trust (CPMT), a voluntary body which reports to Orwell Parish Council who own the site. Membership of the CPMT is open to representatives from any village organisation and anyone willing to devote time to preserving the site under a management plan agreed with Natural, the body responsible for the site under its SSSI designation.
The current CPMT Committee is as follows:
- Chairman - Colin Hoptroff
- Secretary - Clive Pickton
- Treasurer - Nick Chambers
Two Parish Council members are delegated specifically to the CPMT but all members of the Parish Council are automatically entitled to be part of the committee. Any Orwell resident is welcome to attend meetings but does not have a say in any voting matters.