A FOSSIL-rich former quarry has been recognised as Oldham’s most important geological site.

The council has agreed to formally designate Glodwick Brickpit as a ‘regionally important geodiversity site’ (RIGS).

The disused quarry is already a site of special scientific interest but this new classification gives it extra protection against development.

The site has a history of coal mining and brickmaking, although it has been landscaped and planted as a local nature reserve, named Glodwick Lows.

A report by officer Georgina Brownridge states that the reserve has been surveyed by geologists and the cliff exposure displays alternating beds of sandstone, siltstone and claystone.

“The site is important for understanding the morphological variation of significant fossils,” she adds.

“The designation of RIGS is one way of recognising and protecting important earth science and landscape features for future generations to enjoy.”

There are financial implications for the local authority as a result of the decision.

‘Raising the profile’ of the site is likely to attract additional costs, officers say, as it would require more litter picking, up from just two a year to six.

The site would also need better securing in terms of barriers, signage and policing.

This is expected to cost an extra £1,000 a year for maintenance, and a one off cash spend of £1,600 on security.

The cost will be met from the council’s existing environmental services budget.

While the new designation does not give the town hall any additional powers of control over the land or statutory protection, the report states that it brings ‘additional protection from development to the site through the borough local plan’.

It is one of a number of sites in Greater Manchester that have been assessed by the region’s RIGS group, but is the only one in Oldham to have been recognised as having special geological importance.