The lake will be the main feature of the restored site. It will be primarily groundwater fed with some surface water input, and the natural hydrological movement through the site will be maintained by retaining uncovered gravel beaches above and below the waterline on the north and south lake margins. This will allow an unimpeded flow of groundwater across the site.

The lake will have a variety of features to benefit different kinds of wildlife, including some muddy margins often favoured by invertebrates, as well as gravel beaches that are attractive to birds such as little ringed plover. There will be shallows where water is warmer and aquatic plants can colonise, deeper areas for diving birds, islands safe from predators, and tern rafts for nesting birds. Diverse, scalloped margins with spits and inlets of varied height, depth and gradient will further increase the value of the lake to fauna and flora.

The reedbeds will be partially planted to about 20 per cent cover with the rest of the area left to natural colonisation. The scrapes and shallow ponds will be planted with appropriate native wetland plant species such as water mint and water forget-me-not. Native stock will be used for all the planting on the site, where possible using locally sourced material.

The larger of the islands in the lake will not only have value to wildlife but will also protect an area of archaeological interest. The island outcrop will be excluded from extraction, as will a second area of archaeological value on the shore of the lake.

The grassland fringe around the lake will be seeded using an appropriate mixture of native, local provenance wildflower and grass seed. It will be managed to promote a mosaic of micro-habitats including bare ground, short sward, dense tussocks, rank grassland and scrub leading from the waterline to the wooded areas.

Grassland management will be by a varied mowing regime, with removal of cut material to maintain low soil fertility. Some control of pernicious weed species such as creeping thistle, ragwort and dock that might occur as a legacy of the former land use may be necessary.

A mixture of appropriate species of native trees and shrubs such as oak, ash, hawthorn, hazel and field maple, if possible of local provenance, will be planted around the site margins to create areas of woodland with scalloped edges that grade into the scrub and grassland mosaic.

Native black poplar will be used as a component of the wet woodland along with willows and alder.

Some of the topsoil from the site will be used in the restoration works, for example on the lake margins in places where reedbed is planned. Because of the progressive restoration of the site, topsoil and subsoil stripped from an area to be worked can be replaced immediately on parts of the previously extracted phase, which will minimise possible degradation of soils through unnecessary storage and handling. The lower fertility topsoil and subsoil will be used in the proposed grassland areas because limited soil fertility is more conducive to the development of species rich grassland and there is likely to be a heavy weed seed bank in the most fertile topsoil.

A particularly important feature of the restoration scheme is the agreed 10-year aftercare period (rather than the usual five-year period).

Tarmac plc plans to hold annual aftercare meetings throughout the 10-year aftercare period with the Mineral Planning Authority and with all parties with a legal interest in the site to inspect and review the restoration and aftercare progress.