Imerys Opens 3km of New Public Paths at Restored Dubbers Site

What does it take to turn an old kaolin pit into one of Cornwall’s richest wildlife habitats? At Dubbers, near Whitemoor, it has taken 15 years, 100,000 trees, and a surprising cast of helpers including primary school children and a swarm of rescued bees.

At the end of April, Imerys officially opened Dubbers, a landscape-scale nature restoration project, with an ecologist-led hike around 3km of newly added public access. Local stakeholders including Cornwall Council, the Environment Agency and Cornwall College joined the walk, alongside local children who came back to check on the trees they helped plant last year.

From kaolin pit to nature haven

Dubbers, named after the Cornish word for a miner’s pick-axe, was a working kaolin pit until the mid-1960s. When active mining moved to adjacent pits, the slow process of backfilling began, and the site became a raised mica residue dam, an engineered structure designed to store slurry containing mica from kaolin processing.

Restoration began in 2010. The team created a neutral soil from waste materials including anaerobic digestate, compost-like output and clean water sewage cake. These were mixed with fine sand and deposited across the open mine to form a new base layer for habitats.

In the winter of 2024, the largest tree planting scheme in the South West got under way at Dubbers, with over 100,000 native trees planted across the site thanks to a UK government grant via DEFRA. A developing mosaic of heathland, neutral grassland, woodland and scrubland is now starting to establish, aligning with the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Nature Recovery Strategy.

A Cornwall first for one rare bird

The wildlife list at Dubbers is already long. Skylark, Cuckoo, Grasshopper Warbler, Harvest Mouse, Brown Long-eared Bat, Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly and Dingy Skipper butterfly have all been recorded on site.

The area is also a regionally important nocturnal feeding location for the elusive Jack Snipe, with up to 60 birds detected. And Dubbers is now the only place in Cornwall where the protected Little Ringed Plover has been confirmed to successfully breed.

Then there are the bees. Rescued bees, removed from residential areas by local charity Bees Off, have been rehomed at Dubbers in their millions. Thirty-five hives are now in place, with a further 10 planned soon.

Listening to local people

In 2025, the restoration team ran a public consultation to update local people on progress and gather feedback. The clear message back was a need for more footpath access.

That fed into work led by estates manager Jeremy Elvins to expand a network of permissive pathways. An extra 21 miles (34km) have been added recently, bringing the total to 38 miles (62km). Access is a mixture of footpaths and trails suitable for cyclists and horses, and work is ongoing to provide more access for people with limited mobility.

A publicly available footpath map has been updated to reflect the extra access, and the local team has worked with Cornish tourist information bodies to provide free copies to local offices.

The young tree planters return

Last year, Year 5 students from Whitemoor Primary School, which neighbours Dubbers, were invited along to help plant some of the 100,000 trees. The same group were guests of honour at the official opening walk, joining the 2 mile route and putting their new binoculars to good use spotting signs of wildlife.

Sean Simpson, who manages the Dubbers project, said: “Over the last 15 years, we have watched Dubbers flourish into the biodiverse habitat it is today. I am so proud of what we have achieved, from the amazing array of wildlife to the access for the local community. We look forward to watching the trees grow and establish over the coming years.”

All attendees enjoyed a guided walk along the new routes, led by the Imerys team and local ecologist Bob Bosisto.

Philippa Hoskin, nature recovery manager for Cornwall Council, said: “Dubbers is a great example of landscape-scale nature recovery. It was fantastic to have a look around and see this project which is supporting Cornwall’s Nature Recovery Strategy and also contributing to the Forest for Cornwall.

“We look forward to seeing how this develops as the trees establish themselves and a new landscape emerges.”

Mark Hewson, Imerys UK Hub Director, said: “Dubbers is a powerful example of what long-term nature restoration can achieve. Opening these new footpaths is an important step, giving the community the opportunity to access the land, learn about its transformation and see first-hand the positive legacy of restoration work.”