| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
 Rodborough Common - flowering sward including early purple orchid (orchis mascula) | |
  Location within Gloucestershire | |
| Location | Gloucestershire |
|---|---|
| Grid reference | SO851035 |
| Coordinates | 51°43′50″N 2°12′59″W / 51.730465°N 2.216418°W |
| Interest | Biological/Geological |
| Area | 116.0 hectare |
| Notification | 1954 |
| Natural England website | |
Rodborough Common is a 116.0-hectare (287-acre) biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Rodborough, Gloucestershire, England, notified in 1954.[1] The site is listed in the ‘Stroud District’ Local Plan, adopted November 2005, Appendix 6 (online for download) as an SSSI and a Regionally Important Geological Site (RIGS).[2] The Common is also a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) under the EU Habitats Directive [3][4]
Rodborough Common is sited south of Stroud and has been owned and managed by the National Trust since 1937.[5] It is north of Minchinhampton Common. It lies on Jurassic limestone and is on top of the Cotswold scarp. It is bounded on either side by the Nailsworth valley and the Frome valley. It is on a hill (a plateau area), and its margins are dissected by dry valleys. The sides of this plateau are steep.[1]
Rodborough Common, like Minchinhampton Common, is notified for its biological and geological importance. The grassland is unimproved, herb-rich and calcareous. There is an important geological area for fossils for research purposes.[1]
- ^ a b c Natural England SSSI information on the citation
- ^ Stroud District Local Plan, adopted November 2005, Appendix 6 ‘Sites of Nature Conservation Interest’ Archived 2012-06-06 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Information on Rodborough Common Special Area of Conservation designation.
- ^ Joint Nature Conservation Committee Listing of Special Areas of Conservation
- ^ "Warning: Cows coming out | Stroud Times". 10 May 2024. Retrieved 15 July 2024.