THE BATH STONE COMPANY HARTHAM MINE ENTRANCE, BATH ROAD, CORSHAM HERITAGE STATEMENT AUGUST 2019 Wardell Armstrong Sir Henry Doulton House, Forge Lane, Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 5BD, United Kingdom Telephone: +44 (0)845 111 7777 Facsimile: +44 (0)845 111 8888 www.wardell-armstrong.com DATE ISSUED: AUGUST 2019 JOB NUMBER: ST16481 REPORT NUMBER: HER-001 THE BATH STONE COMPANY LIMITED HARTHAM MINE ENTRANCE, BATH ROAD, CORSHAM HERITAGE STATEMENT PREPARED BY: L Goring Principal Heritage Consultant CHECKED BY: C Dawson Principal Heritage Consultant APPROVED BY: C Bean Technical Director This report has been prepared by Wardell Armstrong LLP with all reasonable skill, care and diligence, within the terms of the Contract with the Client. The report is confidential to the Client and Wardell Armstrong LLP accept no responsibility of whatever nature to third parties to whom this report may be made known. No part of this document may be reproduced without the prior written approval of Wardell Armstrong LLP. ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY INFRASTRUCTURE AND UTILITIES Wardell Armstrong is the trading name of Wardell Armstrong LLP, Registered in England No. OC307138. LAND AND PROPERTY Registered office: Sir Henry Doulton House, Forge Lane, Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 5BD, United Kingdom MINING AND MINERAL PROCESSING MINERAL ESTATES AND QUARRYING UK Offices: Stoke-on-Trent, Birmingham, Cardiff, Carlisle, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Greater Manchester, Central Manchester London, Newcastle upon Tyne, Sheffield, Truro, International Offices: Almaty, Moscow WASTE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT THE BATH STONE COMPANY LIMITED HARTHAM MINE ENTRANCE HERITAGE STATEMENT CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................... 1 2 Definitions of Terms AND PLANNING POLICY CONTEXT...................................................... 2 3 METHODOLOGY ...................................................................................................................... 6 4 BASELINE DATA ....................................................................................................................... 9 5 FIELD OBSERVATIONS........................................................................................................... 14 6 assessment of significance and setting ............................................................................... 20 7 Embedded MITIGATION ....................................................................................................... 34 8 HERITAGE IMPACT ASSESSMENT ........................................................................................ 36 9 CONCLUSION......................................................................................................................... 39 10 BIBLIOGRAPHY ...................................................................................................................... 42 APPENDICES Appendix 1 Plates DRAWINGS ST16481-015 Site Location Plan ST16481/HER-001 AUGUST 2019 THE BATH STONE COMPANY LIMITED HARTHAM MINE ENTRANCE HERITAGE STATEMENT 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Wardell Armstrong LLP has been commissioned by the Bath Stone Company Limited to prepare a Heritage Statement in respect to development proposals on land to the north of Rudloe Water Treatment Works, Bath Road, Corsham, Wiltshire (NGR centred on ST 84569 70494). The development proposals comprise the construction of a new inclined mine entrance from the surface into existing permitted mine workings and the construction of ancillary surface facilities including a new cutting shed, office, block storage area, car parking and landscaping. 1.2 Permission to work minerals at Hartham Park was granted permission in 1998 (planning application reference N/98/01945/WCM). The size of the underground operation now covers a 6 Ha area with current working faces moving further from the existing, sub-standard mine access which is within a separate lease. Planning permission for a new inclined mine entrance and associated structures was granted on land to the north of B3109 Bradford Road on 29th January 2016 (planning application reference 15/00712.WCM). 1.3 The Bath Stone Company Limited have recently acquired an interest in the bath stone mines and having reviewed the extant permissions seek to obtain planning permission for an alternative mine entrance on land to the north of Rudloe Water Treatment Works (Wessex Water) to better access permitted reserves of premium bath stone within their freehold. 1.4 The site contains no statutory designated heritage assets, nor does the site fall within the boundary of a designated Conservation Area or World Heritage Site. However, the proposed development has the potential to impact upon the setting of designated heritage assets within the vicinity of the site. This report provides a detailed assessment of the significance and setting of the designated assets potentially affected in order to determine the level of harm which may be experienced, if any. 1.5 The assessment was undertaken in accordance with terminology expressed within the National Planning Policy Framework. Historic England good practice guidance presented in the Setting of Heritage Assets (Historic England GPA 3, 2017) has been adhered to as appropriate. 1.6 This report should be read alongside the application drawings (references ST16481- 011, 012, 015, 016, 017, 018, 019, 022, 023, 024 and 025) prepared by Wardell Armstrong. Drawings are not repeated within this report. ST16481/HER-001 Page 1 AUGUST 2019 THE BATH STONE COMPANY LIMITED HARTHAM MINE ENTRANCE HERITAGE STATEMENT 2 DEFINITIONS OF TERMS AND PLANNING POLICY CONTEXT National Heritage Legislation and Planning Policy 2.1 Designated heritage assets protected by statutory legislation comprise Scheduled Monuments, Protected Wrecks, Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas; nationally significant archaeological sites, monuments and structures are protected under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act (1979). 2.2 Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas are protected under the Planning (Listed Building and Conservation Areas) Act (1990). In relation to development proposals, the legislation states that ‘in considering whether to grant planning permission for development which affects a listed building or its setting, the local planning authority or, as the case may be, the secretary of state shall have special regard to the desirability of preserving the building or its setting or any features of special architectural or historic interest which it possesses’ (section 66). 2.3 Non-statutory designated heritage assets, comprising Registered Parks and Gardens and Registered Battlefields, are protected under national and local planning policy only. This is also the case for the remainder of the archaeological resource; entries onto a historic environment record or sites and monument record as well as previously unknown features which may be recorded during the course of data collection in respect to a given development proposal. National Planning Policy 2.4 The NPPF requires that great weight is given to the conservation of designated heritage assets. Conservation is defined within the NPPF as the process of maintaining and managing change to heritage assets in ways that sustain, and where appropriate, enhance their significance. 2.5 A heritage asset is defined in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) as ‘a building, monument, site, place, area or landscape identified as having a degree of significance meriting consideration in planning decisions because of its heritage interest’ (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government 2019, Annex 2 page:67). 2.6 The significance of a heritage asset is defined within the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) as ‘the value of a heritage asset to this and future generations because of its heritage interest. This interest may be archaeological, architectural, ST16481/HER-001 Page 2 AUGUST 2019 THE BATH STONE COMPANY LIMITED HARTHAM MINE ENTRANCE HERITAGE STATEMENT artistic or historic. Significance derives not only from a heritage asset’s physical presence, but also from its setting.’ (MHCLG 2019, Annex 2 page:71). 2.7 The setting of a heritage asset is defined as ‘the surroundings in which a heritage asset is experienced. Its extent is not fixed and may change as the asset and its surroundings evolve. Elements of a setting may make a positive or negative contribution to the significance of an asset, may affect the ability to appreciate that significance or may be neutral.’ (MHCLG 2019, Annex 2 page:71). 2.8 Where heritage assets are to be affected by development, ‘local planning authorities should require an applicant to describe the significance of any heritage assets affected, including any contribution made by their setting. The level of detail should be proportionate to the assets’ importance and no more than is sufficient to understand the potential impact of the proposal on their significance’ (MHCLG 2019, para:189). 2.9 The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) supported by the National Planning Policy Guidance (PPG), which endorses the conservation and enhancement of the historic environment (Department for Communities and Local Government 2014), defines the role of the planning system as to promote and achieve sustainable development and involves ‘protecting and enhancing our natural, built and historic environment’ (MHCLG 2019, para:8). 2.10 In ensuring the statutory duty of the Planning