Land at Station Yard, Collingbourne Ducis, Wiltshire
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T H A M E S V A L L E Y ARCHAEOLOGICAL S E R V I C E S S O U T H W E S T Land at Station Yard, Collingbourne Ducis, Wiltshire Archaeological Desk-based Assessment by Richard Tabor Site Code SCD14/169 (SU 2451 5395) Land at Station House and Station Yard, Collingbourne Ducis, Wiltshire Archaeological Desk-based Assessment for Acorn Construction (Newbury) by Richard Tabor Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd Site Code SCD 14/169 December 2014 Summary Site name: Land at Station House and Station Yard, Collingbourne Ducis, Wiltshire Grid reference: SU 2451 5395 Site activity: Archaeological desk-based assessment Project manager: Steve Ford Site supervisor: Richard Tabor Site code: SCD 14/169 Area of site: c. 0.98 ha Summary of results: The assessment has found no heritage assets within the proposal site. Prehistoric and early historical remains have been found in the wider landscape and, in particular, substantial Saxon occupation deposits excavated in immediately adjacent areas may possibly continue into the site. The building of the railway line through the site consisted of elements of ‘cut’ and ‘fill’ as well as construction of the station buildings themselves and the impact of these on the archaeologically relevant horizons varies markedly across the site. It is likely that further consideration of archaeological issues will be required but that this would best take place once more details of the foundation and landscape design are available. There are several grade II-listed buildings nearby but the site’s impact upon their visual settings would be negligible due to intervening modern buildings. Although most of the railway facilities have now been removed, there may be a requirement for a photographic record of the surviving elements as of local historic interest. This report may be copied for bona fide research or planning purposes without the explicit permission of the copyright holder. All TVAS unpublished fieldwork reports are available on our website: www.tvas.co.uk/reports/reports.asp. Report edited/checked by: Steve Ford 12.12.14 Steve Preston 12.12.14 i Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd, 47–49 De Beauvoir Road, Reading RG1 5NR Tel. (0118) 926 0552; Fax (0118) 926 0553; email [email protected]; website: www.tvas.co.uk Land at Station House and Station Yard, Collingbourne Ducis, Wiltshire Archaeological Desk-based Assessment by Richard Tabor Report 14/169 Introduction This report is an assessment of the archaeological potential of approximately 0.98ha of land located south-east of the junction of Cadley Road with the A338 road on the eastern side of the village of Collingbourne Ducis, Wiltshire (SU 2451 5395) (Fig. 1). The project was commissioned by Ms Claire Welburn of Fowler Architecture and Planning Ltd, 19 High Street, Pewsey, Wiltshire, SN9 5AF, on behalf of Acorn Construction (Newbury), Unit 18, Salisbury Road Business Park, Pewsey, Wilts, SN9 5PZ and comprises the first stage of a process to determine the presence/absence, extent, character, quality and date of any archaeological remains which may be affected by redevelopment of the area. Planning consent is to be sought from Wiltshire Council for the erection of between nine and fifteen dwellings along the course of the disused rail line, its associated station yard and part of the curtilage of Station House. This assessment will accompany the application in order to inform the planning process with regard to potential archaeological and heritage implications. This is in accordance with the Department for Communities and Local Government’s National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF 2012) and the Council’s heritage policies. Site description, location and geology The village of Collingbourne Ducis straddles the crossroads formed by Cadley Road and the A338 road c. 12.5 north-west of Andover. The village High Street has developed on either side of the River Bourne, from south of the crossroads, as far as the westward turning into Church Street at its southern end (Fig. 1) and sits within the narrow valley created by the river. The site occupies a narrow strip of land c. 155m east of the High Street and was formerly the railway and station at Collingbourne Ducis. A north-westerly road from the northern end gives access to Cadley Road. The main body of the site extends for c. 217m rising from c. 134m above Ordnance Datum (aOD) at the northern end north to c. 137m aOD at the southern end. It has a maximum width of c. 32m. The access road is c. 100m long. The underlying geology of the site is recorded as Cretaceous Lewes Nodular Formation sedimentary chalk (BGS 2014). Reports of three boreholes from 1943 from ground neighbouring the site on the west merely recorded soft and hard chalk. The soils are lime-rich, free-draining, loams of moderate fertility (NSRI 2014). 1 At the time of a site visit on 19th August 2014 the site comprised a gravelly track maintained as a distinct entity by vehicular use alone cutting a way through regenerating vegetation on either side (Pl. 1). The site is enclosed on both sides by a combination of wooden fencing and unmaintained hedges including developing young trees (Pls 1 and 2). Planning background and development proposals Planning permission is to be sought from Wiltshire Council for the residential development of the site. The Department for Communities and Local Government’s National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF 2012) sets out the framework within which local planning authorities should consider the importance of conserving, or enhancing, aspects of the historic environment, within the planning process. It requires an applicant for planning consent to provide, as part of any application, sufficient information to enable the local planning authority to assess the significance of any heritage assets which may be affected by the proposal. The Historic Environment is defined (NPPF 2012, 52) as: ‘All aspects of the environment resulting from the interaction between people and places through time, including all surviving physical remains of past human activity, whether visible, buried or submerged, and landscaped and planted or managed flora.’ Paragraphs 128 and 129 state that: ‘128. In determining applications, 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. As a minimum the relevant historic environment record should have been consulted and the heritage assets assessed using appropriate expertise where necessary. Where a site on which development is proposed includes or has the potential to include heritage assets with archaeological interest, local planning authorities should require developers to submit an appropriate desk-based assessment and, where necessary, a field evaluation. ‘129. Local planning authorities should identify and assess the particular significance of any heritage asset that may be affected by a proposal (including by development affecting the setting of a heritage asset) taking account of the available evidence and any necessary expertise. They should take this assessment into account when considering the impact of a proposal on a heritage asset, to avoid or minimise conflict between the heritage asset’s conservation and any aspect of the proposal.’ A ‘heritage asset’ is defined (NPPF 2012, 52) 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. Heritage asset includes designated heritage assets and assets identified by the local planning authority (including local listing).’ ‘Designated heritage asset’ includes (NPPF 2012, 51) any ‘World Heritage Site, Scheduled Monument, Listed Building, Protected Wreck Site, Registered Park and Garden, Registered Battlefield or Conservation Area designated under the relevant legislation.’ 2 ‘Archaeological interest’ is glossed (NPPF 2012, 50) as follows: ‘There will be archaeological interest in a heritage asset if it holds, or potentially may hold, evidence of past human activity worthy of expert investigation at some point. Heritage assets with archaeological interest are the primary source of evidence about the substance and evolution of places, and of the people and cultures that made them.’ Specific guidance on assessing significance and the impact of the proposal is contained in paragraphs 131 to 135: ‘131. In determining planning applications, local planning authorities should take account of: • the desirability of sustaining and enhancing the significance of heritage assets and putting them to viable uses consistent with their conservation; • the positive contribution that conservation of heritage assets can make to sustainable communities including their economic vitality; and • the desirability of new development making a positive contribution to local character and distinctiveness. ‘132. When considering the impact of a proposed development on the significance of a designated heritage asset, great weight should be given to the asset’s conservation. The more important the asset, the greater the weight should be. Significance can be harmed or lost through alteration or destruction of the heritage asset or development within its setting. As heritage assets are irreplaceable, any harm or loss should require clear and convincing justification.