Land East of New Rd Melbourn. Heritage Appraisal
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ARCHAEOLOGICAL APPRAISAL Land East of NEW ROAD MELBOURN CAMBRIDGESHIRE FEBRUARY 2013 Local Planning Authority: South Cambridgeshire District Council Site centred at: TL 3885 4423 Author: Myk Flitcroft Approved by: Simon Mortimer Report Status: FINAL Issue Date: © CgMs Limited 15 February 2013 No part of this report is to be copied in any way without prior written consent. CgMs Ref: Every effort is made to provide detailed and accurate information, however, CgMs Limited cannot be held MF/15004/01 responsible for errors or inaccuracies within this report. © Ordnance Survey maps reproduced with the sanction of the controller of HM Stationery Office. Licence No: AL 100014723 Archaeological Appraisal Land east of New Road, Melbourn CONTENTS Summary 1.0 Introduction and Scope of Study 2.0 Planning Background and Development Plan Framework 3.0 Geology and Topography 4.0 Identified Heritage Assets 5.0 Conclusions Figure 1: Site location Figure 2: Current Site plan Figure 3: Designated Heritage Assets Figure 4: Cambridgeshire HER data Plate 1: View east across site (from Grange Farm) Plate 2: View east across site Plate 3: View northeast across site (towards East Farm) Plate 4: View north across site towards Grange Farm and Melbourn Appendix 1 Gazetteer of designated heritage assets Appendix 2 Gazetteer of HER data © CgMs Ltd 1 MF/15004/01 Archaeological Appraisal Land east of New Road, Melbourn SUMMARY CgMs Consulting have been commissioned by Bidwells Planning, on behalf of Endurance Estates Strategic Land Ltd, to prepare an archaeological appraisal of land east of New Road, Melbourn, Cambridgeshire. It has prepared to provide an appropriate evidence base to support promotion of the land for residential development and to inform representation being made to the Local Planning Authority, South Cambridgeshire District Council. This archaeological appraisal has been undertaken to gather available archaeological and historic data held by the Cambridgeshire Historic Environment Record, English Heritage, and the District Council. Through review of this data, this appraisal report provides baseline information on known archaeological and other heritage assets, and a preliminary appraisal of the archaeological potential of the site. The appraisal confirms that the site does not contain any sites protected as designated heritage assets, and contains no other currently-known non-designated heritage assets. The appraisal considers the potential effects of future development on the setting of surrounding heritage assets. After considering the changing land use history of the area and the results of a site visit, it is concluded that future development within the proposal site will have no effect on the setting of designated heritage assets within the core of the village, approximately 600m north of the study site. The appraisal establishes that the proposal site has a moderate potential to contain further, as-yet unidentified, archaeological remains of prehistoric date, and an uncertain potential for Roman period remains. The site is considered to have a low potential for important Saxon, Medieval, or later archaeological remains. The appraisal does not identify any heritage issues that would prevent allocation of the proposal site, or which are likely to form a significant constraint on its future development. The current baseline is appropriate to support the promotion of the site. Further assessment of the site’s archaeological potential will be required to inform any future application for planning permission and ensure that development proposals are compatible with published planning policy at National and District level. It is anticipated that this will require additional archaeological field evaluation to identify any areas of below-ground archaeological remains and inform decision-making on any future planning application. © CgMs Ltd 2 MF/15004/01 Archaeological Appraisal Land east of New Road, Melbourn 1.0 INTRODUCTION AND SCOPE OF STUDY 1.1 CgMs Consulting have been commissioned by Bidwells Planning, on behalf of Endurance Estates Strategic Land Ltd, to prepare an archaeological appraisal of land east of New Road, Melbourn, Cambridgeshire. The site is located on the south side of the village and is centred around National Grid Reference TL 3885 4423 (Figures 1, 2). 1.2 The site was identified as a potential future site for residential development in South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Strategic Land Availability Assessment (Site 320). The current archaeological appraisal has been prepared to provide an appropriate evidence base to support its promotion for development and to inform representations being made to the Local Planning Authority. 1.3 The appraisal gathers and summarises available archaeological and heritage information for the site (‘proposal site’) and surrounding area. 1.4 The appraisal follows the professional standards set by the Institute for Archaeologists (IfA) for archaeological desk-based assessment as far as these are applicable to the more limited scope of an appraisal, and has regard to the information requirements set in government’s National Planning Policy Framework. A site visit was undertaken as part of the appraisal in order to consider the potential heritage sensitivity of the site and the setting of heritage assets in the surrounding area. 1.5 The appraisal includes: details and a summary list of designated heritage assets (World Heritage Sites, Scheduled Monuments, Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas, Registered Parks, Registered Battlefields) within the site and surrounding area; a gazetteer and discussion of non-designated heritage assets and within the proposal site and a surrounding 1000m radius search area; a review of relevant features visible on historic maps for the site and surrounding area; recommendations on the likely requirements for further archaeological work as the scheme progresses. © CgMs Ltd 3 MF/15004/01 Archaeological Appraisal Land east of New Road, Melbourn 2.0 PLANNING BACKGROUND AND DEVELOPMENT PLAN FRAMEWORK 2.1 In considering the allocation of this site, and any future planning application for development, the local planning authority will be guided by the policy framework set by government planning policy, by the Development Plan policy at the time, and by other material considerations. National Planning Policy Framework 2.2 In March 2012, the government published the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which replaced previous national policy relating to heritage and archaeology (Planning Policy Statement 5: Planning for the Historic Environment). 2.2.1 Section 12 of the NPPF, entitled ‘Conserving and enhancing the historic environment’ provides guidance for planning authorities, property owners, developers and others on the conservation and investigation of heritage assets. Overall, the objectives of Section 12 of the NPPF can be summarised as seeking the: Delivery of sustainable development Understanding the wider social, cultural, economic and environmental benefits brought by the conservation of the historic environment, and Conservation of England's heritage assets in a manner appropriate to their significance. 2.2.2 Section 12 of the NPPF recognises that intelligently managed change may sometimes be necessary if heritage assets are to be maintained for the long term. 2.2.3 With regard to Plan-making, the NPPF recognises the importance of adequate, up-to- date, and relevant evidence as a base for preparation of a Local Plan (para 158). This includes up-to-date evidence about the historic environment that should also be used to predict the likelihood of currently unidentified heritage assets – particularly sites with archaeological interest - being discovered (para 169). 2.2.4 Heritage assets are defined in Annex 2 of the NPPF as: a building, monument, site, place, area or landscape positively identified as having a degree of significance meriting consideration in planning decisions, because of its heritage interest. They include designated heritage assets (as defined in the NPPF) and assets identified by the local planning authority. 2.2.5 A Designated Heritage Asset comprises a World Heritage Site, Scheduled Monument, Listed Building, Protected Wreck Site, Registered Park and Garden, Registered Battlefield or Conservation Area. © CgMs Ltd 4 MF/15004/01 Archaeological Appraisal Land east of New Road, Melbourn 2.2.6 Significance is defined as: The value of a heritage asset to this and future generations because of its heritage interest. This interest may be archaeological, architectural, artistic or historic. Significance derives not only from a heritage asset’s physical presence, but also from its setting. 2.2.7 Setting 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 surrounding 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. South Cambridgeshire Local Plan Issues and Options 2.3 South Cambridgeshire District Council are currently consulting on the Issues and Options report for the new South Cambridgeshire Local Plan. 2.3.1 The proposal site includes land identified within the report as a development option within Melbourn: “Land east of New Road, Melbourn” (Site Option H7). 2.3.2 A more detailed technical assessment of this part of the site is provided as a supporting document (South Cambridgeshire Local Development Framework