Land at Denham Vicarage Farm Denham, Suffolk Client: Miles Water Engineering Ltd Date: June 2016 Desk-Based Assessment SACIC Report No. 2016/048 Author: J. A. Craven © SACIC HER Information Site Name: Land at Denham Vicarage Farm Report Number 2016/048 Planning Application No: Pre-planning Grid Reference: TL 7641 6234 Oasis Reference: 256344 HER Search Reference 9188670 Curatorial Officer: N/A Project Officer: John Craven Client/Funding Body: Miles Water Engineering Ltd Digital report submitted to Archaeological Data Service: http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/library/greylit Disclaimer Any opinions expressed in this report about the need for further archaeological work are those of Suffolk Archaeology CIC. Ultimately the need for further work will be determined by the Local Planning Authority and its Archaeological Advisors when a planning application is registered. Suffolk Archaeology CIC cannot accept responsibility for inconvenience caused to the clients should the Planning Authority take a different view to that expressed in the report. Contents Summary 1. Introduction 2 1.1. Project Background 2 1.2. Site description 2 1.3. Scope and aims of the report 2 1.4. Methods 3 1.5. Legislative frameworks 4 1.5.1. National legislation or policy 4 1.5.2. Local policy and guidance 5 2. Study Area search results 8 2.1. Designated assets 8 2.1.1. Scheduled Monuments 8 2.1.2. Registered Parks or Gardens 8 2.1.3. Conservation Areas 9 2.2. Historic Environment Record search 11 2.3. Landscape Characterisation 14 2.4. Cartographic study 15 2.5. Aerial photographs 16 3. Assessment of impacts and effects 17 3.1. The archaeological potential of the site 17 3.1.1. Prehistoric and Roman 17 3.1.2. Anglo-Saxon, medieval and post-medieval 17 3.2. Potential level of archaeological preservation within the site 18 3.3. Potential impact of development on the archaeological resource 18 3.4. Potential impact of development on other heritage assets 18 4. Mitigation measures 19 5. Conclusions/Recommendations 20 6. Bibliography 21 List of Figures Figure 1. Location map 7 Figure 2. Designated assets within the Study Area 10 Figure 3. HER sites within 1km of the centre of the site 13 Figure 4. Suffolk Historic Landscape Characterisation map 14 List of Appendices Appendix 1. Suffolk HER search results Appendix 2. Ordnance Survey mapping Summary This Desk-Based Assessment has set the location of a proposed farm reservoir development within its immediate archaeological landscape through an examination of the Suffolk Historic Environment Record, the National Heritage List for England, and available cartographic sources and aerial photography. In general the topographic location of the site, and the known archaeology and history of the area, suggests that it has low potential for containing archaeological remains of prehistoric, Roman, medieval or post-medieval date. Any archaeological remains which lie within the site are likely to be of local, possibly regional importance, and in a state of moderate or good preservation, but at a depth which will mean they will be significantly impacted upon by the proposed development. It is recommended that the client should consult with the Local Planning Authority, St Edmundsbury Borough Council, and its advisor Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service, at the earliest possible opportunity to determine if further archaeological investigation of the site is likely to be required prior to submission of a planning application. 1. Introduction 1.1. Project Background This archaeological desk-based assessment (DBA) has been prepared by SACIC for Miles Water Engineering Ltd in advance of a potential planning application for the creation of a new farm reservoir and any consultation with Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service (SCCAS), the Archaeological Advisor to the local planning authority (LPA) St Edmundsbury Borough Council. 1.2. Site description The subject of this DBA covers an area of approximately c.1.5ha, centred at TL 7641 6234, in the parish of Denham, Suffolk (Fig. 1), 1km to the south of the settlement core of Barrow. The site lies within a landscape of open arable farmland, interspersed with woodland, and straddles a ditched and hedged boundary between two fields. The site is located on an area of high ground, c.90-95m above Ordnance Datum. The localised topography of the area is of undulating, rolling countryside. The site geology consists of chalky till of the Lowestoft Formation overlying chalk bedrock of the Lewes Nodular Chalk Formation, Seaford Chalk Formation, Newhaven Chalk Formation and Culver Chalk Formation (British Geological Survey website). 1.3. Scope and aims of the report In accordance with the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), the Government’s guidance on archaeology and planning, the aim of the DBA is to determine as far as reasonably practicable from the available archaeological and heritage sources the previous landuse and history of the site, the nature of the known archaeological or other heritage assets within its environs, the potential archaeological assets of the site, and the potential impact of the proposed development on such assets. The sources examined by the DBA include the Suffolk Historic Environment Record (HER), the National Heritage List for England (NHLE), reports of any archaeological investigations, all readily available cartographic and documentary sources held by Suffolk Archaeology or the Suffolk Record Office, and aerial photography available online. In order to set the site in its archaeological context a Study Area of a 1km radius from its centre was selected for examination (Figs. 2-4). In particular the DBA aims to: • Collate and assess the existing information regarding archaeological and historical remains within and adjacent to the site. • Identify any known archaeological sites which are of sufficient potential importance to leave an outright constraint on development (i.e. those that will need preservation in situ). • Assess the potential for unrecorded archaeological sites within the application area. • Assess the likely impact of past land uses (such as ploughing, quarrying etc.) and the potential quality of preservation of below ground deposits, and where possible to model those deposits. 1.4. Methods The following methods of data collection have been used to meet the aims of the DBA: • A search for designated heritage assets such as Scheduled Monuments, Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas that lie within the Study Area and may have a line of sight to the site was carried out on the NHLE and Suffolk HER. A summary is presented in section 2.1 below. • A search of the Suffolk HER for any records within 1km from the centre of the site (TL 7641 6234), and an examination of the literature with reference to archaeological investigations within the Study Area. The results are described and mapped in section 2.2 below, and presented in full in Appendix 1. • Examination of the Suffolk Historic Landscape Characterisation Map (Version 3, 2008) and the Suffolk Landscape Character Assessment website. The results are described and mapped in section 2.3 below, • An assessment of readily available cartographic sources through a visit to the Suffolk Record Office and the commissioning of a collated report of 19th and 20th century Ordnance Survey mapping. The results are presented in section 2.4 below, with the Ordnance Survey mapping in Appendix 2. • A brief examination of aerial photography of the area available on the Cambridge University Collection of Aerial Photographs website and Google Earth. The results are presented in section 2.5 below. 1.5. Legislative frameworks 1.5.1. National legislation or policy National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) Paragraphs 128 and 129 of the NPPF (which replaced Planning Policy Statement 5 in March 2012, which in turn had replaced various guidance such as Planning Policy Guidance 15 and 16) provides guidance for planning authorities, developers and others on planning and the historic environment. 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. Scheduled Monuments The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act of 1979 statutorily protects Scheduled Monuments (SMs) and their settings as nationally important sites. Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas Listed Buildings are protected under the Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas Act of 1990. This ensures that listed buildings are given statutory protection against unauthorised demolition, alteration and extension. Buildings are listed because they are of special architectural importance, due to their architectural design, decoration and craftsmanship; also because they are of historical interest. This includes buildings that illustrate important aspects of the nation's social, economic, cultural or military history or have a close association with nationally important persons or events. Conservation Areas are designated for their special architectural and historic interest, usually by the local planning authority.