HeritageCollective Archaeological Impact Assessment Land West of the B3105 Relief Road, Trowbridge On behalf of HGT Developments LLP November 2015 Project Ref: 1854 Project Number: 1854 Authored by: Karl Hulka Reviewed by: Mark Doods Date: November 2015 Document version M:\HC\Projects\Projects 1501- 2000\Projects 1801-1900\15.1854 - Land West of the B3105 Releif Road, Trowbridge\1854\Reports\1854 LWB3105 - AIA (15.11.30) v.5.docx HeritageCollective CONTENTS PAGE NO. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 4 1.0 INTRODUCTION 5 2.0 PLANNING FRAMEWORK 7 3.0 GEOLOGY AND TOPOGRAPHY 10 4.0 ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 12 5.0 SITE CONDITIONS AND THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT 25 6.0 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 26 SOURCES CONSULTED 28 APPENDICES APPENDIX 1: Site location maps APPENDIX 2: Wiltshire HER map and list APPENDIX 3: Historic maps and images Appendix 3.1: 1575 Saxton’s WILTONIAE Comitatus Appendix 3.2: 1610 Speed’s Map of Wiltshire Appendix 3.3: 1773 Andrews and Drury’s Map of Wiltshire Appendix 3.4: 1808 Ordnance Surveyors Drawing Appendix 3.5: 1838 Tithe Map of Hilperton Appendix 3.6: 1887 Ordnance Survey map Appendix 3.7: 1901 Ordnance Survey map Appendix 3.8: 1924 Ordnance Survey map Appendix 3.9: 1936 Ordnance Survey map Appendix 3.10: 1945 Aerial Photograph Appendix 3.11: 1969 Ordnance Survey map Appendix 3.12: 1978 Ordnance Survey map Appendix 3.13: 2006 Google Earth Image Appendix 3.14: Archaeological Investigations of Hilperton Relief Road APPENDIX 4: Current proposals for the application site Archaeological Impact Land West of B3105 Relief On behalf of HGT November 2015 © 3 Assessment Road, Trowbridge Developments LLP HeritageCollective EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The site known as Land west of the B3105 Relief Road, Trowbridge, is proposed for development. The desk-based assessment suggested that the application site has a high potential for later prehistoric activity associated with a possible Bronze Age barrow adjacent to the application site and a number of Bronze Age and Iron Age areas of occupation in close proximity to the application site. A high potential for Roman activity was also indicated, evidenced by a number of rural farmsteads and areas of agricultural activity within the study area. The assessment also indicated a moderate to high potential for the medieval and post—medieval periods associated with agricultural activities located outside the settlements of Hilperton and Hilperton Marsh. However, the archaeological monitoring of geo-technical works and a site- wide geo-physical survey failed to identify any significant or extensive remains. Existing impacts on any surviving archaeological deposits and features will derive from the use of the land as agricultural fields from at least the early 19th century onwards, including the construction of field boundaries and drainage ditches across the application site itself. Therefore, on the basis of the evidence presented in this assessment, it is advised that any further work should be limited to a watching brief carried out on intrusive groundworks associated with the proposed development. Archaeological Impact Land West of B3105 Relief On behalf of HGT November 2015 © 4 Assessment Road, Trowbridge Developments LLP HeritageCollective 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 This archaeological impact assessment has been prepared by Karl Hulka (ACIfA), Director of Archaeology and Nick Garland (ACIfA), former archaeological consultant at Heritage Collective, on behalf of HGT Developments LLP. Documentary research was carried out by the authors. 1.2 This report is confidential to the Client and Heritage Collective UK Limited shall not be responsible for any use of the report or its contents for any purpose other than that for which it was prepared and provided. Should the Client require to pass copies of the report to other parties for information, the whole of the report should be so copied, but no professional liability or warranty shall be extended to other parties by Heritage Collective in this connection without explicit written agreement thereto by Heritage Collective. The report may be assigned by the Client by way of absolute legal assignment to a purchaser (or purchasers) of all or part of the site to which the report refers (“The Site”) without the consent of Heritage Collective being required and as such assignment shall be effective upon written notice thereof being given by the Client to Heritage Collective. No further assignments shall be permitted unless expressly agreed by Heritage Collective. In the event of the Client entering into a legal joint venture to develop the Site, the report can be regarded as having been issued by Heritage Collective jointly in favour of the Client and the joint venture partner(s), and in respect of the report Heritage Collective would owe the joint venture partner(s) the same duty of care that Heritage Collective owed to the Client when Heritage Collective were instructed to prepare the report to all the matters contained or referred to in the report. 1.3 The subject of this assessment is the site known as Land West of the B3105 Relief Road, Trowbridge, here after referred to as the ‘application site’. The application site is located to the west of the historic core of the village of Hilperton and is centred at National Grid Reference (NGR) ST (3)86542 (1)59422 (Appendix 1). The application site is located in close proximity to Hilperton Conservation Areas (1 and 2), 500m to the NW of a scheduled monument, Lock up 40m north east of Church Farm (1019734) Archaeological Impact Land West of B3105 Relief On behalf of HGT November 2015 © 5 Assessment Road, Trowbridge Developments LLP HeritageCollective and 30m to the north-west of a registered park and garden, Trowbridge General Cemetery (1001587). Application area showing new relief road (B3105) 1.4 HGT Developments LLP (The Client) has commissioned Heritage Collective to establish the archaeological potential of the site, and to provide guidance on ways to accommodate any relevant constraints identified. This assessment is in accordance with the national planning policy framework (NPPF) and the procedures set out in ‘Standard and Guidance for Historic Environment Desk-based Assessment’1. 1.5 The desk-based element of this assessment comprises an examination of evidence on the Wiltshire Historic Environment Record (HER) together with a range of archives and libraries including the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre, National Monuments Record, The British Library and The National Archives. It incorporates the results of a comprehensive map regression exercise in order to review the impacts of existing development on potential underlying archaeological deposits. A site 1 Chartered Institute for Archaeologists. Standard and Guidance for historic desk-based assessment. CIfA (2014). Archaeological Impact Land West of B3105 Relief On behalf of HGT November 2015 © 6 Assessment Road, Trowbridge Developments LLP HeritageCollective walkover was conducted by Karl Hulka, Archaeology Director at Heritage Collective, on the 22nd May 2015 who also monitored geo-technical works between 9th and 22nd June 2015. This assessment is also supported by a geophysical survey of the entire site carried out between the 10th and 14th July 2015. 1.6 This impact assessment thus enables all relevant parties to assess the archaeological potential of the site and to consider the need for design, civil engineering and archaeological solutions to the potentials identified. Archaeological Impact Land West of B3105 Relief On behalf of HGT November 2015 © 7 Assessment Road, Trowbridge Developments LLP HeritageCollective 2.0 PLANNING FRAMEWORK National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) 2.1 Legislation regarding archaeology, including scheduled ancient monuments, is contained in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979, amended by the National Heritage Act 1983 and 2002. 2.2 National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) published in March 2012 provides guidance for planning authorities, property owners, developers and others on the preservation and investigation of archaeological remains. The framework sets out the obligations placed on the local planning authority (Chapter 12) through the development and implementation of a local plan. The framework also sets out the need for the determining authority to ensure that they have sufficient information when making decisions on applications affecting the historic environment. 2.3 In summary, government guidance on archaeology contained within the NPPF provides a structure for making decisions: where designated heritage assets (world heritage sites, scheduled monuments, listed buildings, protected wreck sites, registered parks and gardens, registered battlefields and conservation areas) are affected by development where the settings of heritage assets are affected by development where nationally important un-scheduled monuments are affected by development 2.4 In addition the National Planning Policy Framework: • requires the applicant to provide proportionate information on heritage assets affected by the proposals and an assessment of the impact of the proposed development on the significance of the heritage asset • places a duty on the decision making body to determine applications on the basis of sufficient evidence, gathered if necessary from field evaluation Archaeological Impact Land West of B3105 Relief On behalf of HGT November 2015 © 8 Assessment Road, Trowbridge Developments LLP HeritageCollective Local Policies Wiltshire Core Strategy Development Plan Document 2015