Land East of Firsfield Farm, Bardwell, Suffolk: Results of a Heritage Assessment

This report presents the results of a heritage assessment that was carried out by South West Archaeology Ltd. (SWARCH) prior to the proposed development of a c.90ha PV development on land east of Firsfield Farm, Bardwell, Suffolk. This phase of archaeological works also considered the route of the c.10km cable which would connect the site to the grid. The desk-based assessment followed the guidance that is outlined in: Standard and Guidance for Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment (CIfA 2020); and Understanding Place: Historic Area Assessments in a Planning and Development Context (Historic England 2017). The historic visual impact assessment followed the guidance that is outlined in: Conservation Principles: Policies and Guidance for the Sustainable Management of the Historic Environment (English Heritage 2008); The Setting of Heritage Assets (Historic England 2017); Seeing History in the View (English Heritage 2011); Visual Assessment of Wind Farms: Best Practice (University of Newcastle 2002); and Guidelines for Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment: 3rd Edition (Landscape Institute 2013). The proposed development would cover an area of c.90ha within the Euston Estate on land that formed a part of Bardwell Heath until its enclosure during the second quarter of the 19th century. The cable route would cross Barningham Park, skirt the northern edge of Euston Park, and cross agricultural fields to the south and to the west of Barnham. The walkover survey identified a limited number of possible earthwork features, possible broad depressions, and possible traces of ridge and furrow. The archaeological potential of the site is low, with the exception of a possible Late Prehistoric or Romano-British settlement site in Field 03. The proposed cable route would cross enclosed agricultural land with proven archaeological potential, with excavated evidence for Prehistoric, Romano-British, and Anglo-Saxon activity. The archaeological potential of the proposed cable route, in particular towards the western end, is considered to be high, with a high probability of encountering Prehistoric and Anglo-Saxon settlement remains. There are proposals for additional PV developments within the surrounding area and, whilst a single PV development will have a negligible to negative/minor impact, the cumulative impact of multiple PV developments would be raised to negative/moderate. With this in mind, the overall impact of the proposed development can be assessed as negligible to negative/minor. The impact of the proposed development on any buried archaeological resource may be permanent and irreversible, though this can be mitigated through an appropriate programme of archaeological monitoring and recording.