Heritage Assessment at Land at Lower Laston Field

The desk-based research and archaeological assessment were undertaken in accordance with the relevant guidance and in line with the SWARCH HA methodology3. A site visit was not undertaken during this initial scoping phase, which was intended only to provide advice on likely heritage constraints on any development. This assessment has been undertaken by South West Archaeology Ltd. (SWARCH) is a Registered Organisation (RO) with the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA) and a member of the Federation of Archaeological Managers SWARCH directors hold doctoral qualifications in archaeology and are Members (MCIfA) of the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists. The direct (archaeological) impact of any development of this site is considered to be relatively low owing to its topographic location, the apparent agricultural use of the site in the last two centuries and its recent use as allotment gardens. The indirect impacts of a residential development are likely to vary dependent on the proposed density, scale and appearance of the proposals. The location of the site in a green space immediately adjacent to a conservation Area as well as the intervisibility between the site and the Scheduled Hillsborough Promontory Fort indicates that any development of this site is likely to have some indirect impact on nearby heritage assets. The lower (eastern) side of the site experiences greater screening from topography and existing vegetation than the higher (western) part of the site. Detailed impact assessment will be required as part of the design process and this should feed into the design development, building on the recommendations of this report. Although the archaeological potential of the site is likely to be low, the value and significance of nearby heritage assets provide some design constraints around any proposed development of this site.