Albion Archaeology was commissioned to undertake a programme of trial trenching in order to allow Milton Keynes Council's Senior Archaeological Officer to properly consider the effect of the application on any archaeological remains that exist within the affected areas The proposed extension comprises two areas to the north and east of the village of Lathbury: Area 1 to the south-east, centred on SP 882 453 and covering 10.46ha; and Area 2 to the north-west, centred on (NGR) SP 872 463 and covering 6.64ha. Albion Archaeology was commissioned to undertake a programme of trial trenching in order to allow Milton Keynes Council's Senior Archaeological Officer to properly consider the effect of the application on any archaeological remains that exist within the affected areas. The trial trenching took place between 21st August and 22nd September 2023, during which time 46 trenches, each 50m long and 2.1m wide, were excavated. The results are presented in this report. Area 1 contained a series of gullies that are likely to represent either roundhouses or small enclosures, as well as a larger, square enclosure. Although these features are essentially undated, they are characteristic of low-level Iron Age settlement activity. They were located on the area of underlying sand and gravel deposits, with no archaeological remains identified in the area of alluvial clay to the east. Area 2 contained an enclosure system with associated droveways that covered an area of c. 1.5ha, and was in use during the 1st to 3rd centuries AD. This is likely to represent a small agricultural settlement, although the discovery of a Roman toilet set indicates a certain element of portable wealth. An Anglo-Saxon pit was also found within the area covered by the former Roman settlement. Archaeological features were also identified across the rest of Area 2, but these were mostly small, shallow and undated. Remnants of ridge and furrow cultivation were seen in both areas, though they were mainly present in the south-western part of Area 1 and the north-western part of Area 2. The remains identified in the two areas are assessed to be of local significance.
Williams et al. (Sun,) studied this question.