Meeting documents

This item was requested as a standing item at the previous meeting

Phillip Markham, Senior Archaeological Planning Officer, gave the following update.

Following the formal petitioning stage, the County Archaeological Service has provided more detail on individual petitioning issues and how we would like these to be resolved by HS2 Ltd.  The biggest issue is the lack of sufficient archaeological information on which to base mitigation proposals.  The petitioning Select Committee for Buckinghamshire is unlikely to be held before Christmas.

Julia, Eliza and I had a meeting with the HS2 assistant archaeologist and the archaeologists from Mott MacDonald.  We provided detailed comments on a draft WS1 for geophysical and field walking surveys.

Ten survey areas have been proposed following a risk based approach to characterise the areas and to target potential high risk sites where little is known or to better assess known sites.

Further stages of evaluation are anticipated following the results of this stage.

No field work has started, but the results of this work are expected to be available in some form by the 1^st quarter of 2015.

We will not be formally monitoring any of the works but may be invited for site visits where we will be able to raise any concerns.  How this is to be achieved has not yet been arranged.

Currently the proposed commercial archaeological contractors are GSB/Stratscan for geophysics and Cotswold Archaeology or Museum of London Archaeology, Northampton.

The proposed sites are at; Hyde End, Jenkins Wood/Bury Farm Area, Grim’s Ditch, Stoke Mandeville DMV, Putlowes Farm, the Roman small town at Fleet Marston, Doddeshall Estate, the proposed maintenance depot near Steeple Claydon and Turweston.

There is an HS2 Heritage Sub Committee meeting in Birmingham at the end of September during which the monitoring issue will be raised.

Resourcing issues for HER data entry were raised.  We were asked to raise this through the Planning Forum.  This issue has been noted by out HS2 Planners and will be raised at the Forum.

Overall it looks like we will have little real input, but we are doing what we can where we are able and at least HS2 are actually talking to use.  Currently Northamptonshire and Warwickshire are finding the same.

During discussions, the following questions were asked;

Is anything known about the proposed excavations at St Mary’s? The officer explained that the County Archaeological Service is part of the Heritage Sub Committee but unfortunately the outcomes are not being made available at present. Lots of work has previously taken place along parts of the route from Stoke Mandeville to Twyford and attention has been drawn to other potential finds.  St Mary’s Church, Stoke Mandeville has a very big public face.  The Buckinghamshire Archaeological Society is anxious about the cost limits. The profile needs to be maintained to ensure that an archaeological mitigation strategy is put in place.   There is an open day at the Church on the 19 October to raise awareness of the site.

The Communications Team, BCC will be contacted about the possibility of issuing a press release for the open day.

Action: Bill Chapple

There is some doubt that the land is consecrated.  A letter has been received from the Diocese saying the land has been deconsecrated.  The objective is to raise the issue of this particular site which includes the Manor House, water mill and the graveyard.

The Leader of BCC has reported that Buckinghamshire is expected to give oral evidence in October/November/December.

The Parliamentary Select Committee for HS2 will not meet until after the election.  Therefore continuity goes out of the window.

Letters have been written promoting the Stoke Mandeville Legacy garden idea.  There are 2600 burials to be stored in the village and Parish.  This would give the unique opportunity for burials to be retrieved for further investigation in the future.