Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED

Members of the forum voted to confirm Cllr B Chapple as Chairman for the ensuing year.

RESOLVED

Members of the forum voted to confirm Cllr P Brazier as Vice-Chairman for the ensuing year.

Apologies were received from Nick Crank (Archaeological Officer, Milton Keynes Council), Gary Marshall (Buckinghamshire Archological Society),  Eliza Alqassar (Buckinghamshire Council), Ruth Page (Buckinghamshire Council), Cllr Robin Bradburn (Milton Keynes Councillor), Cllr McPake (Milton Keynes Council) and Cllr Hogg (Buckinghamshire Council).

There were none.

To agree the minutes of the meeting held 7 April 2022 as an accurate record.

RESOLVED

The Minutes of the meeting held 7 April 2022 were agreed as an accurate record.

To be presented by Eliza Alqassar.

Joanna Horton, Heritage and Archaeology Team Leader gave a presentation which was appended to these minutes. The presentation highlighted the Heritage Team’s outreach work and activities.

• The Buckinghamshire Local Heritage List project was underway. The team were liaising with Bucks Garden Trust and other key stakeholder to compile the list.
• The team received government funding for a project officer, 22 other councils also received funding. The Buckinghamshire local list had received the highest number of nominations across all councils and highlighted the teams hard work and dedication.
• The public were able to nominate buildings, archaeological sites, works of art, parks and other assets to be considered for the list. Over 2600 nominations had been received during phase one of the project and 798 recommended sites would be taken forward to Cabinet on 6^th December.
• It was clarified this was a nationally designated list of historic sites and buildings already listed did not need to be nominated. It was confirmed Quarrendon Leas was already on the list and people were encouraged to nominate buildings not listed.
• Being on the list would not necessarily change permitted development rights however, it would make it easier for planning officers to know if a building had heritage merits.
• Over 38 groups and societies had advertised the list to its members.
• The project had been promoted at various events including Heritage Open days and Bucks County Show.
• The project had been advertised to Councillors in newsletters and on social media. This was a ‘people’s project’ and talks with local groups were ongoing.
• A member of the forum queried why Mentmore was not on the list however, it was advised the heritage assets for this area had already been included on the records.
• Work with volunteers had started with a toolkit available online to help with the nomination process and assessment information.
• The Local List Project Officer had engaged with children and students to encourage them to nominate buildings and assisting with site visits.
• There had been enquires from Transport for London regarding information about the Metropolitan line. The Canal and River Trust had been in touch about nominating locks and bridges. This information would prove useful when dealing with planning enquires. 
• The next stage of the project would involve further engagement with volunteers as nominations were received. The internal panel would review sites to be put forward for recommendation. Phase one would conclude by December with recommendations taken to Cabinet.
• There was an Archaeology Day held at North Marston in July which was well attended. The Young Archaeology Club attended alongside residents and the local history society. 
• A rare missing Buckinghamshire milepost was discovered in a garden in Oxfordshire. It was restored and would be reinstated soon.

It was confirmed the local heritage list was a national list and sites added to the list would not receive listed status. There was the potential for some sites to be recommended for the national heritage list. The project would be considered a celebration of Buckinghamshire and the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

·         Buckinghamshire Archaeological Society

·         Conservation Board for the Chilterns AONB

·         Buckinghamshire Conservation Trust

·         Archaeological Officer – Buckinghamshire

·         Archaeological Officer – Milton Keynes

·         Heritage Officer- Buckinghamshire

·         Heritage Officer- Milton Keynes

·         Historic England

·         National Trust

·         Milton Keynes Heritage Association

·         Museums

·         Oxford Diocesan Advisory Committee

Members and partners provided verbal updates.

Doug Stuckey, Buckinghamshire Archaeological Society, a written update was appended to these minutes.

• The Open Day at North Marston was a useful and well attended event.
• The Autumn newsletter was available on the Bucks Archaeological Society website.
• The report from the archaeological dig at Great Linford, Milton Keynes was available with axe heads and bronze heads discovered.
• The Buckinghamshire Local History Network (BLHN) 2022 annual conference was held on Saturday 1^st October in The Oculus at The Gateway, Aylesbury. There was also a local history fair to increase the knowledge of the County’s heritage. There were two Bucks Archaeological Society prizes presented.
• The records of Buckinghamshire volume 62 had been published online with volume 63 available soon. 
• The society had 390 members, with lectures held online via zoom these enabled members who had moved away from the area continued to support the society.

Mike Woods, Bucks Conservation Trust.

• Maps and information on Quarrendon Leas was circulated to members of the forum. The site was 200 acres located in the North of Aylesbury.
• The Bucks Conservation Trust and Buckinghamshire Council 1.8km cycleway project was underway.
• The archaeological evaluation was completed.
• The footpath and permissive cycleway was subject to a ten-year agreement between the Council and Trust. Buckinghamshire Council were assisting with the acquisition of the land to the east of the site to enable the cycle paths to link from east to west.
• Work started on the site after the bank holiday with projects agreed with Historic England. The central area of the remains of St Peters would be levelled out to make the area easier to manage and reduce flood risk.
• The new cycleway and greenways were under consultation with other groups. The first route would link up with the national cycle route to Winslow.
• It was highlighted Quarrendon Leas was previously a hidden asset however, due to the new routes the area was being used by school children, cyclists and people with pushchairs.
• In 2017 a masterplan was produced to restore Aylesbury as a garden town by producing greenway around the town over a 30-year period.

Phil Markham, Senior Archaeology Officer, Buckinghamshire Council presented a report appended to these minutes.

• The team were busy with HS2 reports with often a short turnaround time. There were Schedule 17 applications which required approval. These were not planning applications but part of the HS2 Act which required the local authority planning team to feedback on road layout, designs and any heritage implications of construction work.
• There was one Schedule 17 application which had been approved with the decision appealed by HS2.
• The fieldwork was nearly complete with final areas to be complete by contractors. The final field arch would be completed by 2024. Due to difficulties the Grim’s Ditch fieldwork would likely be completed by 2026.
• The team were busy providing advice on multiple applications including solar farms, woodland surveys and residential queries. The team were assisting with enquires for the Historic Environment Record (HER),  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

To be confirmed.

March 2023 Date TBC

Any Other Business:

Doug Stuckey highlighted HS2 archaeology wing Fusion would attend the rescheduled conference at the end of October. Over 100 people were due to attend the conference. It was noted Fusion would be disbanded soon.

Cllr Clive Harriss advised the Buckinghamshire archives would be relocated with a new premise being investigated. The archives were currently kept at RAF Halton and it was hoped a suitable location would be found which would enable income generation. A Member highlighted the Northamptonshire archives were kept purpose build Chester House which housed an archaeological site, shopping facilities and an education centre.