SNN105994 - Westwood Biogas Plant, Higham Park, Rushden, Northamptonshire: Archaeological Field Evaluation

BIOGEN (UK) Ltd propose to construct a biogas plant, with associated access roads, on the site of Higham Park, Rushden, centred on (NGR) SP 9889 6323 (Fig 1). Further information on the archaeological potential of the site was requested by the Local Planning Authority in order to determine the planning application. The LPAAA specified the required for an archaeological field evaluation, the results of which are presented in this report. Albian Archaeology was commissioned by BIOGEN (UK) Ltd to carry out the evaluation. The development area is located approximately 4.5km to the south-east of Rushden, Northants, close to the country boundary with Bedfordshire (Fig.1). It covers an area of c.25,600m² on roughly flat land, at a height of c.97m OD. The underlying geological deposits comprise chalky Boulder Clay. The proposed development lies within an area of crop-marks that have provisionally been dated to the prehistoric or Roman periods (Northamptonshire HER nos. 9603 and 3254). These are primarily concentrated to the north of the site, though crop-marks have also been identified within the development area itself. The southern limit of the development area followed the southern boundary of a medieval deer park (Bedfordshire HER 2000, Northants HER no. 3253). West wood, an area of ancient woodland, lies to the south of the development area. The evaluation revealed the remains of an extensive field system within the development area. Although it remains undated, comparable field systems from the Roman period have been found at Waddesdon, Buckinghamshire (Kier, forthcoming) and near Caxton, Cambridgeshire (Abrams and Ingham, in prep.). A post-medieval ditch, the origin of one of the crop-marks, was also revealed. These features are considered to be of low archaeological significance. Construction of the proposed biogas plant within the development area would have a negative impact on the archaeological remains identified by the evaluation. However, the presence of at least 0.55m of overburden across the site means that the remains would be preserved in situ wherever excavation is shallower than this.