SNN111867 - Northdale End: Employment Area, Raunds, Northamptonshire: Archaeological Trial Trenching

East Northamptonshire Council granted planning permission for a large-scale residential development at Northdale End, Raunds, Northamptonshire. A suite of archaeological evaluation works was undertaken to support the initial outline application (09/01626/OUT). The results of the evaluation led the County Archaeological Advisor (CAA) to conclude that the permitted development area (PDA) contained significant archaeological remains that required investigation prior to development of the site. Therefore a condition (no. 27) was placed on the planning permission requiring a programme of archaeological work to be undertaken prior to development of the site. Albion Archaeology was commissioned by R. Hodgson and Sons to carry out the works required within that part of the PDA known as the ‘Employment Area’ . The CAA’s brief required this area to be subject to trial-trench evaluation followed by open-area excavation, if necessary, depending on the results of the evaluation. This report presents the result of the trial-trench evaluation. The trial-trench evaluation demonstrated that the late Saxon and medieval settlement identified elsewhere within the PDA does not extend into the Employment Area. No archaeological features, other than a tree throw and modern plough scars, were present within the trenches. It may, therefore, be concluded that no remains of archaeological significance are likely to be impacted by development within the Employment Area Details of the project and its findings will be submitted to the OASIS database (reference: albionar1-371704) in accordance with the guidelines issued by Historic England and the Archaeology Data Service. On approval of this report the project archive will be prepared for deposition with the Northamptonshire Archaeological Resource Centre (ARC) (Event No ENN109687).