North-East Coastal Survey

English Heritage summaries. 2006/2007

EH Project Number:	3929DT
Funded Unit:	Archaeological Research Services Ltd

The North East Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment is a multi-disciplinary study funded by English Heritage and managed by Archaeological Research Services Ltd. The project team is based in the ARS office in Gateshead and in the English Heritage York office. The project aims may be summarized as follows:

• Provide enhancement to the SMR/HER and NMR record for coastal heritage assets, to a nationally agreed common minimum data standard, in order to permit an improved curatorial response to strategic coastal planning or management initiatives at a national and regional level.
• Provide an increased factual base for the initial curatorial response to individual applications for commercial developments or schemes, in advance of more detailed evaluation and mitigation related to EIAs and/or planning applications.
• Provide data which is compatible with the needs of other coastal managers, parallel coastal surveys, industry and researchers
• Provide an overview of coastal change from the Late Upper Palaeolithic through to modern times.
• Provide an assessment of the degree and nature of threat to coastal historic assets and relate to the models of future coastal change presented in Defra’s Futurecoast study (2002), and relevant Shoreline Management Plans.
• Provide a broad assessment of the likely archaeological potential and vulnerability of all stretches of the coast.
• Provide a more complete baseline for developing management and research priorities in respect of sites and areas of potential with different levels of importance and under different levels of threat, based on:
a. The identification of areas or sites meriting further survey or evaluation.
b. The identification of areas or sites requiring positive management action.
c. The identification of significant historic assets meriting consideration for protection by means of statutory designation (listing or scheduling).
d. The identification of areas where heritage assets may be at high risk of damage or destruction.
e. The establishment of future research priorities for the coast.
A further aim is to increase public awareness and understanding of heritage issues within the coastal zone.
The area to be covered consists of a strip of land along the coast between Whitby and the Anglo-Scottish border. It extends laterally from the lowest astronomical tide (LAT, or Chart Datum) to 1km inland above high water.  It is approximately 370 km2 in area.

This coastal zone consists of three contrasting landforms. To the north of the Tyne the coastline is mainly low lying and outside the developed areas is characterized by broad sandy beaches backed by dune systems, inter-tidal mud flats and rocky headlands formed by outcrops of the Whin Sill. The broad estuaries of the Aln, Coquet, Blyth and Wansbeck provide some scope for subdividing this extensive tract of coastline. Beyond the heavily industrialized Tees estuary, the impressive Jurassic sandstone and siltstone cliffs of the North Yorks Moors offer a marked contrast. In between the Tees and the Tyne lie the lower lying limestone and sandstone cliffs of the Durham coalfield.

The management of the coastal zone falls within the remit of a number of national and regional bodies. Issues of erosion and mitigation are the responsibility of the Environment Agency and Defra. The study area lies within Cells 1a-d of Defra’s Shoreline Management Plan. At the local level, control of  works affecting the coastline falls within the planning process, implemented by the district councils and unitary authorities, although other bodies such as the Northumberland Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and the Durham Heritage Coast (DHC) also play a part while planning issues within the area of the North York Moors National Park are dealt with by the Park authority.

Throughout this area records of archaeological sites (HERs (Historic Environment Records) formerly SMR (Sites and Monuments Records)) are maintained by services situated within the county councils and equivalent authorities, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, Durham, Tees Archaeology, North Yorks Moors National Park and North Yorkshire County Council. In additional, entries in the National Monuments Record can be accessed through the Arts and Humanities Data Service (AHDS) which, in addition, holds records of national projects such as the Council for British Archaeology’s Defence of Britain survey.

Much of the enhancement of the existing record will come from the transcription of aerial photographs. The air photo mapping element consists of the whole 1km squares that cover the study area. Together the study area lies within 527 1km squares but only 369km² cover land.

The aim and scope of the aerial photographic study is to interpret and transcribe, at a nominal scale of 1:10,000, all leveled and upstanding archaeological features visible on air photographs. Air photographs will be rectified with Aerial 5.29 using control derived from Ordnance Survey 1:2500 Landline data. Archaeological features will be transcribed in AutoDesk Map 3D 2007 in the standard NMP layer system. The data will be input into the AMIE database.

The North East Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment project began on 1st March 2007 and is due for completion in August 2008.

This page was published on 20/09/2007