Norfolk - Assessment of Archaeological Resource in Aggregate Areas

English Heritage ALSF summaries. 2006/2007

Norfolk Landscape Archaeology, part of Norfolk County Council’s Museums and Archaeology Service, is undertaking an assessment of the archaeological resource of Norfolk’s aggregate-bearing landscapes.

The main impetus behind the project is the proposed alteration to patterns of future extraction within Norfolk in the next fifteen years, and the consequent need to plan for the archaeological impact of this changed approach. The strategic decision by Norfolk County Council (the Mineral Planning Authority) to reduce and limit extraction within Environmentally Sensitive Areas, including river valleys, will continue to result in the increased extraction of other mineral reserves.

The geology of East Anglia, and in particularly its glacial history, is extremely complex, and a variety of mineral resources are available for exploitation. The project has been designed to investigate and assess the archaeological potential of some of these mineral reserves, with a view to developing a framework for dealing with future extraction in the county as a whole. To this end, four Sub-Units, each of 45 sq km, have been selected for detailed investigation and assessment, providing a sample area of the Norwich Crag, Plateau Gravels, River Gravels, and Lower Greensand and Fen Edge Gravels. The detailed assessment includes identifying and recording archaeological sites from aerial photographs to National Mapping Programme standards.

The main aims of the project are:
- to facilitate and inform decisions with regards strategic planning, management and mitigation for extraction
- to feed into the Norfolk Minerals and Waste Development Framework
- to assess the need for further data collection and assessment
- to analyse the relative gain of the investigation methods used
- to raise awareness of, and disseminate information about, the historic environment of Norfolk’s aggregate-bearing landscapes
The project’s principal objectives are:
- to create a Norfolk Minerals Resource Geographical Information System (GIS), which will contain all available geological and minerals information within a digital spatial environment
- to provide baseline archaeological data for minerals-related planning decisions within sample areas
- to enhance our record of archaeological sites within sample areas by incorporating new information from aerial photographs and existing non-digital data held by NLA
- to produce an assessment report and GIS layer providing summary archaeological information for sites within sample areas
- to disseminate the results of the project through a variety of means, including leaflets, websites and presentations, and through a Steering & Liaison Group
- to make the data produced by the project accessible, through the Norfolk Historic Environment Record (available online at Norfolk Heritage Explorer), the National Monuments Record, and the Archaeology Data Service

The project is due to be completed in March 2008.

This page was published on 29/11/2007