On Behalf Of Mike Heyworth
Sent: 25 October 2005 22:40
To: [email protected]
Subject: [BRITARCH] Thornborough henges - Ladybridge site update
As reported to the britarch list last month (see my message
of 20 September in the list archive at
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A1=ind0509&L=britarch),
North Yorkshire County Council Planning & Regulatory
Functions Committee met on 20 September at Masham Town Hall
to consider Tarmac's application for an extension to their
Nosterfield Quarry site to include the area of Ladybridge
Farm, close to the site of the Thornborough Henges.
Tarmac made a 'last minute' request to defer the decision on
the planning application pending the carrying out of further
archaeological studies. According to a letter from Tarmac,
"At a meeting held last week between English Heritage,
Tarmac and the North Yorkshire County Council Heritage
Manager, Mr Bob Sydes, it was agreed in principle that
further studies be undertaken to clarify whether the
archaeology contained within the site was of national
significance or not."
The methodology for this work has now been agreed between
the landowner, Tarmac, Tarmac's archaeological consultants,
North Yorkshire County Council and English Heritage. A copy
of the Method Statement is available at:
http://www.archaeologicalplanningconsultancy.co.uk/mga/projects/noster/pages/ladymeth.html
The further evaluation work started last week and each day's
progress can be followed through the web-based site diary
at:
http://www.archaeologicalplanningconsultancy.co.uk/mga/projects/noster/pages/lady_diary.html
with a map of the area available at:
http://www.archaeologicalplanningconsultancy.co.uk/mga/projects/noster/pages/ladybridge.html
(you may need to download the Adobe SVG Viewer plugin to
view the map on this page)
The evaluation work is being monitored on a weekly basis by
archaeologists from English Heritage and North Yorkshire
County Council. To make the process open and transparent the
notes of these weekly meetings will be made available each
week via the web site of the Council for British Archaeology
at:
http://www.britarch.ac.uk/conserve/thornborough/
where you can also find other relevant web links. The notes
from last week's monitoring meeting are now available. The
CBA was invited to participate in the weekly monitoring
meetings, but did not see the need to take up this offer as
it was felt that adequate monitoring systems were already in
place through NYCC and EH.
The CBA did urge that there should be opportunities for
others to visit the evaluation while it was in progress. The
Nosterfield Quarry Site Manager, Alan Coe, has now
circulated a letter to local residents and "other interested
parties" in which he says that anyone wishing to visit the
Ladybridge site while excavation work is underway can
contact the quarry office on 01677 470209 and they will make
the necessary arrangements.
Mike
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Dr Mike Heyworth, Director, Council for British Archaeology