Rotherwas Ribbon

Press release;

A Victory for Democracy and Accountability;

Local councillors have hailed the decision of the High Court to block housing at Bullinghope as a victory for local democracy and accountability. On Thursday 24th July the Court ruled that Herefordshire Council had manipulated the democratic UDP process to allocate land for housing at Bullinghope simply to fund the Rotherwas Road .

Campaigners have hailed the decision of the High Court to rule out housing at Bullinghope to fund a road scheme as a late but welcome victory for better town planning processes in Herefordshire.

Dinedor Hill Action Association had brought an action to the High Court under Section 287 of the Town and Country Planning Act.

The Court ruled that the Council had manipulated the democratic UDP process to allocate land for housing at Bullinghope simply to fund the Rotherwas Road and had thus:

- ignored the findings of the Unitary Development Plan enquiry

- Given inadequate consideration to the impact of development on the area

- Prejudiced a proper countywide assessment of future housing

DHAA spokesperson Peter Cocks said: “This victory puts the Council on notice that it must adhere more closely to proper planning processes. The Council must not use inappropriate housing development to fund new roads.”

“Allowing more housing in this area would have set an appalling precedent for urban sprawl in Hereford with all the implications that has for the destruction of valuable countryside and increasing traffic congestion. We are delighted that the High Court has backed the original decision of the planning inspector.”

“By not following proper practice the Council forced local people to go to the High Court at tax payer expense. This is completely unnecessary and all the Council need to do to avoid it in future is follow the rules and stop treating the public with contempt.”

“The cabinet has shown its willingness to trash the environment and its own policies on affordable housing in order to get big housing developers to buy it roads to nowhere. This is not a good sign. In fact, when climate change and the demand for 16,000 new households should be top priorities, it’s appalling. This judgement means no more big houses in the wrong places.”

“Cabinet need to show in future that they can follow simple procedures so that they avoid being reprimanded like this in future.”

THE remains of animals burnt at extreme temperatures have been confirmed among finds from the Rotherwas Ribbon, the 4,000-year-old archaeological site uncovered by roadbuilding work near Hereford last year.

An initial assessment report prepared for Herefordshire Council and out this week suggests the Ribbon was some sort of ceremonial site, and one of many that early man etched into the surrounding landscape.

Recently, archaeologists working on the southern fringes of Rotherwas found a fire cracked stone surface similar to the Ribbon and links to burnt material like flint and pottery.

Specialist post-excavation assessments of the Ribbon saw that the badly weathered bones of cattle, pigs, dogs, cows and probably sheep showed evidence of burning at more than 800 degrees celsius. A human finger was also found.

Radiocarbon tests are now under way to define the Ribbon’s dates. Right now, the feature is thought to be at least 4,000-years-old, putting it in the Neolithic or Early Bronze ages when farming first became a mainstay of local life.

Flint tools found at the site include finely flaked scrapers for wood working and meat preparation, and “strike-a-lights” to produce sparks against iron pyrites.

The latter struck the assessors as particularly unusual as such strikes were usually kept among personal items and not casually discarded.

Of the 143 pieces of flint found, many also showed evidence of burning and breakage – again, unusual compared to flint found on similar sites.

The report concludes that the Ribbon was a “special monument” hosting ceremonial activity and may be one of several in that area.

Councillor John Jarvis, Herefordshire Council’s cabinet member for environment, said the findings of the report were “very exciting” and work would now begin on the Ribbon’s “unanswered questions” like its actual extent.

herefordtimes.com/news/3161281.Remains_at_ribbon_site/

A flint blade dating circa 4000 years Before Present was found during roadworks in Herefordshire. This discovery is very near to the Rotherwas Ribbon, an ancient trackway constructed in the Bronze Age from fire fractured rock. The find amplifies the importance of the Rotherwas Ribbon site, which is presently being buried under a new road by the Herefordshire Council....Read the full story by BBC News

The charge of aggravated trespass against six protesters is being dropped, after the Crown Prosecution Service said there was not enough evidence to secure convictions.

And to think (according to the BBC article) they were just fussing about a ‘Bronze Age Footpath’.

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hereford/worcs/7029688.stm

Campaigners fighting to preserve the Rotherwas Ribbon say they will be taking the “issue further” after they claimed a council scrutiny committee decision to endorse a plan to build a road over the Bronze Age find was invalid.......... more at the following link

24hourmuseum.org.uk/nwh_gfx_en/ART50991.html

The Rotherwas Ribbon site has a more detailed account of the council meeting....

rotherwasribbon.com/

“ENGLISH Heritage will not stop the Rotherwas access road being built, the Hereford Times can reveal.

Advisors from English Heritage have decided they are happy with Herefordshire Council’s plans to continue building the road over the archaeological discovery, termed the Rotherwas Ribbon, which dates back to the same period as Stonehenge.

Scientific advisors from the organisation have recommended that the engineering solution proposed by the council will provide long-term protection for the archaeological find.

Work to preserve the Ribbon under layers of protective membranes and sand has already begun and further work can now be carried out.

English Heritage is also considering financial support for further archaeological excavations outside of the road corridor to enable the Ribbon’s history to be more fully understood.

Despite the advice from English Heritage, councillors still have to consider a range of options to discuss how the Bronze Age monument can be best safeguarded for future generations.

These include abandoning the road, which the council says would cost £6 million, building a bridge at the cost of £10 million, or creating a £110 million tunnel underneath the Ribbon.

If any of these options are approved council officers are warning that the county faces serious financial challenges and other important projects would be halted.

Instead, officers are recommending that the building of the road continues, at a cost of £400,000, and that the existing find is protected, in line with archaeological best practice.

Additionally, the presumed course of the Ribbon, both north and south of the access road, should be investigated to ensure opportunities for tourism, heritage and education are explored.

The council stopped work on the road around the site of the Ribbon earlier this year when the significance of the find was established.

Plans to protect it were initially put on hold after public demands to see it – around 1,000 people were given escorted tours during July.”

From the Hereford Times

Herefordshire Council is implementing its plans to preserve the Rotherwas Ribbon archaeological find and protect it for future generations.

A full council meeting confirmed that work on the Rotherwas Relief Road had been stopped around the site since the discovery in April of the Bronze Age ribbon of fire-cracked stones.

The council also determined that no irreversible action be taken that could prejudice its preservation for future generations.

24dash.com/localgovernment/25365.htm

A 4,000-year-old stone feature in Herefordshire is being inspected to see if it has been affected by flood water over the weekend.

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/hereford/worcs/6912238.stm