CSA Environmental were commissioned to provide archaeology and heritage services in relation to proposed residential development at Watling Street, Hockliffe. CSA also provided ecology, landscape and urban design services.
CSA prepared a heritage desk-based assessment (DBA), considering the archaeological resource, built heritage and the historic landscape. This was informed by a review of the National Heritage List for England, the county Historic Environment Record, historic maps, documents and aerial photographs, and a site visit. Designated heritage assets were assessed in line with the Historic England Guidance, The Setting of Heritage Assets.
Watling Street, which bounds the north-eastern edge of the Site, fossilises the route of a Roman road, and there is potential for associated deposits within the Site. A medieval hospital is recorded adjacent to the Site. Ridge and furrow earthworks, visible within the Site on historic aerial photographs, indicate the Site was under agricultural use in the medieval period. No further archaeological investigations were required to inform the planning application.