Scotland England Green Link

The services we provide are not just about clearing archaeology; we also can gather data which will assist in determining the impact of proposed schemes of work and allow sites which would be better left in situ to be avoided during construction if planning permission is granted. On this project, Headland undertook geophysical and metal detector survey as part of a series of non-intrusive evaluation techniques to help determine the impact of the proposed scheme on the historic environment and help inform final cable route alignment.

Project Details: The Scotland England Green Link (Eastern Link) 2 proposes to export electricity from Scotland to England by means of an undersea cable in the North Sea from Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, to landfall just south of Bridlington, and then via an onshore underground cable to a new converter station in North Yorkshire. The magnetometer and metal detector surveys were part of a series of pre-determination investigations, also including aerial photograph (AP) and LiDAR assessment, which will provide information in support of a future Town and Country Planning Act (TCPA) application. These investigations will help determine the impact of the proposed Scheme on the historic environment, including both known and currently unknown heritage assets.

The surveys took place between November 2021 and February 2022 and were arranged to facilitate winter cropping regimes, minimise disruption to farmers, and where possible to ensure optimum survey conditions. This required dedicated management and close liaison with the client’s Land Team to ensure that sufficient suitable areas were accessible daily in the most efficient order possible. The use of a dedicated metal detector survey team also meant the works could be completed as efficiently as possible.

The magnetometer survey identified sixteen sites predominantly comprising parts of Iron Age and Roman enclosures, trackways and field boundaries forming elements of wider clusters of enclosure, and possibly settlement. The metal detector survey recovered 393 artefacts ranging from twentieth century militaria, a medieval purse hoard and Roman coins and brooches. All the information gathered will then input into submissions to the planning committee, and should planning permission be granted, will assist in ensuring the cable route avoids the most significant archaeology, protecting it for the future at the same time as reducing potential costs for the client.