Representation by Historic England (Historic England)
- Date submitted
- 2 March 2023
- Submitted by
- Other statutory consultees
Historic England The Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England (HBMCE) is better known as Historic England, and we are the Government’s adviser on all aspects of the historic environment in England, including historic buildings and areas, archaeology and historic landscapes. We have a duty to promote conservation, public understanding and enjoyment of the historic environment. We are an executive Non-Departmental public body and we answer to Parliament through the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). Proposal Mallard Pass Solar Project. Solar photovoltaic array and electrical storage and connection infrastructure, with a generation capacity of greater than 50 MW. Representation We note that despite its landscape scale the scheme has it appears addressed the setting of designated heritage assets through design (layout and deployment of green space). With regards to buried archaeological remains it is important that risk of avoidable / unmitigated damage to sensitive remains is well managed in proportion to their importance. This can be achieved through layout, deployment of green space and construction options for cabling and panel mounting etc. Archaeological risks can thus be well addressed, but only if there is a sound understanding of where archaeological sensitivity and importance lies across the site. Sufficiency of field evaluation is vital because some features (such as for instance early medieval burial grounds or Roman high-status buildings) would be both of high importance and high sensitivity to the insertion of panel mounting piles. In the context of sufficiency of evaluation work we refer you in the first instance to the expertise of local authority archaeological advisors. It is they who will (should DCO be granted with appropriate requirements) advise upon the acceptability of written schemes of investigation (WSI) and their accordance with a robust overall archaeological strategy secured through DCO submission. Please confirm receipt of this relevant representation.