As part of ongoing environmental surveys, archaeologists working on East Park Energy have identified the probable site of a previously unknown Roman Small Town within the land that comprises our proposals.
The archaeology findings are likely to be of national significance, so over the summer we applied to the Government for the remains to be given heritage protection as a scheduled monument. We can now confirm that the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has approved our application, which should give the remains protection in perpetuity.
As a responsible developer, we have sought to redesign our scheme in order to preserve this discovery. We are therefore confirming that, as part of our upcoming statutory consultation, we will no longer be proposing to build solar panels on any of the land that has been scheduled. We are instead proposing to seed the area where the remains have been found with species-diverse grassland, which would provide ecological benefits and help protect the site from cultivation for the lifetime of the project. Additionally, we will work with Historic England, Cambridgeshire County Council and the landowner on options for how we can maintain this important find into the future.
More information on the findings and our detailed plans will be shared as part of our upcoming statutory consultation, which is due to begin on Tuesday 24th September. In the meantime, you can read more on Historic England’s website here.