Description

Wessex Archaeology (London) was commissioned by Environ UK to undertake an archaeological Desk-based Assessment of some 4.2 ha of land occupied by the LEC refrigeration site (centred on NGR 494250 100820), hereafter ‘the Site’ (Figure 1) in advance of proposals for residential development of the Site.
This Assessment has gathered and synthesised archaeological and historical information from a range of readily available, publicly accessible sources, and is intended to form a baseline report on the known and potential archaeological resource within the LEC refrigeration site, and a surrounding area of c.1000 metres.
The Desk-Based Assessment has demonstrated that there is a low potential for the survival of Palaeolithic deposits in the form of a ‘raised beach’ on the Site. Whilst the potential for the presence of these deposits is low, their importance requires a scheme for mitigating the possible effects of this mitigation. We cannot be certain, however, that these deposits have not suffered significant truncation by the course of the Aldingbourne Rife, or by subsequent development.
The likely survival of later archaeological remains and deposits, ranging in date from the Neolithic to the Post-medieval period is likely be strongly influenced by the depth of any truncation the Site has suffered, along with the potential protective benefits which may have occurred from alluviation. The level of this truncation is not only likely to influence the assessment of the archaeological potential for the Site, but also to influence any requirement for further archaeological investigation to mitigate the effects of the proposed development.