Heritage Cases

This is taken from the CRM impact assessment report: \The Red Sand Quarry contains a fairly extensive scatter of MSA artefacts that is regarded as being of medium heritage significance. Because of the relative scarcity of such exposures, impacts will be at a regional scale and are seen as medium to high intensity because the visible exposure will be destroyed (Table 3). The significance of these impacts is likely to be medium. It is strongly recommended that a sample of this material be collected in order to document a component of the local MSA sequence. Because the site lies along an old water course, it is also suggested that a few test excavations be conducted across the site in order to check for significant buried artefact horizons. The chance exists that fossil bone could be associated with any such horizons; this would considerably raise the significance of any impacts. Should anything important be located then this may require further investigation prior to mining proceeding. Suitable mitigation will likely reduce the significance of the impacts to very low. The following mitigation is suggested:  Excavation grids should be established at the locations listed for mitigation. When these can be linked then this would be advantageous, otherwise they can be spatially located by means of GPS co-ordinates. Artefacts should be collected in grid squares of 1 m2 or 4 m2 depending on the density; and  Several test excavations should be carried out across the study area in order to check for significant concentrations of artefacts at depth which may be revealed during the mining activities. These excavations may inform on whether any further archaeological intervention is likely to be required.