Sawston and the A1307 corridor
Archaeology and Development along Sawston and the A1307 Corridor
South-east of Cambridge, chalkland and river valley development sits in a landscape with well-recorded prehistoric and Roman activity.
- Authority
- Greater Cambridge Shared Planning
- Landscape
- Chalk downland and river valleys
- Prospection
- Generally effective
- Best sequence
- Desk, survey, targeted evaluation
The landscape
Chalk downland cut by the Cam and Granta valleys. Chalk geology produces high-contrast cropmarks and responds well to geophysical survey, and the valleys carry long sequences of settlement and land division.
What it means for your development
Prospection generally works well here, which means scope can be established with reasonable confidence before fieldwork. That favours a sequence of desk assessment, survey, then targeted evaluation — the cheapest route to a defensible mitigation strategy.
Questions
Common questions on this
Is geophysical survey worth paying for?
On chalk, usually yes. It often reduces the amount of trenching required and produces a much better-targeted evaluation, which is where the saving actually appears.
Project review
Developing at Sawston and the A1307 corridor?
Send the planning position and the site plan. We will set out the likely archaeological requirement, the sequence and where the programme risk sits.