St Neots
Archaeology and Development at St Neots
St Neots development sits largely on the Great Ouse gravel terraces, some of the most consistently archaeologically productive ground in the region.
- Authority
- Huntingdonshire District Council
- Landscape
- Great Ouse gravel terraces
- Potential
- High, and generally well recorded
- Most useful spend
- Well-targeted evaluation
The landscape
River gravel terraces along the Great Ouse valley. Terrace gravels have attracted settlement from prehistory onwards, respond well to aerial and geophysical prospection, and commonly produce cropmark evidence of enclosures, field systems and funerary monuments.
What it means for your development
High potential on gravels is generally a known quantity rather than a nasty surprise, which makes it manageable. Evaluation on this ground is usually productive and informative, and a well-targeted evaluation is the cheapest way to convert an unknown liability into a priced scope of works.
Questions
Common questions on this
High potential sounds like bad news. Is it?
Known high potential is easier to manage than uncertainty. It can be evaluated accurately, priced with confidence and programmed — which is what actually protects a development budget.
Project review
Developing at St Neots?
Send the planning position and the site plan. We will set out the likely archaeological requirement, the sequence and where the programme risk sits.