The Northern Extensions
Tarmac Northern have submitted a planning application to extend Nosterfield Quarry to the north of its current workings. The new quarry area is known as the Northeast Extension and will prolong the life of the quarry by up to three years.
The planning application has been submitted following a programme of archaeological investigation that was carried out between 2005 and 2009 by Mike Griffiths and Associates. The fieldwork was undertaken in consultation with North Yorkshire County Council and English Heritage and was carried out in a series of phases which included documentary research, topographic survey, fieldwalking, geophysical survey, test pitting and archaeological trenching. The work also included the production of a landscape model which has been used to underpin the archaeological evaluation and advise the restoration.
The results of the fieldwork are presented in a detailed evaluation report. This, and all the other documents mentioned on this page, can be downloaded from the document library. A much shorter non-technical summary of the work is also available.
The archaeological work has shown that the majority of the new extraction area lies in the area of a former marsh and will have no affect on important archaeological deposits. The application also includes an area of the higher ground to the north of the extraction area. Here the evaluation has shown that there are very few archaeological features that will be affected and none that are prehistoric in date.
Application area in relation to topography (application area includes part of the existing quarry south of the dotted line)
The affect on the quarry on the archaeology on the site and the setting of the monuments in the surrounding area is discussed in detail in an Impact Assessment which has been produced by Mike Griffiths and Associates. This has also been submitted with the planning application and a copy of the Impact Assessment is also available to be downloaded.
Nosterfield Quarry lies close to the Thornborough Henges. The Northeast Extension area is further north than previous mineral workings and will have no direct impact on any archaeological deposits on Thornborough Moor. A viewshed analysis has shown that new extension will not affect key views in and around the monuments or how they are largely experienced. The analysis has shown that there will be a minor impact on views across the site toward the Thornborough Moor but these will not have a significant impact on the setting of the monuments. A series of mitigation measures have been proposed in relation to this application.
archaeological planning consultancy > thornborough > northern extensions