SDO15251 - Milborne Wind Farm, Dorset. Baseline Conditions Report

’11.1.1 AOC Archaeology Group was commissioned by West Dorset Wind Energy Ltd to undertake a Baseline Conditions Report to establish constraints and inform an Archaeological Chapter of an Environmental Statement to be submitted with a planning application for the Milborne Wind Farm, Tolpuddle, Dorset. 11.1.2 Cartographic and bibliographic sources indicate that the majority proposed development area itself has remained undeveloped agricultural land lying within the parishes of Burleston, Tolpuddle and Milborne St. Andrew. A modern farmstead (East Farm) is located in the south-east corner of the site adjacent to an earlier (late post-medieval) farmstead which is now comprises a few barns and meadows (East Barn). Two further former late post-medieval farmsteads (now unoccupied and used to store farm equipment) are located on the south/central area of the site West Barn / Hill Barn) and north of the site (West End Barn). 11.1.3 There is considerable evidence of prehistoric activity within the proposed wind farm boundary and its immediate vicinity. This is represented by several Bronze Age barrows (eight of which are Scheduled Monuments) and cropmark evidence of a later ‘celtic’ (Iron Age / Roman) field systems. Weatherby Castle, an Iron Age Hill Fort is located c. 450m to the east / northeast of the site and is also a Scheduled Monument. Roman period evidence is suggested by the projected route of a Roman road c. 150m to the south of the southeast corner of the site. Part of the road, further along the route to the northeast is designated as a Scheduled Monument. Evidence of a potential Roman settlement activity was recorded further southeast, c. 650m from the proposed wind farm boundary. 11.1.4 There is some scattered evidence of medieval and post-medieval activity within the study area. The nearest significant evidence of medieval date is the site of a deserted medieval settlement, c. 250m to the northeast of the northeastern corner of the site. This area is designated as a Scheduled Monument. 11.1.5 Within 5 km of the boundaries of the development site, examination of the Dorset Historic Environments Records in conjunction with the NMR records indicates a total of 117 Scheduled Monuments the majority of which are barrows of probably Bronze Age date. 318 statutory Listed Buildings were also identified; most of these lie within the seven Conservation Areas identified. Three Registered Parks and Gardens were also identified at Athelhampton, Milton Abbey and Waterston Manor. The proposed wind farm has the potential to indirectly impact upon the setting of each of these monuments. Ultimate impacts upon each monument will depend upon the finalisation of the turbine layout and will be assessed using Zone of Theoretical Visibility mapping based on turbine position and height in conjunction with the surrounding topography.’