Save Roman Southwell - Plan for Roman site opposed

Town councillors have objected to fresh plans for housing on the former Church Street site of The Minster School, Southwell.

Southwell Heritage Trust wants the site, where archaeologists have found a Roman villa said to be of national importance, to become a heritage park.

There were calls, at a meeting of Southwell Town Council planning committee, for Newark and Sherwood District Council to deal with the park proposal at the same time as the homes application.

The application is for nine homes, and proposes that the key archaeology be preserved in situ and not built on.

A Saxon burial ground has also been found at the site and could provide a link between the Roman occupation of Southwell and the minster cathedral.

The Southwell committee, whose comments are forwarded to the district council, objected to the homes for five main reasons.

These were the prematurity of the application, the proposed design and layout, the impact on the archaeology, the impact on views of the minster, and the absence of lower-cost housing.

The committee chairman for the night, Mrs Beryl Prentice, said the heritage trust application should be dealt with by the district council at the same time as the homes plan.

She said, and colleagues agreed, the homes plan was premature, because allocations mapping development in the district were being assessed by a planning inspector and the outcome wasn’t known.

Mr Peter Harris said it wasn’t a consideration as to whether the applicant made money from the sale of the homes or not.

He said that what branded the application a joke was the fact it was being suggested the homes would sell for £600,000 when he thought they would achieve seven figures.

Mr Harris said: “I am opposed to this application because I fundamentally don’t think it is appropriate to have this level of development in what is essentially now an open space.

“Any other town with an adjacent cathedral wouldn’t get significant development. Having said that district council planners seem keen for this site to be developed.”

A member of the public, Katie Todd, of Church Street, feared the application could bring flooding.

She said in 2007 30-40 properties were affected and recent deluges had led to worry of a repeat.

Another resident, Mr Peter Kent, said at 21/2 storeys high, the houses would be massive and views of the minster would be affected.

 

From: http://www.newarkadvertiser.co.uk/articles/news/Plan-for-Roman-site-opposed

News - Nine homes for Roman remains site (Southwell)

Nine luxury, three-storey homes could be built on a site in Southwell believed to contain Roman remains of national importance. 

 

New plans for the Church Street site, which contains the remains of a Roman villa and a Saxon burial ground, have been submitted to Newark and Sherwood District Council.

It comes more than a year after previous plans for 29 homes, including apartments, were rejected on the grounds they were unsuitable for a site next to the minster and in the town’s conservation area.

The new application shows large homes, most with five bedrooms, and each with a garage. There appears to be no lower-cost housing included.

It said: “The site is sustainably located in Southwell and will enable the redundant Minster School land to be brought into an appropriate alternative use, delivering high-quality housing and positively contributing to and reinforcing the historic character of the area.”

Heritage groups in Southwell have been vehemently opposed to any kind of development on the site and wish to see it preserved as a heritage park.

They have submitted plans for a heritage park to the district council.

Mr Mike Kirton, on behalf of Southwell Heritage Park Campaign, said: “Our views are shared by the 3,000-plus people who signed the petition in 2011.

“The report from the archaeological survey has reinforced our views that this site should be saved from development and become a heritage park.

“This is one of the most important historical sites in the county and we have urged English Heritage to re-appraise the area covered by the Scheduled Ancient Monument.

“We hope the district council will take the new evidence into account when considering this latest application for nine substantial properties.”

The plans will also be considered by Southwell Town Council and Southwell Civic Society.

The chairman of the civic society, Mr Brendan Haigh, said: “This application has just come in and we giving urgent consideration to it.” 

 

From:  http://www.newarkadvertiser.co.uk/articles/news/Nine-homes-for-Roman-remains-site

Save Roman Southwell - Eyesore site set for clean-up

A potential development site dubbed an eyesore after becoming overgrown looks set to be tidied.

 

Southwell Town Council and heritage groups have been campaigning for improvements to the appearance of the former Church Street site of The Minster School.

The site contains Roman remains believed to be of national importance, and a recent planning application for 29 homes there was rejected by Newark and Sherwood District Council.

Complaints about the site’s appearance began after hoardings were removed revealing its poor state.

At a meeting of the town council’s planning committee, the committee chairman, Mr Andy Gregory, said the developer would be working with Nottinghamshire County Council’s archaeology team to improve the site.

He said: “I’m very mindful that the developer is extending some sort of courtesy towards the town and although it’s taken a bit of time we are getting a result there.”

Mr Roger Dobson said he thought it was a move in the right direction.

He said: “Quite a lot of people have contacted me about the eyesore there and it’s good that not only are they considering tidying up the site, but also replacing the hoardings along the Church Street side, although I do accept there will have to be some sort of window so people can see what’s going on on site.”

Mr Dobson said he had concerns a JCB would be used on site and could damage the remains.

He said: “It’s fine as long as it’s monitored because the site has got archaeological remains there.

“I think we need to ask the county council to make sure that when they are using a JCB on the site they are there.”

Mr Dobson suggested the town council write to the county council expressing support for plans to tidy the site, but asking that all use of a digger be carefully monitored.

 

From: http://www.newarkadvertiser.co.uk/articles/news/Eyesore-site-set-for-clean-up

 

Save Roman Southwell - Roman finds on display

Southwell Heritage Trust member Mr Peter Kent with a piece of the Roman plaster.

Roman plaster unearthed on the former Church Street site of the Minster School, Southwell, has gone on display for the first time.

 

The exhibition in Southwell Minster has been organised by Southwell Heritage Trust and features pieces of plaster recently rediscovered in the cathedral.

The plaster features sea creatures and two naked figures believed to be Hercules and his bride Hebe.

Pictures of other finds on the site including Roman mosaic floors and Anglo Saxon skeletons have also formed part of the exhibition.

The heritage trust is holding the exhibition to raise awareness about what has been found on the Church Street site.

From: http://www.newarkadvertiser.co.uk/news/view.asp?id=1ba679bc-5c34-102f-ad62-73917bb4195d&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Save Roman Southwell - Protesters celebrate as school site homes scheme is blocked

THE rejection of plans to build 29 homes on a former school site has been hailed as a victory for "the will of the people".

A construction firm wanted to build the homes on Southwell Minster School's old Church Street site.

The site is considered to be of huge historic significance as it is home to the remains of one of the largest Roman villas in the UK.

Councillors on Newark and Sherwood District Council's planning committee last night turned down the proposals, to the relief of protesters.

After the meeting, Southwell resident Brendan Haigh expressed his delight, though admitted he is concerned more plans could be submitted. "I'm absolutely delighted with the result," he said. "It represents the will of the people.

"It would have been absolutely awful if the application had gone through, but this may not be the end of the story."

The authority had been expected to approve the proposals ahead of the meeting.

But Councillor Paul Handley, who represents Southwell North, told the meeting it was very important the plans were rejected because they didn't follow the authority's planning guidelines.

He said: "Also important to mention is that there are a lot of listed buildings in the immediate area.

"Of all the buildings surrounding it, only two have been built in the last 50 years."

Councillor Roger Dobson, of Southwell Town Council, also spoke out against the plans.

He said: "I've spoken on numerous occasions for the council, but I've never felt as passionately as on this occasion.

"There are a substantial number of people in the community who oppose it.

"The site is not only of local importance, but of national importance."

Earlier this year, the Reverend Professor Martin Henig of Oxford University said the site could be "a five-star educational and tourist resource for the town".

The proposals were submitted by Caunton Properties Ltd. They immediately found opposition from people living in the area.

A petition calling for the site to be protected from development was signed by more than 3,499 people. Campaigners said they wanted the site to remain clear and for information boards to be put up.

Southwell Town Council also objected to the proposals.

Roman remains were discovered under parts of Southwell in the 1790s. Baths which formed part of a villa were uncovered when a site in Church Street was cleared for the building of the original Southwell Minster School in 1959. The site closed down and was later destroyed by a large fire in October 2007.

No one from Caunton Properties Ltd was available for comment last night.

From: http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/Protesters-celebrate-school-site-homes-scheme/story-13797388-detail/story.html

Save Roman Southwell - Homes turned down...

Just had an e-mail stating the planning application for 29 homes on the site have been turned down, more news as I get it....

Save Roman Southwell - Heritage park plan proposed

A rival planning application has been submitted for a site in Southwell that contains Roman remains believed to be of national importance.

Mr Trevor Wight, of Southwell Heritage Trust (centre) and Mr John Lock, of Southwell Community Archaeology Group (right) presents the petition to district councillor, Mr Peter Harris. (011111JT1-10)

Southwell Heritage Trust has submitted an application to create a heritage park on the former Church Street site of the Minster School to Newark and Sherwood District Council.

The district council’s planning committee is due to discuss an application for 29 homes on the site, submitted by the landowner Caunton Properties Limited, on Tuesday. It is recommended for approval.

Mr Roger Dobson, chairman of Southwell Town Council and a member of the heritage trust, said the group strongly felt that the heritage park plans were the best way forward for the site.

The plans would see the area left as an open space with interpretation boards giving the history of the site and what it would have looked like.

Mr Dobson said: “It would mean that the site would be open with no housing on it, so there would be an opportunity in the future for further investigation and further excavation.

“Through successive excavations, the story of the origins of Southwell has slowly come to be revealed.

“With only about 10% of the site having being excavated it is reasonable to believe that further excavations could be expected to fill in some of the gaps in Southwell’s early history.

“Clearly there would also be some tourism potential because the site would be open for people to visit and it could also be used as an educational resource.

“We want to show that it is a nationally important site.”

Although the heritage trust does not own the Church Street site, they are legally able to submit a planning application for the land.

The trust has been actively opposing the application for homes.

On Tuesday a petition against the housing development, containing 3,000 signatures, was presented to the district council.

Mr Dobson said: “We feel very strongly that there is no need for housing on that site because we have got sites in the town that could be developed so there is absolutely no need for houses there.

“Also, there should not be any housing at all in that location because it is an outstanding area of heritage.

“It should be retained as a heritage park for the best interests of the town.”

An exhibition featuring the history and some of the archaeological finds unearthed on Church Street began in Southwell Minster yesterday.

The exhibition will include Roman plaster recently rediscovered in the minster.

From: http://www.newarkadvertiser.co.uk/articles/news/Heritage-park-plan-proposed

Save Roman Southwell - Homes rethink rejected

Councillors have reiterated their opposition to plans for housing on a site of national historic significance, despite a surprise suggestion they should support the scheme.

Mrs Sue Rodgers told colleagues on Southwell Town Council’s planning committee that the archaeology at the former Church Street site of The Minster School was better left in the ground, and she proposed they support the application for homes.

Caunton Properties Ltd wants to build 29 homes on the site, where excavations have found nationally important Roman remains.

The planning committee previously unanimously objected to the suggested housing, and discussed the matter again because of amendments to the planning application.

Mrs Rodgers, a member of Nottinghamshire County Council’s archaeology team, said she did not believe the site should be excavated further.

“As far as I’m concerned archaeology is much safer left in the ground than it is dug up and any archaeology is the destruction of the layers built up over time.

“What the developer is planning would significantly protect the remains and all the buildings put up would have very detailed archaeological mitigation against them, and if anything was found then building would stop.

“Much as we would all like to see archaeologists in there over the next 20 years carefully digging away to see what’s down there I think it is safer where it is.

“It’s going to go completely against the grain but I propose we support the application.”

Mrs Rodgers said the town should be concentrating on tracking down archaeology that was excavated in 1959 and had been lost over the years.

Mr Roger Dobson said the council should again submit its very strong objections.

He said: “The area is totally unsuitable for housing as it is in an outstanding area of heritage surrounded by outstanding heritage with the minster, the archbishops’ palace and the prebendal houses.”

He thought more of the site should be excavated to possibly reveal more about the link between the Roman occupation of Southwell and the building of the minster.

He said: “Why should we leave a story that is capable, with more archaeology over the years, of being told.

Mr Peter Harris said if the plans were for land near any other cathedral in any other area they would be immediately rejected.

Mrs Lyn Harris said she accepted the archaeology would be safer in the ground, but was concerned if houses were built the archaeology could be disturbed by home-owners building small extensions or conservatories.

Mrs Kate Ashworth thought it would be more pleasant to maintain the land as an open space.

Newark and Sherwood District Council will decide the application.

From: http://www.newarkadvertiser.co.uk/articles/news/Homes-rethink-rejected

Save Roman Southwell - Anglo-Saxon find at minster town

NOTTINGHAM archaeologists say they might have discovered the remains of an Anglo-Saxon enclosure in Southwell.

The University of Nottingham team spent two weeks in June digging in gardens around the centre of Southwell and at Southwell Workhouse.

They think they have found the remains of an Anglo-Saxon defensive enclosure and planned town.

A test pit near the remains of ancient banks also revealed a ditch which contained small fragments of pottery.

Dr Naomi Sykes, who led the two-week dig, said: "We excavated all manner of finds from this ditch, including modern-day pottery.

"In the same area we found bits of roman motaria – ancient Roman pottery kitchen vessels. But further down in the earlier deposits we discovered fragments of medieval pottery.

"This exciting find ties the Roman site to the later medieval minster site and suggests that there was settlement activity and buildings around that period."

The team returned to the site on Saturday and Sunday for further research.

Members of the public were able to find out more about their work.

More information about the research online via www.nottingham.ac.uk

From: http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/Anglo-Saxon-minster-town/story-13471548-detail/story.html

Save Roman Southwell - Once-in-a-lifetime chance for heritage

Roman remains in Southwell could be used for education and tourism if they are preserved, a group campaigning against development has claimed.

The Save Roman Southwell campaign wants to see the former Church Street site of the Minster School protected.

It is appealing for the site to be made a heritage area incorporating Southwell Minster, the Archbishop’s Palace and the prebendal houses on Church Street and Westgate.

Experts believe the remains site, later used as an Anglo Saxon cemetery, could provide the link between the Roman occupation of Southwell, the origins of Christianity in the town, and the building of the minster.

Mr Trevor Wight, of Save Roman Southwell, told the town council that the Roman remains were of significant archaeological importance and formed part of the historic core of the town.

He said: “We feel the historic core should be extended to create a tourist destination of local and national importance.

“What we envisage is a Roman heritage park including the archaeological remains linking with the other parts of the historic core.

“The building blocks are there because you have got the minster nearby with its own marketing and visitor guides.”

Mr Wight said they wanted the land returned to the community, which could preserve the remains and make the site usable before providing interpretation boards and a visual representation of the remains.

He said they then hoped to open the site up for archaeological investigation from experts and the community and finally create an educational facility and expose some of the remains, although this was likely to be very expensive.

Mr Wight said: “We have here a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and if we don’t take it now it will be gone.

“We have the opportunity to create a unique, attractive tourist centre on the site.

“We want to create a more complete package of tourism attractions and this has the potential not just to enhance tourism in Southwell, but tourism in Nottinghamshire.”

Caunton Properties Ltd has submitted plans for 29 homes on the site.

The plans have been delayed from going before Newark and Sherwood District Council’s planning committee several times but it is believed they will be decided by Christmas.

The Save Roman Southwell campaign and Southwell Town Council are against the application.

A member of the campaign group, Mr Peter Kent, said English Heritage was still against making the site a Scheduled Ancient Monument, which would protect it from development.

He said the group believed the site had more surprises to reveal and, if development was allowed, the remains would be lost forever.

Caunton Properties Ltd has told the town council it is considering selling the land to an Irish syndicate regardless of the outcome of the planning application.

 

From: http://www.newarkadvertiser.co.uk/articles/news/Once-in-a-lifetime-chance-for-heritage

Save Roman Southwell - 2,500 fight to save villa site

A PETITION to protect a rare archeological site in Southwell has been signed by more than 2,500 people.

The Save Roman Southwell (SRS) campaign was set up to oppose a planning application to build 29 houses on most of the old Minster school site.

The site in Church Street is home to the remains of one of the largest Roman villas in the UK, which protesters argue is key to understanding Southwell's origins.

Newark and Sherwood District Council is considering the proposal by Caunton Properties Ltd, who were unavailable for comment, to build houses next to the remains.

The SRS campaign says it is not only about stopping developments in the town, but also about creating a tourist attraction.

Southwell Heritage Trust member Trevor Wight said: "This groundswell of opinion puts the responsibility on all of us to make sure the mistakes of the past, when important heritage was destroyed, are not repeated."

SRS wants to return the site to community ownership and put up information boards.

Experts say that the site is of national importance.

The Rev Prof Martin Henig of Oxford University said: "This could be a five-star educational and tourist resource for the town.''

From: http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/2-500-fight-save-villa-site/story-13004425-detail/story.html

Video - Southwell garden dig unearths "very rare" Saxon remains

Hundreds of Roman and Saxon relics have been unearthed during an excavation of 25 gardens in Southwell.

Experts from the University of Nottingham spent two weeks digging one sq m (11 sq ft) test pits in the minster town to learn more about its Roman settlement and how it developed.

Finds included "very rare" Saxon remains which archaeologist Dr Chris King said might help explain Southwell's "missing" history between Roman villa and the medieval minster.

The team of scientists plan to return to Southwell in 2012 to continue the dig.

From http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-13810057

Save Roman Southwell - Hundreds sign up to save remains

More than 1,500 people have signed a petition calling for Roman remains to be protected.



The petition has been organised by the Save Roman Southwell group who are campaigning to stop development of the former Church Street site of the Minster School.

Buried under the site are the remains of what is believed to be one of the largest Roman villas in the East Midlands.

They fear the remains could be lost forever if permission is granted by Newark and Sherwood District Council to build 29 homes on the site.

Campaigners have been collecting signatures in Southwell on Saturday mornings and are also encouraging residents to write letters of opposition to the council.

The campaign has the backing of the town’s MP, Mr Patrick Mercer, and Southwell’s county, district and town councillors.

A campaign spokesman said: “We have been greatly encouraged by the level of interest and enthusiasm people have shown for the idea of preserving Southwell’s nationally important heritage.

“The emergence of an Anglo-Saxon church and the later Norman minster from a high status Roman villa complex presents a unique tourism, heritage and educational opportunity that must not be lost.

“We shall be continuing our efforts to get more people, both in the town and from elsewhere, to support us.

“This is not just about Southwell, it is about an important and unique part of Nottinghamshire’s heritage.”

The campaign group is trying to convince the district council and its advisers at English Heritage and Nottinghamshire County Council that the whole site is of national significance in the context of the villa and minster, and for the application to be rejected.

It hopes the site could eventually be brought under public ownership and a Roman Heritage Park created.

The campaign was set up by Southwell Heritage Trust, Southwell Archaeology Group, Southwell Civic Society and Southwell Local History Society.

For more information go to www.facebook.com/SaveRomanSouthwell

From: http://www.newarkadvertiser.co.uk/articles/news/Hundreds-sign-up-to-save-remains

News - Stepping up campaign to save Roman heritage (Southwell)

A toga-clad campaigner helped to inspire about 400 people to sign a petition to protect Roman remains in Southwell, where home-owners are being asked to let archaeologists dig in their gardens.

 

The Save Roman Southwell campaign wants to see the former Church Street site of The Minster School, which is earmarked for 29 homes, protected against development and transformed into a heritage area.

Campaign member Mr John Lock dressed in a toga to encourage people to sign the petition in the Market Square on Saturday.

Mr Lock said he bought the material for his costume from Boyes of Newark and Roman-style jewellery from Primark to complete the look.

Residents are also being asked to consider letting archaeologists excavate their gardens to look for Roman remains.

Nottingham University’s archaeology department is hoping to find out more about the nature of the Roman settlement in Southwell by undertaking the excavations.

They believe the town was a thriving centre of Roman activity and was possibly one of the most important locations of its age.

From Saturday, June 4, to Saturday, June 18, archaeologists from the university will be working in the area, carrying out surveys and small-scale excavations.

They are looking for volunteers to have test-pits dug in their gardens.

In a location agreed with the home-owner the team will excavate a one-metre by one-metre pit that will be completed in a day unless something interesting is found and the home-owner is happy for work to continue.

After the excavation, the area will be returned to its previous state.

In return for allowing access to their garden residents will be invited to participate in the excavation and learn more about what the archaeologists find.

They will also be invited to the end-of-excavation party.

Anyone wishing to be involved should contact Dr Naomi Sykes on 01636 813460 or email Naomi.sykes@nottingham.ac.uk with their contact details and possible dates when the excavation could take place.

To sign the petition or find out more about the Save Roman Southwell campaign visit www.facebook.com/SaveRomanSouthwell

 

From: http://www.newarkadvertiser.co.uk/articles/news/Stepping-up-campaign-to-save-Roman-heritage

News - Calls to protect 'rare' Roman Southwell

A university lecturer is calling for the rejection of a plan to build houses next to the site of a Roman settlement in Nottinghamshire.

Caunton Properties Ltd, who were unavailable for comment, want to create 29 homes on Church Street in Southwell.

Dr Will Bowden said the discovery of "rare" archaeological remains dating to the 7th or 8th Century made the site "wholly inappropriate" for development.

Newark and Sherwood District Council will consider the plan after 28 June.

The site is next to a scheduled monument - potentially one of the largest Roman villas in the UK, according to the University of Nottingham lecturer.

An investigation of the area the planning application covers found a Roman wall and archaeological remains.

'Incredibly rare'

English Heritage recommended that a substantial part of the redevelopment should remain as green space, with any remains preserved.

Dr Bowden and a number of academics, including the director of the Association for Roman Archaeology, Bryn Walters, and Revd Prof Martin Henig of Oxford University, said the English Heritage judgement does not go far enough.

"The discovery of remains, of probably Christian inhabitants, dating to the late 7th or 8th Century on the development site represents the period between the Roman villa and Minster," Dr Bowden said.

"Having this continual sequence of occupation - the villa, the burials and the Minster - is incredibly rare and arguably unique for a Roman villa in the UK."

He added: "There is something very unusual going on at Southwell, and it is potentially of a rarity that would make its partial excavation in a development context wholly inappropriate."

The academics have joined with several local history societies in an attempt to mobilise a mass campaign in support for keeping the remains in place.

Members of Southwell Town Council unanimously agreed to object to the plans and the council chairman Mr Roger Dobson called for residents to join the Save Roman Southwell campaign.

Campaigners would like to see the development site included in the town's central heritage area which includes the Minster, the Archbishop's palace and the villa itself.

"We can develop a strategy for researching and using the site to bring Roman Southwell to life for the citizens of Nottinghamshire," said Dr Bowden.

From: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-13083692