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 - 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 - Opposition to homes remains (Southwell)

A heritage group has reiterated its opposition to plans to build homes on a site that contains Roman remains.

Southwell Heritage Trust has written to Newark and Sherwood District Council to oppose the latest amended application to build 29 homes on the former Church Street site of the Minster School.

It claims the site is of archaeological significance and has tourism potential.

It contains Roman and Saxon remains, which experts believe could be of national importance.

The development has yet to be discussed by the district council but has been discussed by Southwell Town Council’s planning committee several times. The amendments were due to be discussed by its planning committee last night.

The town council is asked to give comments on the application each time it is amended before it goes to the district council.

In a letter to the district council, the heritage trust’s chairman, Mr Roger Dobson, said the group continued to have strong objections to the plans despite the latest amendment, which outlines a mitigation strategy to protect the archaeological remains.

He said: “We continue to maintain that this very important heritage site is totally unsuitable for housing development and therefore no acceptable archaeological mitigation strategy is possible in the circumstances.”

Mr Dobson said the group believed English Heritage and Nottinghamshire County Council played down the tourism and economic regeneration benefits for the district if the site was made into a heritage park.

He said: “Most experts agree that the site is situated in an area of outstanding national heritage and that vital links between Southwell Minster and the Roman villa would be lost if housing development was to take place.

“In recent years a unique Roman wall has been discovered and significant Anglo Saxon burials.

“As less than 10% of the site has been investigated it is reasonable to assume that more important discoveries could be made.”

The heritage group wants to see the site incorporated into an outstanding heritage area including nearby Southwell Minster, the archbishop’s palace and prebendal houses on Church Street.

They would like the site landscaped with interpretation boards explaining the location of the remains and their significance and possibly the creation of a visitor centre.

The group believes the site could become a tourist attraction.

from: http://www.newarkadvertiser.co.uk/articles/news/Opposition-to-homes-remains

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

Event - Experts to debate Roman remains (Southwell)

Archaeology experts will take part in a conference about the national significance of the Roman remains in Southwell.

The event has been organised by Southwell Heritage Trust, Southwell Community Archaeology Group, Southwell Local History Society and Southwell Civic Society.

They hope to raise awareness of the importance of the remains on Church Street before a planning application for 31 homes on the site is considered by Newark and Sherwood District Council.

The Rev Dr Martin Henig, of Oxford University, Mr Bryn Walters, the director of the Association For Roman Archaeology, archaeologist to Southwell Minster Professor Philip Dixon, and Dr Will Bowden, of Nottingham University, will take part in the debate.

Mr Peter Kent, secretary of Southwell Community Archaeology Group, said it would examine Southwell’s origins and place in the country’s national heritage.

He said: “The relationship between the minster and the earlier villa is clearly of significance in understanding the origins of the town, its subsequent development as an ecclesiastical centre, and the organisation of the surrounding parishes.

“The fact that the minster precincts and their surroundings have seen considerably less post-medieval development than is the case at other cathedrals in Britain and elsewhere, gives the archaeology of Southwell a particular place in our national heritage.”

The archaeology group and others in the town want the site to be preserved so further investigations can take place.

Roman remains were first discovered on the site in 1959.

During recent investigations a large Roman wall was found, leading archaeologists to believe the site either housed a large villa or a temple.

Experts believe the remains may still hold clues as to the links between the remains and the building of the minster.

The meeting will take place on Tuesday, March 29, at 7.30pm, at Southwell Methodist Church.

From: http://www.newarkadvertiser.co.uk/articles/news/Experts-to-debate-Roman-remains

 

Quite simple really - don't let them build on it and finally show some of Nottinghamshires fine archaeology off instead of wasting cash on Robin Hood!