EHG3360 - Desk-based assessment and walkover survey - Beauly-Dounreay 275kV Overhead Transmission Line: Second Circuit

CFA Archaeology Ltd carried out a cultural heritage assessment of proposed works associated with the Beauly to Dounreay 275kV overhead transmission line. The works included undergrounding of sections of the existing line and the upgrading and construction of access roads for the movement of vehicles with regard to works on the line. This cultural heritage assessment was part of the wider Environmental Assessment for the works. The CFA methodology included a desk based assessment of all available sources, followed by a field survey. Reconnaissance field survey was undertaken of a 200m wide corridor centred on the existing 275kV line and 100m wide corridor centred on temporary or upgraded existing access routes proposed to cross land currently with no roads or tracks. Where construction works would use existing tracks, site visits were made to identified archaeological sites present within 20m of them, in order that requirement for avoidance and protection mitigation could be assessed. The aims of the field survey were to assess the baseline conditions of the sites, monuments and landscape features identified by the desk-based assessment, to identify any cultural heritage features not previously recorded, and to assess the archaeological potential of the 275kV line, access track corridors, cable undergrounding sections, and other construction works locations. The study identified 460 archaeological and heritage sites within a 200m wide corridor along the existing overhead line route and 100m wide corridor along proposed access track routes. These comprised 9 SAMs, 8 Listed Buildings, 79 NSR sites (Code C, V and R,) 4 Historic Gardens and Designed Landscapes and 360 areas of archaeological interest. <1> Monument records for this event have yet to be entered into the HER. <2> Shapefiles for point, lines and polys are held in the SHG24982 folder in the HER File Store <3>.