EHG6297 - DBA and walkover survey - proposed extension to Lochend Wind Farm

A desk-based assessment and walkover survey were undertkane by AOC Archaeology Group in 2022 in order to inform an environmental impact assessment for a proposed extension to the Lochend Wind Farm in Caithness. The work aimed to assess the potential for direct and settings effects on the cultural heritage resource within the proposed development site and surrounding study areas during construction, operation and decommissioning of the Proposed Development. The core study area (the Site), included all land within the Proposed Development Site boundary, which was subject to assessment for potential direct effects. This study area was subject to a walkover survey and was used to identify cultural heritage assets which had the potential to be directly affected by theproposed development. A 1 km study area was used for the identification of all known heritage assets and previous archaeological interventions (events) in order to help predict whether any similar hitherto unknown archaeological remains were likely to survive within the proposed development site and thus be directly impacted by the proposed development. A 5 km Study Area was used for the assessment of potential effects on the settings of all designated heritage assets including Scheduled Monuments, Listed Buildings, Inventoried Gardens and Designed Landscapes and Battlefields and Conservation Areas. A 10 km Study Area wa also used for the assessment of potential effects on the setting of all nationally important designated heritage assets including Scheduled Monuments, Category A Listed Buildings, Inventoried Gardens and Designed Landscapes and Battlefields. Site visits were made to accessible designated heritage assets to inform the setting assessment between the 14-17 June 2022. The site wasfound to be located in an area that had until the post-medieval period comprised a large loch. This was drained sometime during the late 18th to early 19th century. As a result, there is not considered to be significant potential for earlier archaeological remains to be present across much of the Site. Nine previously unrecorded non-designated heritage assets of post-medieval date were identified during the walkover survey, comprising elements of agricultural remains such as crofts, flagstone dykes, drains and clearance cairns. Such remains were considered to be of negligible importance, with the crofts considered to be of low importance. Mitigation measures to ensure the preservation of these assets in situ where possible was proposed, with archaeological monitoring during groundworks proposed where avoidance cannot be achieved and for areas where there was considered to be higher archaeological potential. These measures would ensure that the level of effect for direct impacts will not be significant by EIA standards. The potential for as-yet unknown archaeological remains from any period was considered to be Low but could not be wholly discounted. Archaeological monitoring was recommended for ground-breaking works in the vicinity of one turbine location (T1) and the proposed construction compound area to ensure that such potential would be investigated. <1>