EHG6380 - DBA and walkover survey - proposed Watten Wind Farm

An archaeological desk-based assessment (DBA), Stage 1 setting assessment and walkover survey were undertaken by Headland Archaeology in 2022 to inform the cultural heritage elements of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for a proposed wind farm at Watten, Caithness. The work was undertaken to assess the significance and importance of known heritage assets and potential archaeological remains within the proposed development area (i.e. site boundary, also referred to as the ‘inner study area’, or ISA) and to identify likely significant environmental effects of the proposed wind farm on the cultural significance of those heritage assets. The walkover survey of the ISA identified two additional potential heritage assets (HA13 and HA14) and two unrecorded features associated with HA3, a building shown on the 1st ed OS 1877 and with MHG19814, a farmstead. All heritage assets identified on historic and satellite imagery and assets recorded on the Highland Council’s HER within the ISA were visited during the walkover survey. It was considered that there was negligible potential for any further upstanding cultural heritage assets within the ISA. Any hitherto unknown remains will be preserved below-ground and would likely be truncated. The area of the ISA proposed for the proposed development infrastructure was considered to be of low archaeological potential for hitherto unknown archaeological remains. The ISA was considered to hold archaeological potential for hitherto unknown archaeological remains, particularly in the eastern part of the ISA proposed for habitat Management Unit B: Grassland Enhancement for Waders. There also remained a potential for palaeoenvironmental/archaeological remains to be exposed as a result of the removal of peat during the construction phase. A programme of mitigation would be agreed to offset any potential direct effects on unknown heritage assets which may exist within the ISA, to include potential impacts upon or beneath peat. Following agreement of these works, no residual effects were anticipated upon potential heritage assets within the ISA. In respect of the setting of heritage assets, residual operational effects of minor adverse significance which were not significant were predicted upon four Scheduled Monuments: SM90056/PiC297 Grey Cairns of Camster (only if/when intervening plantation is harvested), SM13632 Carn A’ Chladha, broch, SM13634 Bail A’ Chairn, broch, and SM721 Scouthal Burn, Chapel and The Clow. Cumulative impact assessment, considering other operational, consented and submitted applications for wind farms in the Outer Study Area, identified No Significant Effects. <1> <2>