Town’s major scheme hinges on historic dig

May 27 2008 by Liam Murphy, Liverpool Daily Post

ANCIENT remains dating back to the origins of a south Wirral town are to be investigated ahead of a meeting to determine whether a major redevelopment scheme can take place.

Archaeological investigations have already started on land between Brook Street and Raby Road, in Neston.

The work is being carried out by AOC Archaeology, on behalf of Ellesmere Port and Neston Borough Council, and is designed to establish whether archaeological remains are present on the site.

This information will be used in connection with the planning applica-tion that has been submitted for a major development, including a new super-market – within the present car park.

The archaeologists’ work will establish whether more extensive archaeological work would be needed, if planning permission was granted.

The application for the extensive redevelopment of Neston comprises a new town square, Sainsbury’s supermarket, 14 residential units, community facility units and new decked car parking.

Jane Williamson, the borough council’s head of property/support services, said: “The historical heritage of the town, and indeed the Borough of Ellesmere Port and Neston, are taken very seriously and any findings of importance will be communicated to the public.

“At this stage of the work, the investi-gations will be limited to a total of four separate trenches. The location of the individual trenches and the timing of their excavation have been timetabled to minimise any inconvenience to users of the car park and the weekly market.”

A special meeting will take place at Neston Civic Hall on June 12, from 6.15pm when local people will have the opportunity to speak for and against the scheme.

Parking and traffic during the construction were among the concerns that people have voiced during the recent consultation on the plans.

Fragments of memorial stones from the parish church suggest that there has been a settlement at Neston for at least 1,000 years and examination of early maps and other documentary evidence indicate that the western part of the car park, behind the High Street, lay within the original settlement area.

Investigation of sites elsewhere in the locality suggest that, if archaeological remains are present, they will consist of pits, gullies, boundary ditches, and postholes cut into the natural sandstone, which is known to lies just beneath the modern ground surface.

Typically, it is expected finds might include pottery, animal bones, and other material discarded by Neston’s previous inhabitants.

liammurphy