Throughout 2018, 2019 and the first half of 2020, I led on heritage works for a major urban regeneration project in Exeter, UK, on the site formerly known as the Harlequins Centre.
I worked closely with Esther Robinson Wild of Robinson Wild Consulting to produce a detailed baseline study of buried archaeology on and near to the site, which included parts of the standing Roman city wall of Exeter (Roman Isca) and intra-mural Roman, early Medieval, Medieval and post-Medieval urban strata which were all considered to be of national importance.
Additionally, the geographically prominence of the site, and the need in an urban context to achieve economic sustainability by introducing taller buildings than previously in a county town such as Exeter, the team had to produce a detailed baseline of nearby built heritage assets such as listed buildings. The archaeological work led to detailed archival researches and additional site investigations, and a complex view-shed and visual impact study.
Ultimately, the baseline was followed by an Impact Assessment undertaken to the standards and format of an environmental impact assessment. At the present (June 2020) the planning submissions are with Exeter City Council for determination – the project is notable for the complexity and rigour of the impact assessment undertaken and made public in the various planning submissions and consultative process.