ALSF Assessment of Warwickshire's Aggregates
February 2007 saw the completion of the first phase of a project funded by the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF) to assess the impact on the historic environment of aggregate extraction in Warwickshire in the past, and to develop strategies for its management in the future. Warwickshire is one of the West Midlands' main sources of aggregate minerals (primarily sand and gravel, but also hard rock aggregates in the north of the County); pressure on remaining economically viable sources of aggregates is therefore significant.
The project focused on parts of Warwickshire that may potentially produce aggregates and assessed the extent of the known archaeology within these areas by using the information held within the Warwickshire HER database and aerial photographs plotted as part of the ongoing National Mapping Programme. The project has resulted in an enhanced dataset that can be used to develop appropriate responses to future mineral works, inform future strategies to protect the archaeological resource, and will feed into Warwickshire's emerging Minerals Development Framework. It is further expected that the results of the project will guide future archaeological research frameworks.
