Survey Other Complete

Wessex Archaeology completed the major phase of onshore archaeological mitigation for the Humber Gateway offshore wind farm’s grid connection works by December 2011. Following earlier desk-based assessments and extensive geophysical survey along the 30 km onshore cable route, a programme of evaluation trial trenching was launched in September 2011. This evaluation phase involved excavating 169 trenches, each 30 m long, by three teams working in different sections of the route to investigate geophysical anomalies and areas that appeared devoid of archaeology. The work focused on the planned onshore cable corridor and the new substation area linking the offshore wind farm to the National Grid at Salt End, near Hull. Where significant archaeological remains were identified in the trial trenches, impacts from construction were mitigated through a targeted ‘strip, map and sample’ excavation strategy, designed and implemented in liaison with the Humber Archaeology Partnership, archaeological advisers to the local planning authority. Nine discrete mitigation areas were opened and excavated using this approach, and all such mitigation excavations were completed by December 2011, within three months of commencement. Together with the wider watching brief during topsoil stripping, this marked the conclusion of the principal onshore archaeological fieldwork required in advance of construction along the cable route and substation works area, allowing the Humber Gateway onshore works to proceed with archaeological requirements substantially discharged.