When I cut my teeth as a young professional archaeologist it was in a Planning Department working on monument protection and excavation archives, while I was completing my PhD on Roman villas in Britain. Later in life, after academia, I went on to become a city councillor and served on a Planning Committee and saw first hand the vagaries of the English planning system. At its heart, however, is the powerful core belief that development should be controlled, proportionate and reasonable; and the statutory authorities normally can be trusted to take these responsibilities very seriously.
This is why and how the previous application to build a massive animal rendering plant in the Lincolnshire greenfield countryside, in an area of archaeological interest, including the significant Norton Disney Roman villa & environs, was refused in February 2020. Concerns remain too about the effects of such an industrial development on the nearby fragile bat habitat and the World War 2 commemorative sculpture.
An Interesting Question
I’m not the only person to have noted that the new planning application for Villa Farm Norton Disney does not differ in any meaningful way from the previous unsuccessful application. Given that the statutory authorities, if the system works as it should, are duty bound to reject this latest application, it begs the questions why the developers bothered to do it?
And this is the question that bugs me.
If the developer is hoping for some kind of ‘objection fatigue’ to set in, then it would appear to be sorely lacking in the required understanding of the English planning system, the nature of the site, and recent events - some of which have statutorily affected the Roman villa.
Recent Developments and Context
A great deal more is now known about this site than when the development threat to the archaeological landscape, the rural setting and the precious ecology first emerged. The end result of all these investigations and all the attention is that the site is now more protected, not less. The scheduled (legally protected) area has been extended by the statutory body Historic England, and the archaeology of the locale in its entirety is most definitely on the radar of the County Councils, the District Councils, the local community, prehistorians and Roman archaeologists, and the media. The scheduled area is only a small part of the notable archaeology in this area from the Iron Age, Roman and sub-Roman periods.
Source: Richard Parker, Norton Disney Roman Villa Blog March 2021
The corridor buildings at the centre of Roman villas in Britain were architectural ideals, in the manner of ‘show homes’, and do tend to be the elements of these sites that are the most likely to have been excavated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and given legal protection through the scheduling process But as an expert in the archaeology of Romano-British villas, I know with confidence that beyond the central corridor building are the remains of the rest of the villa rustica, comprising a fascinating and important working farm - along with its Iron Age precursor settlement(s) - complete with outbuildings, barns, byres, workshops, paddocks, cart tracks, field boundaries and burials. These all tell human stories. The proposed massive animal rendering plant with its imposing factory, modern outbuildings and heavy vehicular traffic, would build over the ancient and important fragile remains.
The Importance of Community Archaeology
An impressive community archaeology group has arisen to respond to the threat to the site, the Norton Disney History and Archaeology Group, and it has carried out archive research, conducted field investigations, fund-raised and liaised with professionals. The Group worked tirelessly to fill in the gaps in the records and pass their findings on to the Historic Environment Records (HERs) of both Lincolnshire and close-by Nottinghamshire, for use by the statutory authorities, other archaeologists and researchers, and members of the public. It really has been an exemplary case of community archaeology and public engagement.
Source: Norton Disney History and Archaeology Group, working document
From a personal viewpoint, some of this work should have been carried out by the developer’s own archaeological consultants, as per CIfA guidelines (CIfa being the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists, the relevant professional body). Their conclusions were, I believe, inadequate the first time, and remain inadequate now.
In addition to the establishment of the Norton Disney History and Archaeology Group, one of its members Richard Parker began to blog about the Roman villa and its the multi-period landscape. I recommend in particular his recent blog piece from March 2021 in which he sets out the background and the nature of the threat.
This section sets out the main grounds for objection very well:
The development would be highly damaging to the setting of the scheduled monument “Roman villa west of Hill Holt Farm, Norton Disney”
The development would be harmful to the setting of the non-designated heritage assets at Brills Farm and Gallows Nooking Common.
The development would result in the loss, or partial loss, of non-designated heritage assets within the site. eg a Roman road and evidence of Iron Age settlement.
The development is contrary to CSDMP policy DM4, CLLP policy LP25, NPPF paragraphs 189, 193, 194, 196, 197 and 199 and the National Design Guide characteristic C2.
And so …
Given the largely unchanged nature of the unsatisfactory planning application, and the clear grounds for objection that exist within the planning system, the only conclusion that I can draw right now based on the evidence available to us is that the developer is a victim of its own internal inefficiency, and possibly listening to poor quality advice.
And, frankly, an inefficient developer is not one that should be allowed to blight the English landscape.
EDIT - this planning application has now been withdrawn by the developer as of October 2021
How to object - OBJECT NOW!
Email your objections, by Friday 23rd April 2021 if possible to be guaranteed your objection will be taken into account, to dev_planningsupport@lincolnshire.gov.uk
Quote ref PL/0012/21 Villa Farm, Folly Lane, Norton Disney, Lincoln LN6 9JL and make sure your name and address are on the objection
Previous blog pieces about Norton Disney
In reverse date order:
All views above are my own. All sources as credited.