Page 191 - Alderney Regional Environmental Assessment of Renewable Energy: Environmental Report

Alderney Regional Environmental Assessment of Renewable Energy:
Environmental Report
6. Historic Environment
The area of the Bailiwick of Guernsey (which comprises Guernsey, Alderney and Sark) has a
rich historic and archaeological record. This includes hundreds of sites and findspots, both on
land and in the marine environment, which form part of a finite and non-renewable resource.
This section first reviews the characteristics of the historic environment, before considering the
likely impacts of the Draft Plan. It focuses on the marine and terrestrial archaeological
properties independently, as the potential impacts vary and need to be accounted for as such.
6.1 Marine Archaeology
6.1.1 Baseline Description
Marine archaeology is assessed in relation to prehistoric archaeology and maritime
archaeology. The prehistoric theme comprises of land surfaces with evidence of human
activity, including now submerged landscape features, artefacts, sites, and find-spots that date
from the earliest occupation of Britain. The maritime archaeological resource consists broadly
of vessel remains, wreckage and submerged vessel/cargo debris. The timeline for this covers
sites from all periods dating from the Mesolithic to the modern day.
Prehistoric Archaeology: Until at least the late Mesolithic period the Channel Islands would
have been connected to continental Europe, until the land-bridge was breached. Prior to this
time, people and animals would have lived on and moved across the landscape, potentially
leaving evidence of such activity. There is the potential for the preservation of such landscapes
with the submergence and burial below the seabed.
From the Guernsey REA (Guernsey Renewable Energy Team, 2011) it is clear that there is
very little evidence available for such landscapes. Evidence of late Palaeolithic flint scatters
were identified on the seabed between the islands of Crevichon and Jethou, off Guernsey. The
scatter was however an isolated occurrence although there is the possibility of similar
exposures elsewhere around the Channel Islands (Guernsey Renewable Energy Team, 2011),
including Alderney.
In the Alderney study area, no evidence of prehistoric activity has been identified in the marine
environment, although such evidence has been identified in coastal areas around the island.
On the island, there is evidence of land surfaces which could have been utilised in prehistory.
This is in the form of peat deposits, which were identified at several locations across the island,
some of which were also identified to contain a number of worked flints considered to date
between the Palaeolithic and Neolithic. Further to the peat deposits, finds of flint material
considered to date from the Mesolithic to the Bronze Age were identified on raised beaches
across the island, with examples at Catt’s Bay (MGU4262) and Berry’s Quarry (MGU4282). A
Mesolithic flint assemblage indicative of a settlement was identified north of Val L’Emauve,
while the remains of a submerged forest considered to date to the Bronze Age was identified
within Longis Bay.
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