Councillors are set to decide on a planning application for a housing development on a site where significant Iron Age burials were discovered during archaeological surveys. Land Promoters, the Silverwood Partnership, have proposed building 115 new homes on a field located on the outskirts of the small village of Haydon.
The archaeological investigations, carried out as part of the planning process, revealed the grave of an Iron Age man, as well as a rare joint burial of a dog and a cow. These findings have been described as “significant” by local experts, illuminating the area’s ancient past.
Despite the importance of these discoveries, officers from Bath and North East Somerset Council have recommended approval of the development. Their report indicated, “The archaeology has already been excavated and is no longer present on the site,” suggesting that the findings have been adequately documented.
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The council’s planning committee will vote on the proposal during a meeting scheduled for Wednesday, 5 August, at 10am in the council chamber at Bath Guildhall. The local community has expressed concerns about the impact of the development, which would increase the size of Haydon by approximately 50%, fundamentally altering the character of the hamlet.
Local councillor Lesley Mansell (Radstock, Labour) commented on the proposal, stating, “The homes would represent a dramatic and unprecedented change to this small, close-knit community. The scale of the development is excessive for a hamlet of Haydon’s size.”
The site is currently not designated for housing in the council’s Local Plan, the key strategic document outlining planning policies and development locations. However, it was listed among potential sites for inclusion in the forthcoming revised Local Plan. Despite the plan not yet being finalised, developers have already submitted planning applications for several such sites.
Further details from the archaeological excavation reveal that in addition to the burials, several pits containing sherds of pottery believed to be from the Iron Age were found, alongside numerous post holes. The human skeleton was carefully excavated from within a large grain storage pit. Meanwhile, the cow’s skeleton was discovered in a ditch, positioned with its head resting above that of a dog skeleton, which itself lay atop a cow horn-burial arrangements of this nature are noted in archaeological records.
The remains have been removed to enable detailed analysis. Should planning permission be granted, a condition will require the full archaeological report to be compiled, analysed, and published.
It is thought that the Iron Age activity on the site is associated with a nearby settlement. Adjacent fields have previously yielded remains of a Romano-British settlement, which may represent a continuation of earlier habitation in the area.