Higher Standen Drive School, Clitheroe, Lancashire Archaeological Evaluation Report

In July 2022, Oxford Archaeology (OA) North were commissioned by Equans to undertake an archaeological trial trench evaluation of a proposed school development site on land at Higher Standen Drive, Clitheroe, Lancashire (NGR
SD 74945 40725).
The work was undertaken as a condition of Planning Permission (planning ref.:3/2022/0116). A planning consultation letter was included with the planning
documentation produced by the Planning Officer (Archaeology) of Lancashire County Council’s Historic Environment Team (LCCHET). The letter identifies that the Design Statement for the project states that an archaeological evaluation will be undertaken in the location of the putative Roman road and the remainder of the site. As such, Equans commissioned OA North to produce a written scheme of investigation and undertake the necessary fieldwork,
which was carried out over two days; between 7th and 8th July 2022.
A total of nine trenches was excavated, three of which were positioned on the course of a putative Roman road, although one of the trenches targeting the putative Roman road was required to be moved due to its proposed position
being in a part of site which had been fenced off. Archaeological remains were only encountered in Trench 1, in the form of a shallow ditch, there was also evidence of a post-medieval stone-lined culvert in Trenches 1, 2 and 3. All other trenches were entirely blank and there were no finds recovered. As such, it is likely that any remains which may have been associated with the putative Roman road have been truncated and there is no remaining potential
for significant archaeological remains to have survived.