Land off Bluebell Way, Preston East, Lancashire- Evaluation

Following a proposal for a development of land at Preston East, Bluebell Way, Preston, Lancashire (centred on NGR SD 570 327), an Environmental Impact Assessment was carried out to accompany the planning application for the site. Lancashire County Archaeology Service (LCAS) stipulated a programme of archaeological evaluation be carried out as a condition of the planning consent, specifically a geophysical survey and subsequent targeted trial trenching, to understand the potential impact of the proposed development on the cultural heritage resource. The Preston East development is divided into four areas, Areas A-D. Area A was previously subjected to a programme of archaeological investigation by Oxford Archaeology (OA North) in 2011. The current programme of works is concerned with Areas 1 and 2 of Area B, which has been further sub-divided into four areas.
OA North was commissioned by Brookhouse Developments Ltd to undertake the archaeological investigation of Areas 1 and 2. In January 2012, the site was initially subjected to a geophysical survey, sampling 40% of the area with magnetometry and 15% with resistivity. However, the presence of a water main through the eastern side of the site, together with other modern debris and obstructions, meant that the survey was limited to the available area.