25 sites of special interest in Bucks earmarked for possible protection

Possible protection under Historic England’s national designation scheme could be afforded to twenty five places of special interest in Buckinghamshire.

A list of sites has been drawn up by the county’s Historic Environment Forum following confirmation from Historic England’s Designation Team that Buckinghamshire could be considered in its 2016/17 programme.

Sites include woodland and monuments in Wycombe district, Bronze Age and Neolithic earthworks in South Bucks district, Roman and medieval antiquities in Aylesbury Vale and historic earthworks in Chiltern district.

Buckinghamshire County Council’s Historic Environment Record Officer, Julia Wise, said designation gave sites legal protection from disturbances such as plough damage to buried sites, levelling to earthworks, and damage from night-hawking by illegal metal detecting.

The next step is to prioritise the list and submit it to Historic England for consideration.

Warren Whyte, Cabinet Member for Planning and Environment, who chairs the Forum, said: ‘Our county’s history, archaeology and environment are important as part of our heritage and provide us with a sense of belonging. Only the most important sites are considered for national designation, and this shows how strong our heritage is.‘

The Historic Environment Forum is a partnership between the County Council, district councils, Milton Keynes Council, the National Trust, and Bucks Archaeological Society to look after Buckinghamshire’s historic environment needs, and to feed into regional and national policies affecting the historic environment.