The Buckinghamshire Historic Environment Forum met on 25 September 2025 at the Chilterns Open Air Museum (COAM), Chalfont St Peter. The forum was scheduled to discuss wartime Buckinghamshire, presentations from multiple organisations, the Archaeological Emergency Recording Fund, and a government consultation on streamlining infrastructure planning.

Presentations

The forum was scheduled to hear presentations from:

• Martin Curtis from COAM, providing an overview of the museum
• Milton Keynes Council, on Bletchley Park¹
• Buckinghamshire Council

Buckinghamshire Council Heritage and Archaeology Team Report

The forum was scheduled to receive an update from the Buckinghamshire Council Heritage and Archaeology Team.

Archaeology

The report pack included updates on several archaeological projects:

• South-East Aylesbury Link Road: CFA Archaeology had completed the fieldwork phase, with post-excavation work underway. The final phase of excavation recorded more waterlogged cut timbers.
• East West Rail: Rail and station upgrades were expected, and further geophysical surveys were likely.
• HS2: Works were progressing, with most of the field archaeology completed. The preservation in situ² sites were being monitored, as was Grim's Ditch Scheduled Monument, which had sheet piling undertaken each side of the railway line to preserve as much of the monument as possible. The monument suffered minor damage when a grass cutting machine drove over it, and fencing and signage have been improved.
• Rosefield Solar Farm: Headland Archaeology had undertaken trial trenching, revealing Iron Age to Roman settlement remains. A second phase of trenching will be undertaken for the arrays.
• Hampden Fields: Oxford Archaeology, working with RPS, were continuing evaluation and mitigation for this large development. Recent trial trenching led to an area excavation of an area of Roman settlement, thought to be a farmstead and trackway.
• Brightmoor Farm, Thornborough: John Moore Heritage Services undertook an evaluation for a change of use of part of an area of land from agricultural to domestic and the demolition and replacement the existing dwelling. A section of the previously identified Roman Road was uncovered, as well as a series of intercutting Roman ditches and gullies.
• Westcott Solar Farm: Headland Archaeology had been undertaking monitoring and recording for the cable run, recording a possible Roman road and a possible Roman wall.

The report pack also included data on planning-related archaeological work, outreach and publicity, and Historic Environment Record (HER) performance.

New National Designations

The report pack noted that Historic England had newly designated four sites:

• The barn to the west of Well Farm
• The Lodge, Rayners Avenue, Loudwater
• Home Barn, Wilton Farm, Little Marlow
• The Granary at Wilton Farm, Little Marlow

Fleet Marston

The report pack noted that the remains of the Roman town at Fleet Marston, just north-west of Aylesbury, had been scheduled. The scheduled area encompasses the area between the existing railway line at Aylesbury Parkway and the new boundary created by the line of the HS2 railway.

The HS2 excavations, which took place in 2021-22, revealed an Iron Age settlement of roundhouses and enclosure ditches, the Roman road of Akeman Street and associated roadside plots and enclosures, minor Roman roads joining Akeman Street from the south and a pair of late-Roman cemeteries (the largest identified in Buckinghamshire) with around 400 burials.

Historic Environment Record

The report pack included performance indicator statistics for the Historic Environment Record (HER).

Countryside Stewardship Scheme

The report pack stated that there was still a great deal of uncertainty over the expected transition to the proposed new Environmental Land Management Scheme³.

NHRE to HER Project

The report pack noted that Paul Clements had started work on the National Record of the Historic Environment to Historic Environment Records data transfer project (NRHE to HERs project) at the beginning of June.

HER Enhancement and Volunteer Projects

The report pack stated that the two consultants from Skylarkeology had continued work on the Aerial Investigation and Mapping project in north Buckinghamshire. The HER volunteer working on the milestones project continues to work on enhancing the records for milestones.

Buckinghamshire's Heritage Portal

The report pack included statistics on user numbers and page views for Buckinghamshire's Heritage Portal.

Local Heritage List

The report pack stated that work continues with nominations and adoption of heritage.

Conservation Area Reviews

The report pack noted that Buckinghamshire Council has 179 designated Conservation Areas⁴ within its boundaries and that most of the appraisal documents are over 20 years old and in need of review.

Public Consultation for the reviews of Aylesbury, Winslow, Buckingham and Haddenham CA will be running for a 6-week period in September/ October 2025 with a view to adopt early 2026.

Historic Buildings and Landscapes Casework and Buildings at Risk

The report pack stated that Buckinghamshire Council continues its efforts to work with the owner of Mentmore Towers in the interest of good conservation.

Milton Keynes Heritage & Design Team Update

The forum was scheduled to receive an update from the Milton Keynes Heritage & Design Team.

Archaeological Fieldwork

The report pack noted that excavations by Pre-Construct Archaeology on the substantial MK East Strategic Urban Extension (MKESUE) development continued, with focus shifting to a mid to late Iron Age streamside settlement east of the A509 Newport Road.

Extensive trial trenching in the far north of the borough ahead of the proposed Green Hill Solar scheme revealed several areas of late Iron Age and Romano-British settlement activity. Of particular note was the discovery of a late 1st century to early 2nd century CE pottery kiln with intact kiln bars and pedestal.

Heritage at Risk

The report pack stated that in Milton Keynes there are six entries on the National Heritage at Risk Register. The local Heritage at Risk Register (HAR) has been updated and published on the City Council website.

MK New Town Heritage Register

The report pack noted that Milton Keynes City Council (MKCC) established its first 'local list' in September 2024, in the form of its thematic New Town Heritage Register.

Development Management Casework & Appeals

The report pack stated that the team continue to be consulted on and involved in a significant number of planning applications, including several large strategic housing sites and also nationally significant infrastructure projects such as East West Rail and Green Hill Solar Farm.

In March 2025, the Heritage and Design Team appeared as expert witnesses in two major public enquiries, redevelopment of Jaipur and The Point sites. The inspector agreed with 3 of the 4 areas of harm found by MKCC in The Point appeal but determined that the need for housing outweighed the harm caused.

Local Plan

The report pack noted that the team have continued to be involved in the preparation of MK City Plan 2050 drafting the heritage chapter for the Regulation 19 version of the plan.

Historic Environment Record

The report pack stated that in July the Historic Environment Record mapping was migrated from MapInfo to QGIS.

Community & Outreach

The report pack noted that the 16th MK Archaeology Day will be held in the Church of Christ the Cornerstone on Saturday 1st November.

Archaeological Emergency Recording Fund

Eliza Alqassar, Historic & Built Environment Manager, Buckinghamshire Council, was scheduled to lead a discussion on the Archaeological Emergency Recording Fund. The report pack noted that at the September 2020 BHEF committee meeting it was agreed that following the transition to a Unitary authority, Buckinghamshire Council would contribute 80% (£800) of the annual contributions to cover the total previously contributed by the legacy district and county councils. As per previous agreements, Milton Keynes Council would contribute 15% (£150) and the Buckinghamshire Archaeology Society would contribute 5% (£50). The current fund stands at £10,650. No funds have been spent since 2013, when the fund was used to excavate a Roman casket burial.

Other Topics

Eliza Alqassar, Historic & Built Environment Manager, Buckinghamshire Council, was also scheduled to lead a discussion on the government consultation on Streamlining Infrastructure Planning for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs).