The Kennet Valley Predictive Mapping Project: contributions to development control, heritage management and nature conservation

The Kennet Valley, southern England, shows an unusually high concentration of Terminal Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic sites. The close association of archaeological sites with deep contemporary waterlogged sequences enables the artefactual record to be placed within a wider landscape context, using a range of geoarchaeological and environmental archaeological techniques. Threats to this nationally important and finite resource are prevalent, with the valley subject to significant development and aggregate extraction pressure. Funding was provided by English Heritage (now Historic England) to develop a proactive geoarchaeological approach to predicting, identifying, mapping and protecting prehistoric assets and landscapes through the Kennet Valley Mapping Project, with the outcomes incorporated into the local and national planning process. A predictive model was developed to map and locate deposits of raised potential to preserve artefacts and palaeoenvironmental remains. This model was tested through fieldwork on key sites including Thatcham Reedbeds, Wawcott and Victoria Park, Newbury. This paper provides an overview of the contributions to the project, and the wider body of Kennet Valley research led by Martin over many years which has influenced the local and regional planning process, including HER enhancement, improved development control, outreach and nature conservation.