A new study commissioned by English Heritage will examine archaeology along the south east coast of England, from Totton in Hampshire to Kingsgate in Kent. This Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey, conducted by Wessex Archaeology, will produce a detailed review of archaeology on the coast, in order to determine the sites most at risk from the impacts of climate change. Coastal sites are particularly important, as some site types are unique while others exhibit levels of preservation not generally found in terrestrial equivalents. Data will be collated from the National Monuments Record, the relevant county and local Historic Environment Records and Sites and Monuments Records, along with various other local and national sources. As part of this assessment, tens of thousands of aerial photographs will be analysed, and visible archaeological sites will be digitised to contribute to the National Mapping Programme. Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Surveys have already been undertaken in many other areas around the coast of the UK as part of a wider English Heritage initiative. While the South East is one of the last areas to be studied, English Heritage expects all of the archaeological surveys around the coast to be completed by 2013.
A project Liaison Group has been established to bring together representatives from stakeholder organisations, including English Heritage, the Environment Agency and the National Trust, as well as archaeologists from the Hampshire, East Sussex, West Sussex and Kent County Councils and the Southampton, Portsmouth and Chichester City Councils.
Read more about the Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey of South East England.