Ancient history could delay modern research park
Thursday, 15th March 2012.
The discovery of Roman and Iron Age remains on the site of the proposed Haverhill Research Park could give its developers Carisbrooke a new headache.
Nic Rumsey, a director of Casrisbrooke, told town business people about the finds this morning during a talk at the monthly meeting of thebestofhaverhill.
Mr Rumsey was updating people about progress on the site at Hanchet End, where Carisbrooke gained detailed planning permission to landscape the site and bring in services and outline permission to develop it as a research park, along with a hotel, pub, creche and up to 150 houses.
An archeological survey was part of the planning conditions and Mr Rumsey said he had commissioned five percent trenching which had turned up signs of Roman and Iron Age settlements, particularly pottery and post holes.
Suffolk County Council's archaeological department became interested and asked for more work to be done.
"They could require me to take off the topsoil from nearly half the site," he said. "This means a delay is likely in the project and there could be cost implications. It could be another quarter of a million pounds which I haven't got."
The engineering works on the site were estimated to cost £4million and the whole project £8million, and Mr Rumsey has admitted in the past they do not know whether the market for research building space exists in Haverhill.
He told business people today: "I believe it has the potential to contribute very positively to the economies of Haverhill, Suffolk and the region generally.
"We have commissioned a skills survey to identify Haverhill's potential strengths to substantiate the town's research and development credentials."
The central focus of the site would be a 30,000s ft innovation centre built beside the permanent water feature.
Mr Rumsey said he had begun talking to higher education institutions,particularly University Campus Suffolk because he wanted to get them to take a building there as it would mean Haverhill could claim it was a university town.
Nic Rumsey, a director of Casrisbrooke, told town business people about the finds this morning during a talk at the monthly meeting of thebestofhaverhill.
Mr Rumsey was updating people about progress on the site at Hanchet End, where Carisbrooke gained detailed planning permission to landscape the site and bring in services and outline permission to develop it as a research park, along with a hotel, pub, creche and up to 150 houses.
An archeological survey was part of the planning conditions and Mr Rumsey said he had commissioned five percent trenching which had turned up signs of Roman and Iron Age settlements, particularly pottery and post holes.
Suffolk County Council's archaeological department became interested and asked for more work to be done.
"They could require me to take off the topsoil from nearly half the site," he said. "This means a delay is likely in the project and there could be cost implications. It could be another quarter of a million pounds which I haven't got."
The engineering works on the site were estimated to cost £4million and the whole project £8million, and Mr Rumsey has admitted in the past they do not know whether the market for research building space exists in Haverhill.
He told business people today: "I believe it has the potential to contribute very positively to the economies of Haverhill, Suffolk and the region generally.
"We have commissioned a skills survey to identify Haverhill's potential strengths to substantiate the town's research and development credentials."
The central focus of the site would be a 30,000s ft innovation centre built beside the permanent water feature.
Mr Rumsey said he had begun talking to higher education institutions,particularly University Campus Suffolk because he wanted to get them to take a building there as it would mean Haverhill could claim it was a university town.
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