Severn Estuary: Assessment of sources for appraisal of the impact of maritime aggregate extraction

The Severn Estuary: Assessment of sources for appraisal of impact of maritime aggregate extraction project was undertaken by the Museum of London Archaeology Servcice (MoLAS) and was funded by the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund as distributed by English Heritage. The project involved the identification, collection and appraisal of data sets for the marine archaeological resources within the Severn Estuary and Inner Bristol Channel, assessment of the marine archaeological resource and assessment of the potential impact upon the resource by current and future marine aggregate extraction. The study encompasses the Severn Estuaries landward limit stated as Chart Datum (LAT) from Gore point in the south west on west side of Porlock Bay to Gloucester in the north east. The landward limit upon the welsh side is defined as mean low Water (MLW) to Nash Point near Llantwit Major in the north west, an area roughly analogous to the Bristol Channel Marine Aggregates and Constraints Project (BCMACP), Severn Estuary and Inner Bristol Channel zones. The study area is set within a highly dynamic estuarine environment, with its current form being largely influenced by Holocene sea level change, erosion and sediments deposition.