We’ve recently set up a new Historic Environment Advisory Board to give impartial advice and support as we develop plans for protecting and managing archaeology and heritage along the route.
The board brings together experts from academic, scientific and professional backgrounds, as well as key stakeholders, to independently review our approach. Similar boards have been used successfully on other major projects such as the A303 and the Lower Thames Crossing, and our approach is supported by Historic England.
One of our aims for East West Rail is to be open about how key decisions are made along the route connecting Oxford, Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge. This board will help us review our research plans and make sure the archaeological work we do provides real public value.
The appointment of the board comes after we collaborated with Historic England to officially protect a 4,000-year-old Bronze Age cemetery at Money Hill. Our original plans for the railway in this area included placing the line in a cutting, but a mined tunnel is now proposed which will preserve the integrity of the cemetery – now designated a scheduled monument.
The first meeting took place last month at our Milton Keynes office, with 17 members attending. We gave an overview of the route and timetable, explained the purpose of the board, and discussed membership, the process for choosing a Chair, and plans for future meetings. Feedback from the group has been very positive.
Luke Wormald, Historic England Head of East Region and Infrastructure, said: “The establishment of East West Rail’s Historic Environment Advisory Board represents a real model of partnership working, showing how major infrastructure development and heritage protection can work hand-in-hand.
“This collaborative approach, which we warmly support, ensures that the rich archaeological and historic environment along the route is not simply safeguarded but celebrated as part of the project.”
The board is expected to meet every three months, with the next meeting planned for February 2026. At that session, we’ll look more closely at the many archaeological sites along the route and begin shaping our plans for excavating the most significant ones. Later meetings will cover what happens to any finds – such as placing them in museums – and will include visits to our planned evaluation sites in 2026.
The first phase of archaeological work will be a programme of trial trenching to identify potential sites between Bedford and Cambridge.