Desk study
The first stage of any project like this is Desk Research - gathering and collating all the information on the site that's available from public records and through subscription-based databases. Sanjay's analysis of the number of mature trees on the site has pointed up the need to understand how much clay there is in the ground. When trees remove water from the ground, clay is liable to shrink.
There's a touch of Time Team about the process - even Ordnance Survey maps going back to 1892 are checked to ascertain the previous use and nature of the site. The results thrown up by desk research will determine the nature of further site investigations and fieldwork.
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