CPD

Continuing Professional Development Archaeology and construction projects

• Why it’s important to consider archaeology • How to include it in the construction programme

• Where to go for help in selecting archaeological professionals

Digging up the past

Our rich heritage means many construction projects are likely to encounter archaeological remains. And as Tim Malim and Andrew Townsend of SLR Consulting explain, ignore them and your scheme could become history itself.

ARCHAEOLOGY IS a fascinating subject, but it can quickly turn into a major headache for developers and contractors. Whether dealing with buried remains or standing buildings, not considering archaeology from the early stages of your development can have serious consequences, including delays to the programme, costly redesign work or bringing the entire construction process to a halt. There is also the risk of long- term reputational damage if things go wrong. So alongside other environmental considerations, archaeology should occupy a prominent place in the risk management of your project. Most archaeological work in the UK

takes place within the planning system, prior to submission of a planning application, before determination of that application, or afterwards as a condition of the consent, and is often part of a legal agreement/obligation.

In certain cases, usually with large

projects, an environmental impact assessment (EIA) will be required, which would assess the potential impact from development on the physical historic environment and also intangible heritage, collectively called “cultural heritage”. This EIA process might need to undertake, and incorporate the results from, archaeological site investigation to identify any significant effects. Archaeology follows a staged approach which can be directly correlated with RIBA’s Plan of Work (see Table 1 opposite). Inclusion of these archaeological stages at the right point within the design and

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construction process will ensure integrated project planning, reduced risk to project timetable and budget, and will enhance the management of health and safety on site. Failing to carry out the full

requirements of the archaeological work could lead to problems in having the planning conditions discharged by the local planning authority (LPA), or in some cases could constitute a criminal offence. It is therefore essential to integrate archaeology into the project programme and employ professionals to achieve correct standards.

Archaeology and the historic environment Buried archaeological remains and above-ground historic features are collectively called the “historic environment”. Individual features of the historic environment are known as “heritage assets”. These include buildings, parks and gardens, battlefields, monuments and buried archaeological remains. Nationally important heritage assets often receive a degree of legal protection such as listing or scheduling. These are known as “designated heritage assets”. The presence of designated heritage assets, or other nationally important remains that might be “spot designated”, should be a key consideration when assessing land for development. The historic environment of a

development site will often include adjacent land and adjoining features. Your

site could be part of a conservation area, or lie within a world heritage site. Less tangible, but no less important than physical elements of the historic environment, is the setting of heritage assets, and if the visual aspects of the site are considered to be significant in historical terms. Such factors would be taken into

account by the LPA when processing applications, and could prevent or restrict development. Any impact on the historic environment will have to be balanced against the public benefit that the development would bring and, if consent is granted, would usually require some form of mitigation involving archaeological fieldwork.

Construction-related archaeological fieldwork The archaeological methods and techniques can be either “intrusive” or “non-intrusive”. Non-intrusive work (or survey), can be undertaken at the site itself, remotely, or through a combination of on- and off-site techniques. A typical example is the preparation of a heritage statement or an archaeological desk-