Post-determination

Planning consent, conditioned for archaeology, should normally only be granted when the archaeology present is understood - hence the appropriate mitigation can be defined. The two commonest conditions applied mirror issued planning guidance:

• a negative suspensive condition requiring undefined works to the agreement of the planning authority; or
• a requirement for a watching brief during the development.

Typically post-determination mitigation will deal with the archaeology which could not be protected through the design of the scheme. Normally works commence with the exposure of the archaeology (area strip, monitoring or watching brief) and then progress to the formal excavation of the features present.

The material recovered is then subject to post-excavation analysis and publication. The scale of works is agreed with the planning authority through a method statement and on satisfactory completion the planning condition will be purged.

In the event of conditioned consent being granted without detailed archaeological information being available then it may be necessary to commence with predetermination style investigative works. This should be avoided except where site conditions are such as to militate against predevelopment works (eg unstable structures).