pps5 and the future of local government historic environment services

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Association of Local Government Archaeological Officers: England

PPS5 and the future of local government historic environment

services

Stewart Bryant, Chair ALGAO (UK)

Dave Barrett, Chair ALGAO (England)

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1. Brings historic environment into the mainstream planning system

2. Greater policy emphasis on pre-application assessment

3. Better policy provision for undesignated assets 4. A key role for local government HE services and

HERs5. Addresses policy deficiencies of PPG 16 –

publication, community engagement etc. 6. An opportunity to improve the systems and the

outcomes

PPS 5

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• 25-35% reductions in funding for local authorities 2010-14

• No statutory status• No national PIs• Short-term uncertainty/chaos with strategic

planning (housing targets)• Longer-term uncertainty over the future of the

planning system • Much more time spent trying to survive

The future: local government historic environment services

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Problems with carrying on with PPG systems and outcomes

• Fewer (perhaps far fewer) local government resources • Absence of sound regulatory framework (S & G) • Greater challenge from developers and LPAs• Outdated fieldwork methodologies that are unable to

cope with the scale, quantity and range of archaeological discoveries

• Adding to the general lack of understanding (research and public benefit) of the significance of the many 1000s of sites investigated in the PPG 16 era

• Adding to the massive backlog of analysis and dissemination

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• Less local gov resources will inevitably mean greater self regulation by the sector

• Much greater emphasis on strategic planning – ensuring HE input ‘upstream’ of the planning process.

• Fewer projects, but with higher quality outcomes• Less unnecessary adversarial encounters !• New processes required for regulation and quality

control of Grey Lit, post-ex, publication and archiving

• Higher quality benchmarks required for most of the processes and outcomes

• Extend and improve the IfA RO system

The future: better regulation of the process and outcomes ?

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The future: Improving research and understanding

• More syntheses of the results of the past 20 years fieldwork – thematic and regionally based

• Which feeds into advice and guidance on fieldwork sampling strategies

• Investment in IT esp HERs to model understanding • Compulsary CPD for all - reading and attending

conferences • Access to specialist and research advice • Greater public engagement

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1. ALGAO Roles and Responsibilities Project

2. IfA curatorial S & G

3. Revision of IfA DBA S & G

4. ALGAO PPS training

5. HER 21 Projects

Current Initiatives

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1. UK wide

2. A means of assessing the factors that influence type and level of HE service required for a local authority

3. For advocacy, benchmarking comparisons

4. Takes account of differences between local authorities (rural, urban, unitary, 2-teir etc)

5. Looks in detail at; capacity and pressures, heritage assets, casework

ALGAO R & R Project

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• what procedures do you use to monitor notifiable development (planning applications) e.g. scan lists; respond to consultations; search websites ?

• what proportion of planning applications do you cover/screen by this/these processes ?

• what procedures do you use to select which applications to appraise against information held on the SMR/HER ?

• what procedures do you use to make specific positive recommendations to LPAs about the archaeological implications of planning applications

• when recommending predetermination or post-determination evaluation; do you have any specific advice or guidance on techniques and sampling, including percentages sampled by trial-trenching ?

• under what circumstances do you monitor field investigations undertaken in response to planning requirement ?

• do you have guidance or informal procedures for planning enforcement, if for instance, work is unsatisfactory or planning requirements have been breached or not met ?

• what procedures do you have for the quality control of reports produced by contractors as part of the planning process ?

• what procedures do you have for monitoring of post-excavation, publication and archiving of the results of projects ?

Curatorial S & G initial questionnaire to LAs

pps5 and the future of local government historic environment services

Documents