Archaeology
When
we carry out environmental screening we consult with English Heritage or the
relevant county archaeological officer if a capital scheme could affect buried
archaeology or other cultural heritage.
If
our work is going to have an impact and we are unable to avoid any remains, we
carry out a range of archaeological assessments and mitigation to reduce any
adverse impacts on the historic environment.
These
include:
- desk based
assessments - all the known documentary evidence relating to the area is evaluated
to gauge the potential impact
- non-intrusive
evaluations such as geophysical surveys, field walking or landscape assessments
- intrusive
evaluations including trial trenching or excavations of sections by specialists
- mitigation during
construction such as an archaeological watching brief which involves a
specialist archaeological contractor being on site to monitor and record any
features encountered during construction
- post excavation
reporting so that the public and specialists are aware of our discoveries when
we encounter significant archaeological remains.
The
above techniques are carried out by specialist archaeological contractors
working closely with our project teams, county archaeological officers and,
where relevant, English Heritage.
The results of this work and our excavations
becomes part of the relevant local authority’s
Historic Environment Record which is publicly available.