30th April 2011, 01:12 PM
perhaps I can clarify that I meant that because anyone could propose themselves as appropriate for doing planning-related archaeological work it placed a large regulatory load on the curators to consider on a case-by-case basis whether they were in fact qualified and suitable for the project in hand, and then whether the work was specified and undertaken to the right standards, etc. In contrast to say architects - planning authorities do not spend much time on wondering whether buildings have been competently designed - they assume that chartered architects will have done their job properly.
Add in the complication that the applicant is choosing their contractor, or doing the work themselves, then the current arrangement creates a lot of curatorial work which is completely unrelated to the core question of the archaeological resource and how it is to be managed.
Add in the complication that the applicant is choosing their contractor, or doing the work themselves, then the current arrangement creates a lot of curatorial work which is completely unrelated to the core question of the archaeological resource and how it is to be managed.