23rd August 2013, 02:02 PM
Wax Wrote:The answer is serious legislation that makes compromising the Historic Environment in anyway a criminal offence punishable by law. With serious fines, imprisonment and the removal of licences to practice for offenders of any sort including developers. Along with a serious set of professional qualifications leading to a licence to practice within the various disciplines that make up the management of the Historic Environment Resource. All things which I believe are enshrined in international conventions to which this country pays lip service but has not got round to ratifying.
Until we tackle the complete disregard for our heritage shown at the high levels of government we are stuffed as a profession:face-rain:
I agree, though with the added caveat that its not just the high levels of government that have 'a complete disregard for our heritage'; I have experienced this from many including: small-scale developers, gas engineer/managers, architects, rich property developers, the tv and film industry, many of our utility companies, many individual construction companies (but only when they have to pay for it and hardly ever from the groundworkers), national park archaeologists, members of the military (at all levels), members of the public, school teachers, farmers, land owners, metal detectorists, walkers, campers, protesters, academic archaeologists, volunteer and so-called professional archaeologists alike. Even those would claim 'oh, i've always been fascinated by archaeology', are happy to destroy it willy nilly if it saves them a few quid or ten minutes of time.
But hey, its only one old filled-in ditch, or collapsing wall. What you moaning about. You can't expect me to pay for it to be recorded. This is progress you know.