30th October 2015, 11:45 AM
Quote:No developer's going to spends 100ks (or millions) on unwanted archaeology unless they've got an assurance they're going to be allowed to build something afterwards!
And no planning authority should allow an excavation for the purposes of mitigation unless the development is almost certainly going to go ahead;
NPPF 136 - "Local planning authorities should not permit loss of the whole or part of a heritage asset without taking all reasonable steps to ensure the new development will proceed after the loss has occurred."
So while an evaluation purely for the purpose of informing a planning decision or condition (that is to say a WSI for mitigation) is acceptable under national policy (para 128), undertaking a full excavation prior to determination of the application most certainly is not.