Archaeology
The impact that new development will have on sites containing archaeological remains is one issue taken into account by the planning authority in determining applications for planning permission.
Possible impacts
There could be a potential impact where:
- additional information is needed before an informed assessment can be made
- the applicant will be required to commission a specialist contractor to carry out further research or trial investigations to evaluate the site's potential
Early consultation about the possible impact of development proposals can have considerable benefits for prospective developers before any application is submitted.
The archaeological evaluations required, prior to planning decisions being made, may involve:
- survey work, such as geophysical survey or field walking, as well as trial excavation or building survey work
- the extent of work required and the techniques to be used varying from site to site and case to case
Once there is sufficient information available, the likely impact of the proposal upon the historic environment can be assessed, and measures to reduce or mitigate the identified impact defined.
What is taken into account
Where important historic remains are discovered as part of an evaluation it will sometimes be appropriate to refuse planning permission.
However, the more common approach is to conserve or record the archaeological remains through the application of planning conditions or a legal agreement that either:
- preserve the remains within the development
- does not permit development to commence until a specialist contractor has been engaged to excavate and record the archaeological or historic building remains that are due to be lost
Copies of all reports from fieldwork are deposited with the Historic Environment Record/Sites and Monuments Record for wider access to the community.
There are 2 planning archaeologists who provide advice and guidance in relation to planning proposals. This relates to all applications for ultimate determination by the planning authorities of North and West Northamptonshire.
Who to contact
You can email [email protected].
Charges for archaeological advice
Charges are made for all archaeological advice where this relates to proposed development for over 50 residential units, 1,000 square metres of commercial floor space or other development over 1 hectare.
From 1 January 2024 the charging schedule will be as below.
Charging relates to the following categories of development:
Category 1: Strategic
For development greater than that below, charging fees will be on application but will be commensurate with their scale.
Category 2: Major
- 750-1499 residential units
- 5,000m2+-30,000m2 commercial floorspace
- Mixed use residential/commercial development equating to the above
- Other development of 15ha-30ha in scale
- Mineral extraction and waste management
- Solar parks and wind farms/turbines
- Parking facilities
- Tourism development e.g. marina development
- Utilities
- New roads 1-2 km in length
Category 3: Significant
- 250-749 residential units
- 5,000-14,999m2 commercial floorspace
- Mixed use residential/commercial development equating to the above
- Other development of 5-15ha in scale
- Mineral extraction and waste management
- Solar parks and wind farms/turbines
- Parking facilities
- Tourism development e.g. marina development
- Utilities
- New roads of less than 1km in length
Category 4: Large
- 100-249 residential units
- 2,000-4,999m2 commercial floorspace
- Mixed use residential/commercial development equating to the above
- Other development of 2-5 ha in scale
- Mineral extraction and waste management
- Solar parks and wind farms/turbines
- Parking facilities
- Tourism development e.g. marina development
- Utilities
Category 5: Medium
- 50-99 residential units
- 1,000-1,999m2 commercial floorspace
- Mixed use residential/commercial development equating to the above
- Other development of 1-2 ha in scale
- Mineral extraction and waste management
- Solar parks and wind farms/turbines
- Parking facilities
- Tourism development e.g. marina development
- Utilities
Category 6: Small
- 6-50 residential units
- 500-999m2 commercial floorspace
- Mixed use residential/commercial development equating to the above
- Other development of 0.25-1 ha in scale
- Mineral extraction and waste management
- Solar parks and wind farms/turbines
- Parking facilities
- Tourism development e.g. marina development
- Utilities
Development of 2-5 houses or equivalent commercial/mixed use will be charged at £95 + VAT per hour. There are no charges for development below that threshold.
Charging schedule
These charges would apply to prospective developers, their agents and also archaeological organisations acting on behalf of the developers.
Charges for pre-application archaeological advice
This will consist of a formal view of the archaeological implications by the officer sent in e-mail form and will be subject, regardless of size, to a charge of £90 per hour + VAT.
Utility and agri-environment consultations, regardless of size, will be subject to a charge of £90 per hour.
Utility consultations which require evaluation and mitigation will be charged in line with the schedule below.
Charges for evaluation
This comprises production of an archaeological Brief and /or approval of a Written Scheme of Investigation (WSI), site visits, approval of report.
| Category | Price |
|---|---|
| Category 6: Small | £650 + VAT |
| Category 5: Medium | £850 + VAT |
| Category 4: Large | £1,350 + VAT |
| Category 3: Significant | £1,900 + VAT |
| Category 2: Major | £2,830 + VAT |
| Category 1: Strategic | On Application |
Charges for mitigation
This comprises production of a bespoke archaeological brief covering:
- archaeological excavation
- preservation in situ
- scheme of archaeological resource management
- archaeological management plans as appropriate
- site visits
- approval of post excavation assessments (if required)
- the final report
| Category | Price |
|---|---|
| Category 6: Small | £1,000 + VAT |
| Category 5: Medium | £1,350 + VAT |
| Category 4: Large | £1,900 + VAT |
| Category 3: Significant | £2,750 + VAT |
| Category 2: Major | £3,950 + VAT |
| Category 1: Strategic | On Application |
Historic Building Recording
This is applied where the programme of work is deemed to require detailed recording of standing fabric.
This can be a piece of work by itself or an additional requirement on a programme of archaeological work.
Where Historic Building Recording is required alongside wider archaeological work, this will be included in the above documentation and costs.
Where the recording is standalone, the following service and monitoring charges will be assessed on a case by case basis using the levels set out in ‘Understanding Historic Buildings: a Guide to Good Recording Practice’ (Historic England, 2016) incurring a charge of £95 per hour of staff time.
Last updated 15 January 2024