WE ARE CONCERNED

ARCHAEOLOGY IN DANGER

Our society is not a political organisation. Our main activity is to discover, record and, as far as possible, protect our local historic and archaeological heritage. We have done this successfully for over 50 years within the framework of existing laws and local rules and regulations.

Along with many other organisations, we are concerned that proposed legislation now passing through parliament could threaten, not only potential sites of historic importance, but also sites we have already discovered but have not yet been given official protection.

The proposed localism bill will allow parish councils or neighbourhood forums to draw up “neighbourhood development plans”. These are intended to allow local communities to say where they would like to see future development, such as more housing or business premises. As long as these neighbourhood plans are in accordance with national policy  and with the more strategic Local Plan (to be set out by the local authority), local people will be able to vote on the neighbourhood plan by referendum, and if carried, they will have statutory weight.

The Government is also proposing to give a “community right to build”. If “the community” proposes housing or business development in a particular place, as long as they meet certain minimum criteria and can demonstrate support in a local referendum, a traditional planning application will not be required for that development to go ahead.

We do not know what safeguards, if any, may be put in place to protect buildings or sites of historic or archaeological interest. Those that do not have any sort of statutory protection are particularly at risk. It seems that it is going to be up to us, as members of our local community, to ensure that what we regard as significant in our area, is not damaged by development.

The National Trust has attracted national publicity by highlighting the dangers of the Government’s intention to simplify national planning policy. Over a thousand pages of planning policy are being replaced by around fifty in the current Draft National Planning Policy Framework.

Listed buildings, conservation areas and scheduled monuments will still enjoy some protection from developments which could cause “substantial harm”. Non-protected buildings and sites will be subjected to planning judgements  based on a presumption in favour of sustainable development. Only a strong case, made well in advance, about the importance of a site and how it will be damaged,  can modify the planned development.

As an archaeological society we are not in a position to be for or against any particular proposed development in principle. As individuals we can do that through other channels. However, we are on shifting sands as regards the protection given by existing planning regulations. We, as individuals and as a Local Society, need to be aware of any proposals to produce Neighbourhood Development Plans for our communities to ensure that our heritage is not lost by default. We should be prepared to lobby for the protection of what we think needs preserving and for the archaeological recording for what cannot be saved from development.

HDAS members and concerned individuals are invited to nominate local buildings, interesting historic features, archaeological sites of whatever kind, particularly those that have no statutory protection (by listing or scheduling) that you know about in your own area and that you value for their local importance and significance and that you would want to be preserved for future enjoyment and appreciation. The suggestions will be collated and passed to the appropriate authorities.

A meeting has taken place with the West Yorkshire Archaeology Advisory Service (WYAAS), who hold and maintain the Historic Environment Record (HER) for West Yorkshire. WYAAS have undertaken to check all the society’s submissions and add any appropriate items to the HER and use any information we send to guide them in responding to planning applications in West Yorkshire.

N.B.  All the well known historic buildings and sites are already on the HER, but if you know of any lesser known sites that should be considered, please send your suggestions to -

Granville Clay at claygran@aol.com

For previous articles and features, click on these links - ARCHIVE04 ARCHIVE08-09