Geophysical Survey & Planning - a consultant’s sop or vital tool in the Armoury
Channel: Recording Archaeology
Date: 2019-08-25

Going from a red line on a site plan with no proposed development layout through to securing and implementing planning permission, can be a long and torturous process.  It is not untypical at the start of this process to have little idea about what the potential archaeological issues may be, whether there are potential showstoppers or design constraints and what the need, scope & timing of evaluation works may be.  As well as early stage due diligence research, desk based assessment and AP & Lidar assessment, geophysical survey can play a potentially vital part in the design & planning application strategy for a proposed development, as well as helping to define and refine the evaluation strategy (a very key programme and financial issue for large greenfield sites).
Using a number of case studies, this paper will explore the objectives, needs & expectations of, and the potential pitfalls for, heritage planning consultants when commissioning and using geophysical survey.  Are we getting what we want, do we really know what we want, could/should we get more, are contractors getting interpretations right and are there other/better ways of using the results?

Rob Bourn (Orion Heritage)