PPS5 and the future of local government historic environment services

1. PPS5 and the future of local government historic environment services Stewart Bryant, Chair ALGAO (UK) Dave Barrett, Chair ALGAO (England)

2. PPS 5 • Brings historic environment into the mainstream planning system • Greater policy emphasis on pre-application assessment • Better policy provision for undesignated assets • A key role for local government HE services and HERs • Addresses policy deficiencies of PPG 16 – publication, community engagement etc. • An opportunity to improve the systems and the outcomes

3. The future: local government historic environment services • 25-35% reductions in funding for local authorities 2010-14 • No statutory status • No national PIs • Short-term uncertainty/chaos with strategic planning (housing targets) • Longer-term uncertainty over the future of the planning system • Much more time spent trying to survive

4. Problems with carrying on with PPG systems and outcomes • Fewer (perhaps far fewer) local government resources • Absence of sound regulatory framework (S & G) • Greater challenge from developers and LPAs • Outdated fieldwork methodologies that are unable to cope with the scale, quantity and range of archaeological discoveries • Adding to the general lack of understanding (research and public benefit) of the significance of the many 1000s of sites investigated in the PPG 16 era • Adding to the massive backlog of analysis and dissemination

5. The future: better regulation of the process and outcomes ? • Less local gov resources will inevitably mean greater self regulation by the sector • Much greater emphasis on strategic planning – ensuring HE input ‘upstream’ of the planning process. • Fewer projects, but with higher quality outcomes • Less unnecessary adversarial encounters ! • New processes required for regulation and quality control of Grey Lit, post-ex, publication and archiving • Higher quality benchmarks required for most of the processes and outcomes • Extend and improve the IfA RO system

6. The future: Improving research and understanding • More syntheses of the results of the past 20 years fieldwork – thematic and regionally based • Which feeds into advice and guidance on fieldwork sampling strategies • Investment in IT esp HERs to model understanding • Compulsary CPD for all - reading and attending conferences • Access to specialist and research advice • Greater public engagement

7. Current Initiatives • ALGAO Roles and Responsibilities Project • IfA curatorial S & G • Revision of IfA DBA S & G • ALGAO PPS training • HER 21 Projects

8. ALGAO R & R Project • UK wide • A means of assessing the factors that influence type and level of HE service required for a local authority • For advocacy, benchmarking comparisons • Takes account of differences between local authorities (rural, urban, unitary, 2-teir etc) • Looks in detail at; capacity and pressures, heritage assets, casework

9. Curatorial S & G initial questionnaire to LAs • what procedures do you use to monitor notifiable development (planning applications) e.g. scan lists; respond to consultations; search websites ? • what proportion of planning applications do you cover/screen by this/these processes ? • what procedures do you use to select which applications to appraise against information held on the SMR/HER ? • what procedures do you use to make specific positive recommendations to LPAs about the archaeological implications of planning applications • when recommending predetermination or post-determination evaluation; do you have any specific advice or guidance on techniques and sampling, including percentages sampled by trial-trenching ? • under what circumstances do you monitor field investigations undertaken in response to planning requirement ? • do you have guidance or informal procedures for planning enforcement, if for instance, work is unsatisfactory or planning requirements have been breached or not met ? • what procedures do you have for the quality control of reports produced by contractors as part of the planning process ? • what procedures do you have for monitoring of post-excavation, publication and archiving of the results of projects ?