Heritage and Archaeology Consultancy Services.
Cultural heritage and archaeology consultancy services, with heritage managed as a project risk across the lifecycle. We provide the reports and services your project, planning application or lender requires, thoroughly researched, best practice and proportionate.
Heritage risk on financed infrastructure and mining
SpecialismCultural heritage managed as a project risk across the full lifecycle. Heritage Impact Assessments and Cultural Heritage Management Plans (CHMP) written to satisfy IFC PS8, World Bank ESS8, EBRD ESR 8, EIB Standard 10, AIIB's ESP, the Equator Principles, IRMA and ICMM, with chance-find procedures, stakeholder engagement, monitoring, ESAP tracking, independent peer review and governance across the full project lifecycle. More on lender and heritage compliance.
Feasibility studies and planning advice
Feasibility studies at the pre-planning stage for development sites and infrastructure, highlighting high-level heritage and archaeology constraints and opportunities, and advice on the historic-environment aspects of planning proposals.
Desk-based assessment (DBA), heritage statements (HS) and heritage impact assessment (HIA)
A range of heritage reports to support planning applications, including desk-based archaeological assessment, heritage statements, heritage impact assessment and historic environment assessment. Setting assessments are undertaken in accordance with the NPPF and the Historic England guidance The Setting of Heritage Assets, alongside historic landscape assessment where required and relevant.
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and ESIA
Environmental Impact Assessment for the historic environment, and preparation of the cultural heritage chapters for Environmental Statements and Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA). We provide the specialist cultural contribution from initial screening and scoping through to the preparation of the Environmental Statement (ES) chapter. The process identifies the likely significant environmental impacts of proposed developments, including effects on the historic environment and cultural heritage.
We work closely with other EIA/ESIA disciplines as an integral part of the project design team, so that heritage considerations are built into the design at the earliest possible stage, reducing the potential for adverse effects and the need for costly mitigation.
Written Scheme of Investigation (WSI)
A Written Scheme of Investigation (WSI) is a specification that sets out the scope of works required to understand the extent, character and significance of any archaeological remains within a planning application area. It sets out the method statement and proposed programme of archaeological work, and how it will be implemented, prepared for agreement and approval with the regulatory authority.
Commission and management of archaeological fieldwork, project design and implementation
We can commission and manage archaeological fieldwork for clients, to ensure that fieldwork is undertaken to the satisfaction of the regulatory authorities while being proportionate and meeting our client's needs, expectations and timescales.
Heritage handled as a continuous thread, not a single report.
Heritage runs through a project from first appraisal to sign-off. What matters, and what we produce, changes as the scheme develops.
Early appraisal
At concept and feasibility, we establish what heritage and archaeology could affect the scheme, how significant it is likely to be, and where the real constraints sit, so cost and design assumptions are informed rather than guessed.
Assessment and consent
As the design firms up, we prepare the assessments and the cultural heritage input to the planning submission or ESIA, and set out the commitments the project will need to honour.
Mitigation planning
Agreed measures are turned into a practical, budgeted and scheduled plan that sits inside the programme, so obligations are met without holding up progress on site.
Delivery and monitoring
During works we support clearance ahead of the work front, chance-find procedures, and the record-keeping that shows commitments are being met as construction proceeds.
Completion and evidence
At the end we confirm the commitments have been discharged and assemble the record that regulators, and where relevant lenders and their reviewers, will expect to see.