Memorandum submitted by the Standing Conference
on London Archaeology (SCOLA)
1. The Standing Conference on London Archaeology
(SCOLA) was set up in 1992 to promote the practice, study and
public awareness of archaeology in London; its members include
professional and volunteer archaeologists, archaeological societies
and local authorities. SCOLA has since its inception made informed
comments on the London aspects of all issues concerning the historic
environment including archaeological ones, in particular when
national Government or the Mayor of London consults on policy
proposals.
2. SCOLA welcomes the intention of the Government
to legislate in the next session to modernise and strengthen the
Heritage Protection legislation; we also welcome the publication
of the Bill in draft to give opportunity for comment and improvement
outside the sometimes confrontational atmosphere of Public Bill
Committee debates. We particularly welcome the explicit addition
of archaeological interest to the grounds for inclusion of a structure
on the register. We invite the Select Committee to urge the Government
to give this Bill high priority among the measures to be announced
in the next Queen's Speech.
3. There are some things which we wish to see
added to the Bill:
(i) The provision for the registration of
open spaces in England should not be restricted but should be
as wide as that in Wales. Many sites have their main significance
as a part of a wider historic landscape, and if that is allowed
to be degraded, the sites themselves may lose contextual significance.
Moreover, a relatively intact landscape of prehistoric, Roman
or medieval fields or hedgerows is a historic asset in itself.
(ii) It is important to provide local planning
authorities with control over the demolition of what are now called
"locally listed buildings", whether or not in a conservation
area.
(iii) The Bill should give an explicit role
to local archaeological, local history, and civic and amenity
societies, giving them a right to be consulted on all proposals
affecting heritage assets in their area, including ones for registration,
de-registration, certificates of no intention to register, and
heritage asset consent.
(iv) The Bill should recognise and enshrine
the importance of preventative maintenance of heritage assets.
4. Outside the Bill itself, we ask the Select
Committee to recommend the Government to press on with the updating
of PPG15 and PPG16 (which is lagging far behind the updating of
PPGs generally), and to do so in the form of a full PPS and not
of mere guidance notes, which will inevitably have less weight.
Finally, we would underline the need for proper resources in local
planning authorities, English Heritage, and the relevant Government
departments if the new legislation is to have the benefit which
it can, and to which we all look forward.
June 2008
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