IIn 2017, the Federation of Master Builders conducted The FMB House Builders’ Survey, (https://www.fmb.org.uk/media/35090/fmb-house-builders-survey-2017.pdf) this detailed survey reported that the top three reasons (given between 2012-17) as to why developers had not built more houses were as follows:

 

1. Lack of available and viable land

2. Lack of finance to the company

3. The planning system

 

Archaeology will be encountered by most housebuilders as a part of ‘The Planning System’. That’s to say it will be encountered either as a need for an assessment and/or a need for the gathering of evaluative data to inform a planning application. Then following a successful planning application, they may encounter archaeology as a Condition for mitigation. Given the large volume of Planning Applications each year, the % with an archaeological element is relatively low. However, for a developer dealing with this on their site (and often many other specialisms also) it can be a challenging issue.

 

Archaeology raises concerns over time and budget and It can also mean the appearance of Plant on site at a stage when construction is a long way off. This can draw negative attention at a stage in the project where the opposite is needed.

 

We are well used to managing these concerns and challenges. On projects large and small.

 

At Rose Cottage, Tylers Green, when working with ASC Ltd, Joe managed the excavation of a series of highly significant tile kilns. These were in the well named modern settlement of Tylers Green, Buckinghamshire. The village was known to have been home to a famous Medieval Tile Industry. However, the kilns which fired the famous tiles were not well located. When the garden of Rose Cottage was trenched ahead of development, the Rose red soil revealed tile kilns. This development drew a condition for mitigation. The kilns were excavated and the remains analysed and published. The condition fulfilled. Not many small housing developments (this was 4 houses) have such complex structures on site. This was cleared over several weeks and construction went ahead. The publication is located here - http://www.bucksas.org.uk/rob/rob_49_1_189.pdf.

 

College Farm, Great Barford

A larger residential scheme with archaeology on it was located at College Farm, Great Barford. When at Albion, Joe managed mitigation works needed to clear the remains of an Iron Age tribal boundary (of deep pits in a line between watercourses). There was Bronze Age settlement and the remains of Anglo-Saxon settlement close to the Village church. The remains were systematically and safely cleared as land was released in signed off plots to the development team. This work was coordinated with the housebuilder and by so doing the archaeological team worked safely in separate zones from the housebuilding teams.

 

We have worked on many similar, zoned sites. We fit in with the housebuilders programme. This is often to clear the Spine Road and utility runs, then to clear certain zones of land needed for the first phases of houses (show home and the earliest plots to sell). The number of people and the type and quantity of Plant needed are matters we consider very carefully to maximise efficiency and deliver what the housebuilder needs to meet their deadlines and budgets.