Supervision & Monitoring
Supporting the post-consent phases of your project
We help our clients reduce risks and avoid delays during marine development projects through our bespoke Supervision and Monitoring Services. We work across the renewables, aggregates, dredging, energy, and ports and harbours sectors, acting as ‘retained archaeologists’ once consent has been obtained. Our work streamlines liaison with regulators, statutory consultees and other key stakeholders.
We support and facilitate the discharge of planning conditions through consultancy and technical assessment that may be required for marine licenses throughout the post-consent phases of a project.
Watching Brief
Watching briefs are an ongoing process of supervision designed to ensure archaeological remains are identified, investigated and recorded before development. They are carried out while groundwork (i.e. dredging and trenching) is underway. A Watching Brief is a very efficient way to get quick decisions on incidental finds and minimise any impact on the construction process caused by the archaeological investigation.
This approach is usually required on sites that have demonstrated some archaeological potential through previous investigation and background research. Watching briefs are carried out by a qualified archaeologist, on site to monitor all invasive groundwork until it is complete or the potential for discovering remains has been exhausted.
Watching Brief
Watching briefs are an ongoing process of supervision designed to ensure archaeological remains are identified, investigated and recorded before development. They are carried out while groundwork (i.e. dredging and trenching) is underway. A Watching Brief is a very efficient way to get quick decisions on incidental finds and minimise any impact on the construction process caused by the archaeological investigation.
This approach is usually required on sites that have demonstrated some archaeological potential through previous investigation and background research. Watching briefs are carried out by a qualified archaeologist, on site to monitor all invasive groundwork until it is complete or the potential for discovering remains has been exhausted.
We work in partnership with the developer to identify construction activity that can take place elsewhere on site while we investigate remains. Occasionally, a watching brief will identify unexpected remains that are important enough to require additional archaeologists or a contingent excavation which we are able to resource swiftly and efficiently to manage the risk for our partners.
Written Scheme of Investigation (WSI)
A Written Scheme of Investigation outlines known and potential archaeological features and deposits on a site and suggests a structure for protecting them using the latest, most appropriate and cost-effective archaeological techniques.
Our team can produce quality WSIs which meet the highest of professional standards and satisfy the requirements of the local authority. This can include consultation with the local authority, providing advice and support to a client and devising innovative strategies that result in efficient approval and cost-effective solutions.
Protocols for Archaeological Discoveries (PAD)
Protocols for Archaeological Discoveries are monitoring systems for unexpected or incidental archaeological finds, used mainly in marine schemes where 24/7 construction means conventional watching briefs are not cost effective. They regulate all the procedures and responsibilities in the event of unexpected finds, without the need for an archaeologist to be on site, and enable people working on the project to report their discoveries and any recovered materials in a manner that is both convenient and effective.
We can draft protocols, liaise with clients and curators to agree a suitable Protocol and implement it on your behalf. This includes acting as a single point of contact, researching and responding to reports, and increasing the efficiency of a Protocol through our awareness programmes.
Protocols for Archaeological Discoveries (PAD)
Protocols for Archaeological Discoveries are monitoring systems for unexpected or incidental archaeological finds, used mainly in marine schemes where 24/7 construction means conventional watching briefs are not cost effective. They regulate all the procedures and responsibilities in the event of unexpected finds, without the need for an archaeologist to be on site, and enable people working on the project to report their discoveries and any recovered materials in a manner that is both convenient and effective.
We can draft protocols, liaise with clients and curators to agree a suitable Protocol and implement it on your behalf. This includes acting as a single point of contact, researching and responding to reports, and increasing the efficiency of a Protocol through our awareness programmes.