Infrastructure and research: a marine perspective

The increasing pressure on the environment of large-scale infrastructure development in the UK in recent years has had a profound effect on the historic environment. For these effects to be identified and successfully mitigated requires a real understanding of how we look at the protection and enhancement of the archaeology through the legislative and planning framework, and also through the considered inclusion of defined research objectives – both at the national and regional level. This situation is perhaps more easily recognised in onshore infrastructure development and the interaction with the terrestrial historic environment. However, this also applies equally to the marine historic environment, where in recent years the boom in development – offshore wind, marine renewables, energy transmission, sub-sea cables, and port and harbour development – has seen the recognition of the need for equally robust consideration of this less visible cultural heritage resource. This paper explores the current status with regard to the challenging balancing act between discharging conditions placed on marine developers as part of the planning consenting process, and how this process might be augmented and enhanced with the inclusion of considered research questions.

Dan Atkinson and Andrew Bicket, Wessex Archaeology