A desk-based assessment (DBA) will usually be requested by your local planning authority prior to the determination of a planning application, or in some cases it may be requested after an application has been submitted. However, we recommend that such work be carried as early as possible in order to avoid nasty surprises and costly delays at a later stage.

The purpose of a DBA is to assess the existing or potential archaeological resource within a proposed development area and determine the likely character, extent, quality and worth of that resource. A range of material is researched depending on the nature of the site, but usually including historic mapping, aerial photographs, the local Historic Environment Record (HER), the National Monuments Record (NMR) and a range of other primary and secondary sources.

Based on the results of this work a series of recommendations are made to mitigate against the likely impact of a proposed development on the archaeological resource, this might include a further programme of survey, evaluation and subsequent excavation.

Knowing the archaeological potential of a site up front could save you weeks of costly delays in design and scheduling. Getting a DBA right is essential and Archaeo-Environment pride ourselves on providing a service trusted by planning authorities and our clients alike.

If you would like to talk through the requirements of your particular project then please give us a call on 01833 650573, or 0191 3750943; alternatively e-mail us at info@aenvironment.co.uk.

Project Profile: Washington DBA...click here for more info