During recent excavation work for Crossrail, the Museum of London Archaeology ("MOLA") uncovered fourteen skeletons lying in carefully laid out rows on the edge of Charterhouse Square in Farringdon, London. The remains are believed to date back to the late 1340s and they may well be Black Death victims.
At Bloomberg Place in the City of London, MOLA continue to excavate a three acre site in the heart of the Roman city. The site is the well-known home of the Roman Temple of Mithras dating from 40 AD to the early 5th century, originally excavated in 1954 by eminent archaeologist W. F Grimes. The current archaeologists have excavated down 7 metres, removed 3500 tonnes of soil and revealed 10,000 findings from the Roman occupation.
These historical discoveries can be a major obstacle in terms of a property development programme. An archaeological find can cause construction delays of up to 18 months. Property developers perceive archaeological finds as an annoying hindrance and a nasty surprise which can be both costly and time consuming. But is there a different approach?
Another school of thought suggests that an archaeological discovery is a valuable marketing tool and an asset to any property development. At a recent talk at the Museum of London, MOLA highlighted that archaeology is a subject very much in the public's hearts and that an excavation, if used correctly, can bring a great deal of positive publicity to a development.
When the Temple of Mithras was discovered in the City of London back in the fifties, thousands of people flocked to see work unfolding on site and campaigned to ensure the site was preserved in its entirety. In the City today, completion of the Bloomberg Place development will incorporate the original Temple of Mithras, with findings from the current excavation becoming part of a publicly accessible exhibition within Bloomberg's European headquarters.
Bloomberg Place has the advantage of extensive excavation over the past 50 years so that planners, architects and consultants could factor archaeological work into the construction process from the outset. It is an example of dealing with archaeology at the start of the development process which can give everyone involved a positive experience and obtain public support for a developer's strategy.
The National Planning Policy Framework ("NPPF"), which contains the economic, environmental and social planning policies for England, requires archaeology to be a material consideration in planning. The NPPF sets out a number of factors that a planning authority must consider when determining an application affecting a heritage asset. Developers are advised to evaluate risk at the earliest opportunity before a planning application is even submitted.
It should come as no surprise that London, once known as Roman Londinium and now referred to as "Pompei of the North", is littered with archaeological remains and potentially significant sites. Early surveys of sites are the key so that you turn the unexpected into the expected, adding both historical and marketing value to a property.
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