Prepared and maintained by Cambridge Development Archaeology for development teams working across Cambridge and Cambridgeshire.
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The next decision
Model approvals, site readiness, fieldwork release and reporting as separate dependencies. The applicable condition and agreed scheme—not a generic number of weeks—determine what evidence unlocks each next step.
An illustrative two-parcel programme
For a hypothetical development with roads in Parcel A and later housing in Parcel B, first obtain the required method approval and confirm access, services and contractor interfaces. Complete and record the agreed work in A; release it only on the scheme’s required confirmation, while B follows its own agreed investigation sequence. This example is a dependency model, not a promised duration or release arrangement.
Keep a separate reporting and archive track after site handover. Add contingency triggers for inaccessible areas, unexpected deposits, changed foundation levels and authority comments. Record which milestone moves and who authorises the revised scope.
For county-advised Cambridgeshire schemes, the council advises up to 20 working days for briefs including HER search and up to 20 working days for initial WSI review. Check the live advice and your submission status; neither allowance includes all fieldwork, revisions or final discharge.
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Archaeology is a sequence of stages, not one activity
A realistic programme shows each stage separately, because each has a different duration and a different dependency. Lumping them into one line is why archaeology appears to overrun when in fact it was never planned.
- Desk-based assessment — dependent on the scope, source availability and HER data turnaround
- Geophysical survey — dependent on area, ground conditions, crop cover, method and reporting time
- Written scheme of investigation and approval — a discrete approval step with the authority, not an internal task
- Trial trenching — driven by metreage, plant availability and how much archaeology is present
- Evaluation reporting — needed before mitigation can be agreed, and routinely omitted from programmes
- Mitigation excavation — the largest variable, set by area and feature density
- Post-excavation assessment, analysis and archive — completion gates depend on the condition and approved scheme
Dependencies that catch people out
The archaeological programme depends on things outside the archaeologist's control, and those dependencies need to appear on the programme as links, not assumptions.
- Approval of the written scheme of investigation is a precondition to fieldwork, not a parallel task
- Land access, ecology constraints and seasonal restrictions can close fieldwork windows entirely
- Machine and staff availability is finite and regional; a four-week notice period is not a plan
- Confirm the reporting and archive evidence required by the condition; fieldwork completion and final discharge are not interchangeable
How to programme it properly
Put archaeology in the enabling works window with its own stages, and phase mitigation so cleared areas are handed back progressively rather than at the end. Any phased release must be agreed in the scheme and supported by the required handover evidence.
Then hold a weekly interface with the archaeological contractor while fieldwork is live, reporting against an agreed baseline, so divergence appears as an early warning rather than as a missed handover date.
The honest answer on duration
Anyone quoting a duration for your site without the evaluation data and the approved scheme is guessing. What we will commit to is telling you at tender stage whether the window you have is deliverable — and saying so plainly if it is not, rather than agreeing and handing back a delay.
Approval and delivery gates to put in the programme
| Gate | Responsible interface | Evidence needed before the next step |
|---|---|---|
| Requirement and brief | Developer / archaeological adviser | Condition trigger, site brief and current impact plan |
| Method approval | Appointed archaeologist / authority | Written approval of the required WSI before the affected works |
| Mobilisation | Archaeologist / principal contractor | Approved method, access, services, plant and safe working arrangements |
| Fieldwork and phased release | Archaeologist / contractor / adviser | Agreed record of the areas completed and the handover confirmation required by the scheme |
| Reporting and discharge | Archaeologist / planning authority | Accepted reporting and the archive or publication evidence required by the actual condition |