Free tool
Archaeological condition decoder
Paste the archaeological condition from your decision notice. We will tell you in plain terms what it requires, what you have to produce, and whether it blocks your start on site.
- Takes
- Under a minute
- Sends nothing
- Runs in your browser
- Covers
- Nine common condition patterns
- Then
- Send it to us for a specific answer
Paste the wording
Your archaeological condition
Copy the condition exactly as it appears on the decision notice. Nothing you paste leaves your browser.
What it means
Paste a condition to see the requirement, the documents needed and the sequence.
Reference
The condition patterns we see most
Archaeological conditions vary in wording far more than in substance. Almost all of them are one of these.
Pre-commencement written scheme of investigation
No ground disturbance may begin until a written scheme of investigation has been submitted to and approved in writing by the authority. Submission alone is not enough — the approval must exist in writing before work starts.
Programme of archaeological work
The authority requires an agreed programme of archaeological work to be implemented in accordance with an approved scheme. In practice this is the same two-part obligation as a written scheme condition: agree the method, then deliver it as agreed.
Evaluation to inform mitigation
A staged condition. Evaluation is required first to establish what is present, and the mitigation strategy is then designed in response to those results. The eventual cost of the second stage is largely determined by what the first stage finds.
Archaeological watching brief or monitoring
An archaeologist must be present during specified groundworks to record anything encountered. Potential is judged low to moderate, but discoveries must be recorded and there will be a procedure for stopping and assessing anything significant.
Post-excavation, reporting, archive and publication
The second limb of a staged condition: reporting, analysis, archiving and any publication commitment must be completed, often before occupation. This runs well after the machines leave site and is routinely underestimated.
Desk-based assessment or heritage statement
Documentary assessment of the site's archaeological and heritage potential, drawing on record data, historic mapping and previous fieldwork. Usually requested to inform the decision or to scope later fieldwork.
Geophysical survey
Non-intrusive survey to map buried anomalies across the site, normally used to target later trenching. It indicates where anomalies are; it does not establish what they are or how well they survive.
Phase-by-phase discharge
The condition applies separately to each phase, so each phase must be archaeologically cleared before that phase begins. This is commercially useful: it avoids paying for archaeology on land you will not build on for years.
Looking for the full discharge sequence? See archaeological planning conditions or the cost and programme tool.
Project review
Send us the condition and we will tell you what it means for your programme
Upload the decision notice and site plan. We will confirm the requirement, the likely sequence and the realistic dates.