Care homes and later living
Archaeology for Care Home and Later Living Development
Care and later living schemes sit on modest sites but usually involve full-footprint slabs, extensive drainage and hard landscaping, so disturbance is close to total.
- Main risk
- Start on site delayed by an undischarged condition
- Cost profile
- Usually modest relative to build cost
- Best strategy
- Discharge immediately after consent
- Typical method
- Evaluation, then targeted work if needed
Why this scheme type carries the requirement it does
Site areas are small enough that archaeological cost is rarely the main concern, but pre-commencement conditions on a small site still stop a start on site just as effectively as on a large one. Funding structures often make a delayed start expensive.
The approach that keeps it proportionate
Discharge early. On sites of this size evaluation and any resulting mitigation can usually be completed quickly, so the sensible strategy is to deal with the condition as soon as consent is granted rather than close to mobilisation.
Questions
Common questions on this
Can we discharge the condition before we have a contractor?
Yes, and it is usually the right order. The archaeological condition does not need the main contractor in place, and dealing with it first removes it from the critical path.
Project review
Archaeology on a care homes and later living scheme?
Send the footprint, the depth of disturbance and the planning position. We will set out the requirement and the programme it implies.