» My archaeological condition is for a monitoring scheme – how does that work?
A monitoring scheme, or watching brief requires an archaeologist (or archaeologists) to be on-site while invasive groundworks take place. As the name of the process implies, the archaeologist will observe the excavations taking place and will record any archaeological remains as the development proceeds. If more archaeology than is expected is uncovered, the archaeologist will liaise with the local authority as to whether the scheme shoudl continue as a watching brief or if it would be better suited to excavation in part or as a whole.
The archaeologist must be given enough time and space to undertake recording works, with the provision of also allowing the local authority archaeology officer to visit the site. As with excavations, watching brief may also produce material required to be further studied by specialists.
One thing to remember is that even if no archaeological remains are uncovered in the watching brief, the archaeologist still needs to produce a report to fulfil the condition.