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Rescue responds to National Planning Policy Framework

Posted on January 28, 2011
The government recently announced a review of planning policy, designed to consolidate policy statements, circulars and guidance documents into a single consolidated National Planning Policy Framework.  Key elements of the framework are that it emphasises localism (in the spirit of the localism bill), empower communities; reflecting a proportionate, effective and relevant approach to planning policy and being user-friendly and accessible. The government asked for representations from a wide variety of groups in its consultation – from planning professionals, local authorities,…
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Rescue objects to demolition of Strand Union Workhouse

Posted on January 28, 2011
Rescue has written to Camden Borough Council making a strong objection to the Planning Application for the Demolition and Development of 44 Cleveland Street, Fitzrovia, the workhouse that is said to have inspired Charles Dickens. The building is the oldest surviving workhouse in London, built in 1775-6 by leading Georgian church architect Thomas Hardwick. The building is currently unlisted, despite strong feelings that it should enjoy this protection from both local people and national bodies, such as the Georgian Society.…
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Crisis facing our national treasures

Posted on November 16, 2010
RESCUE – The British Archaeological Trust welcomes the contribution of the Federation of Archaeological Managers and Employers (FAME) to the debate over the future of archaeological archives in the UK. We have long advocated improvements to the system of archive deposition in local and regional museums and the creation of regional depositories to hold archives from developer-funded and amateur/voluntary excavations in perpetuity. The funding crisis has only deepened the crisis surrounding the long term curation of archaeological archives. Crisis Facing…
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Archaeological Archives: problems loom

Posted on November 10, 2010
Breaking News In response to a recently issued Press Release by the Federation of Archaeological Managers and Employers (FAME), RESCUE will shortly be releasing a press release highlighting the importance of the issue, but also the importance of a long term solution. RESCUE has a long track record of concern about the lack of resource to provide suitable storage to ensure long term viability of archaeological archives. (See Dominic Perring’s article in RN 69, published in 1996, the Chairman’s letter…
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City of Adelaide set to sail?

Posted on November 10, 2010
HRH The Duke of Edinburgh used a celebration in July this year of the saving of the SS Great Britain to focus on the horrendous plight of the City of Adelaide. The ship a category A Listed Building, has been marooned on a slipway in Irvine for over a decade. Proposals put forward over the years have not proved viable and consent for the vessel’s recorded deconstruction had been given in 2007. As reported in RN 110, a campaign to…
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Rescue News 112: Out very soon

Posted on November 7, 2010
Rescue News 112 for Spring 2011 will be sent to members towards the end of February. Why not join us to receive your very own copy? You can read snippets of articles from issue 112 here, together with articles from old issues of Rescue News

English Heritage Announce 200 Jobs to Go

Posted on October 28, 2010
In a Press Release, English Heritage have said that the 32% cut in their budget will mean a significant reduction in the range and scope of services they are able to provide. They outlined that they will devote their attention to 3 core activities: -planning advice services, especially given the cuts in local authority funding; -designation, ie identifying heritage and protecting it by listing, scheduling and so on, which is a core activity no one else can do; -the maintenance…
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Proposed cuts at Nottinghamshire County Coucil

Posted on October 14, 2010
Nottinghamshire County Council have published proposals for cuts to the Council’s Conservation Budget of 75%, reducing their staff from 33 to 6. This will effectively mean the end of all county archaeology services in Nottinghamshire. At the moment it seems unlikely that any of the remaining 6 staff will be archaeologists. The proposals can be found here. Rescue is supporting a campaign to fight these cuts. We urge as many members as possible to write to local MPs and the…
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Redundancies at Birmingham Archaeology

Posted on October 14, 2010
It has recently emerged that large redundancies are to be implemented at Birmingham Archaeology, the contracting unit of The University of Birmingham. Hal Dalwood, of Worcestershire County Council Archaeological Service, reported on BAJR Federation Forum that ..40 or so staff of Birmingham Archaeology were handed their redundancy notices early last week, and they were all invited to reapply for 13 posts. There is a consultation period with unions and staff so the numbers are not definitive. The biggest impact will…
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Loss of archaeologist at Museums Sheffield

Posted on October 3, 2010
Museums Sheffield, the Trust which runs several of Sheffield’s museums, including Weston Park Museum, now have no archaeologist in post, the previous Keeper of Archaeology having left for another job, with her post then being frozen due to lack of money. The Museum, the collecting area of which encompasses a major part of South Yorkshire and north Derbyshire is also no longer accepting archives from archaeological contractors, meaning that archives will have to be held by those contractors until alternative…
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Heritage Quangos at Risk

Posted on September 26, 2010
Since coming to power, the coalition have made no secret of their plans to make wide ranging cuts to Quangos which they see as wasteful of public money. The official news was not due to emerge until the Comprehensive Spending Review , in october, but a list of 177 bodies under threat has been seen by the Daily Telegraph. Rescue have prepared a draft list of organisations in the heritage sector that will be threatened by these swingeing cuts. See…
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Greenwich Park: NOGOE states their case

Posted on September 26, 2010
Rescue has received the following PowerPoint from NOGOE – No to Greenwich Olympic Equestrian Events. They presented this at a meeting with the Chief Planning Officer, Greenwich Council and LOCOG, in an attempt to stress the importance of the Roman archaeology, and the necessity of managing the archaeological mitigation for the scheme, as thoroughly as possible. The Archaeology of Greenwich Park: NOGOE’s case View more presentations from rescuearchaeology.

Stonehenge Visitor Centre, Plans Dropped: RESCUE responds

Posted on June 19, 2010
The Government announced this week that it was withdrawing its financial support for the proposed £25m new visitor centre at the Stonehenge World Heritage Site. This is the first high-profile heritage casualty of the current budgetry pressures and forthcoming programme of spending cuts. It is unlikely to be the last. Rescue does not welcome the abandonment of such projects, and urges the Government to ensure that the nation’s heritage resources are not put at risk by short-term and short-sighted budget…
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Medieval Vaults under threat in Southampton

Posted on March 18, 2010
It has come to Rescue’s attention that Southampton City Council are currently considering proposals to sell off four of the 37 medieval vaults in Southampton for development. The proposals have met with some local opposition, but the council have argued that the historic fabric of the vaults can be successfully incorporated into any new development. “Buildings live, they actually adapt and they develop. If thy don’t adapt and if they don’t develop then they become fossilised and they become empty,…
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Rescue AGM 2010

Posted on March 1, 2010
All are invited to join Rescue for our AGM, to be held in conjunction with the Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology on Saturday 20th March 2010. Seeing as 2010 marks the 1600th anniversary of the end of Roman Britain, why not come and listen to pre-eminent speakers on the context for social change in Late Roman Britain, with particular reference to Lincolnshire? The full programme will be released in due course, but please find a provisional programme below. Booking details…
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What's in the news this week 2010-03-01

Posted on March 1, 2010
RT @TelegraphNews The university professor who stood up against dumbing down of degrees – Telegraph is.gd/9mVCt # You can now pay for your Rescue membership securely and easily online – just go to www.rescue-archaeology.org.uk/join #

Diggers' Forum questions Institute for Archaeologists over salaries advertised in JIS

Posted on February 28, 2010
It has come to Rescue’s attention that the Diggers’ Forum (DF) has questioned the Institute for Archaeologists (IfA) over the levels of pay that they have advertised in their own Job Information Service (JIS). This electronic newsletter is a key resource for all those archaeologists looking for job vacancies in the UK. The DF has grown increasingly concerned over the fact that archaeological jobs have been advertised on the IfA JIS that do not appear to meet even the IfA…
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Changes to Planning Legislation and The Historic Environment

Posted on February 2, 2010
As RESCUE members will be aware, during 2009, the Government launched a draft of its proposed changes to the archaeology and listed buildings’ planning policies documents. Currently, these are dealt with separately by Planning Policy Guidance Notes 16 and 15 respectively. The Government consultation draft proposed an amalgamation of these two documents into a single Historic Environment policy, PPS15. The consultation received nearly 500 responses from a wide range of organisations. Recently, the chairmen of the Select Committees of the…
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Stonehenge Update (January 2010)

Posted on February 1, 2010
The planning application for a new Stonehenge visitor centre and associated works was considered by Wiltshire Council’s Strategic Planning Committee on Wednesday 20 January. www.salisbury.gov.uk/planning/development-control/planning-applications/2009/1527/application-documentation.htm In summary, the scheme proposals are for closure of the A344/A303 junction at Stonehenge Bottom and greening of the A344 up to the Henge; removal of parking and other facilities from the present location to Airman’s Corner, at the junction of the A344 with the A360 on the western edge of the WHS; retention of…
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Save Colchester Circus: Rescue backs the campaign

Posted on January 23, 2010
Rescue has now been told that the initial campaign to raise £200,000 has been successful – many congratulations to the campaigners – see www.romancircus.org/2010/03/01/thank-you-appeal-reaches-its-200000-target/ Destination Colchester and Colchester Archaeology Trust are together trying to raise funds to buy the Sergeants’ Mess building and garden of Abbey Fields from developers Taylor Wimpey to save a unique site from redevelopment and help preserve Colchester’s town’s unique heritage. Deadline now February 2010 The Appeal has had the deadline to raise enough money to…
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