Seabed infrastructure projects, underwater cultural heritage and the environmental assessment process: The UK example

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the legal and regulatory requirements imposed on development projects in the marine offshore areas of England, in particular the requirement to collaborate with professional archaeologists in completing Environmental Impact Assessments that include underwater cultural heritage. This chapter explains the role of Historic England in providing independent advice to developers and regulatory bodies for all aspects of the historic environment. It explains how this advice informs the preparation and approval of planning applications for offshore developments, the implementation of effective survey campaigns that include archaeological and palaeoenvironmental objectives as part of the planning application, mitigation of potential damage, protection of new discoveries and the delivery of training programmes for government administrators, archaeological consultants and industrial partners. The benefits and results of this approach are presented in the context of offshore developments such as wind farms, the laying of electricity interconnector cables, the extraction of gravel deposits and the dredging of shipping channels into ports.