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| Knowing the risk built heritage and archaeological issues pose for a site can allow developers to identify and mitigate for them at the pre-planning stage |
Discussing their
new collaborative project, Simon Lewis (Managing Director of FIND) and Chris
Thomas (Director of Planning Services at Museum of London
Archaeology
Chris There
are a number of excellent testimonials on the FIND website, not just from
developers, but from a whole range of organisations.
Simon Absolutely
Chris…I very much see relationships as being central to FIND’s success. We’re a small company specialising in data
and technology. We work closely with
data providers such as Ordnance Survey, English Heritage and so on…then add
value to the data we deliver. One of the
ways we can do that is to work in partnership with organisations like MOLA to
deliver ‘Data +’.
Chris So you’re
providing data and its people like us who’re providing the interpretation of
that data.
Simon Exactly…and
we’re expanding in several other areas by collaborating with partners who can
add that level of expertise. For
example, we’re currently working with a company that specialises in unexploded
ordnance in order to deliver online UXO risk reports.
Chris So
what made you think that heritage risk was a good area to get into?
Simon FIND
already delivers a lot of heritage data.
In fact our free site [sketchmap.co.uk]
gives people access to data on listed buildings, scheduled monuments,
battlefields and so on. Casual users are
often interested in this sort of information, but to a developer it’s
absolutely essential. It’s going to come
out at some point in the planning process, so best to know in advance.
Chris It’s interesting
that you mention listed buildings, because we spend much more of our time now
looking at above ground heritage. And
the structures we’re looking at aren’t necessarily designated as the greatest buildings. It’s more a case of people’s perceptions. And as the general public has greater input
into planning decisions, overall perception of the built environment is
increasingly likely to become a risk for developers. And you can’t manage risks if you don’t
understand them.
Simon Exactly…I
was always told that a good project is one where there are no surprises.
Chris At
MOLA we try to make sure that developers are informed and prepared. Having all the information you need in advance is far better than a scenario
in which workers on site are standing idle and costs are mounting if a heritage
or archaeological issues have suddenly arisen.
Simon And providing
this service online speeds up the process of getting crucial information about
a site, understanding any issues and planning for them.
Chris And do
you think the online ordering system is straightforward?
Simon Undoubtedly…everyone
is now so familiar with ordering goods and services online that the days of
doing this kind of work offline are fading fast. Ordering is very straightforward. Users just type in a postcode, view the area,
mark up the site and then request a quick report, a detailed report or a full
Historic Environment Assessment.
Chris What
impresses you most about MOLA assessments?
Simon Not only
do the reports look great, they’re easy to read and packed with information. Before embarking on projects like this we
seek out the best partners. And when it comes to archaeological assessment,
building assessment and heritage in general, there’s no better name than MOLA.
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