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Last updated: 8 December 2009

We have now completed the main consultation stage of the project and would like to thank everyone who attended the seminars, contributed to the lively and thought-provoking discussions or has submitted written comments.

View a summary of the consultations (PDF 46kb, opens in a new window)

We have now written a draft of the research strategy and this is being reviewed by the project's Steering Group. The revised draft will then be submitted to English Heritage for final approval. It is hoped that the published strategy and its supporting documents will mark the starting point for an active implementation process, with more input welcomed during its further development.

New events
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The final public event relating to the research strategy took place on March 20, 2009 at the Society of Antiquaries of London, where the results of the consultation process and a draft synopsis of the publication were presented to interested members of the public. The presentation set out the proposed content of the research strategy and the initiatives that had been identified and which might drive research forward in the coming 5 years.

The March 20th meeting was well attended, with the numerous comments received at the meeting itself and afterwards taken into account in the preparation of the first draft, which went to the project Steering Group in June 2009.

The March 2009 draft synopsis can be viewed by clicking here: draft synopsis outline (PDF 52kb, opens in a new window).

Earlier events
In June 2008 the project team held a series of seminars as part of the extensive consultation programme for the project.

Over 300 consultees from across the heritage sector were invited to seminars hosted at the LAARC:

Friday June 6, LAARC, 13.00 - 17.00:
1st Research Seminar For Consultees
Wednesday June 25, LAARC, 15.00 -19.00:
2nd Research Seminar For Consultees
A separate seminar was held on Thursday June 19th for MoLAS as part of their staff seminar series.

A presentation was also made at the London Archaeological Forum (LAF) on Wednesday June 18th, with an update provided at the LAF meeting on Wednesday October 22nd.

A separate consultation event, focusing on research needs for historic environment conservation, was held at the British Academy on Thursday 2 October. Visits to local archaeological and historical societies also took place during September and October to gather more direct responses to the questions posed in our questionnaire.

Other meetings and discussions with small groups and individuals continued up until Christmas 2008 and into the first quarter of 2009.

The results of this extensive consultation were then collated for the March 2009 meeting and preparation of the synopsis.

Draft synopsis for the research strategy
March 10, 2009
A short draft synopsis for the research strategy was compiled by the project team for discussion at the March 20th seminar and in order to gather feedback from users of this website. This represented the final stage of general public consultation and was followed by writing of the draft text, which was submitted to the project Steering Group in June 2009.

As set out in the synopsis, the published version of the Research Strategy will be a guidance booklet of c 10,000 words which, with accompanying illustrations, will amount to 32-48 printed pages. The text will draw on the results of the consultation and relate back to the earlier resource assessment (The archaeology of Greater London, Museum of London 2000) and research agenda (A research framework for London archaeology, Museum of London 2002).

The strategy will set out key research questions and assess progress towards them, identify research goals and initiatives, present recommendations for priorities in the coming 4-5 years, and include  exemplar projects proposed by stakeholders or otherwise identified during the consultation. The printed document will be closely related to the project website, which will contain more detailed documentation.

The central part of the proposed strategy will be an Action Plan, describing the research priorities and other key recommendations for the next 4-5 years. The Action Plan will not be restricted to simply listing the key research topics, but will also look at issues relating to the successful implementation of the strategy, including communication and dissemination of findings, actions needed to facilitate the proposed work, the organisations that may be involved and resources required.

An initial selection of 16 major initiatives proposed during the consultation were included in the first synopsis for discussion. A review of these proposals indicates that many research ideas are to some extent inter-related and that successful implementation of a programme of research depends on many factors, such as  enhanced archive access or the development of new funding opportunities, collaborations and partnerships.

View the March 2009 draft synopsis outline (PDF 52kb, opens in a new window).

The draft synopsis should be read in conjunction with a separate short discussion paper on developing definitions for a Historic Environment Research Framework "GLHERF" definitions (PDF 39kb, opens in a new window)