Consultancy advice and the design and management of projects
Download the consultancy advice and project management capability statement (PDF 10kb)
Museum of London Archaeology Service (MoLAS) provides authoritative advice to developers and their teams throughout the design, planning and construction process.
Areas of expertise include buried archaeological remains as well as historic buildings, with the emphasis on smoothing the integration of archaeological work with development.
Consultancy is provided for:
Due diligence
With archaeology now treated as one of a range of environmental issues affecting development projects, MoLAS contributes to feasibility studies, providing assessment of likely issues and costs. Confidential advice can be given before a site is acquired.
Framework agreements
MoLAS has several ‘call-out contracts’ with major organisations. These agreements give clients rapid access to strategic advice, whether for an entire property portfolio or an individual site.
Specific risk appraisal
Advice is aimed at identifying and managing risk effectively. Risk appraisal reports, tailored to meet the particular needs of the client, specify the issues facing a particular scheme with reference to national planning policy, local and unitary development plan policy and statute.
Risk appraisals are frank, confidential reports prepared solely for the client and distinct from ‘desk-based archaeological assessments’ prepared for submission in support of planning applications.
Adding value
Increasingly, developers are recognising the potential to use their archaeological sponsorship to derive real social and economic returns. MoLAS highlights the complementary value of the historic environment at the start of a project, so that opportunities to enhance a proposal can be realised.
This is no longer simply a matter of short-term publicity and involves consideration of the positive sense of place that the office workers, residents and neighbours of a development can feel.
Heritage management
Consultancy advice is provided to clients in the heritage sector. Recent work has included site inspections at World Heritage Sites, both in the UK and overseas, the preparation of Management Plans and Conservation Plans, and the development of archaeological resource management tools and procedures.
Expert representation
MoLAS can supply expert knowledge to the developer throughout the design, planning and construction process. Experience has shown that integration with the professional team is a major factor in the accurate identification and control of direct and indirect costs. MoLAS also provides expert testimony at Public Inquiries.
Navigating the planning framework
Finding a smooth route through the planning system, with its Planning Policy Guidance and Environmental Statement requirements, depends upon access to the right information at the right time. MoLAS aims to provide its clients with certainty in a field which revolves around discovery.
See our advice and consultancy section