Policy information sourced from the Central and Eastern Berkshire Joint Minerals & Waste Plan

DM7 Conserving the Historic Environment

  1. Proposals for minerals and waste developments will be required to protect, conserve and where possible enhance the historic environment, and the character, setting and special interest of heritage assets, whether designated or non-designated.
  2. Proposals should be supported by an assessment of the significance of heritage assets including their setting, both present and predicted, and the impact of development on them. Where appropriate, this should be informed by the results of technical studies, field evaluation and other evidence. For mineral proposals this should establish the potential for archaeological remains within the overburden and the mineral body itself.
  3. Proposals that would cause substantial harm to, or loss of, a designated heritage asset and its significance including its setting, will be required to set out a clear and convincing justification as to why that harm is considered acceptable on the basis of achieving substantial public benefits that outweigh that harm or loss, or where all the specific circumstances in the NPPF apply. Proposals will not be supported where this cannot be demonstrated.
  4. Proposals that cause less than substantial harm to the significance of a designated heritage asset will be required to weigh the level of harm against the public benefits that may be gained by the proposal including securing its optimum viable use.
  5. When there is clear and convincing justification that the public benefits of development outweigh the harm to, or loss of, a designated heritage assets and its significance including its setting, mitigation of that harm, should be secured.
  6. Proposals which would affect the significance of a non-designated heritage asset should be assessed. In assessing proposals there will need to be a balanced judgement which weighs the direct and indirect effects upon the significance of the non-designated heritage asset.
  7. Where appropriate, mitigation measures should include archaeological work ahead of or during development, the recording of designated and nondesignated heritage assets, the protection, conservation, enhancement or reinstatement of a heritage asset’s setting.
  8. Evidence and results of archaeological excavation, field evaluations, technical studies and other recordings should be made publicly accessible (including depositing the results in a public archive and Historic Environment Record).

For more information please see the Central and Eastern Berkshire Joint Minerals & Waste Plan