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Protecting the Archaeology of Surrey
Surrey’s archaeology is rich and diverse. Humans have been modifying the landscape that we live in since the early stone age (Palaeolithic), perhaps as long as 700,000 years ago. Archaeological remains are a finite resource, which means once they are destroyed they cannot be replaced. Archaeology is often our only means of discovering how ordinary men and women lived, worked and died in the past.
Archaeology faces many threats in both towns and the countryside. In towns archaeological remains are vulnerable to destruction from urban development, road and pipeline construction and mineral extraction. In more rural areas, forestry and agriculture can damage archaeological deposits substantially. The protection of remains must be balanced with the need for economic growth and development.
Protection for archaeological sites and features is provided through the planning process. National guidance exists in the form of Planning Policy Statement 5 (2010): Planning for the Historic Environment (replacing Planning Policy Guidance Note 15: Planning and the Historic Environment (PPG15) published in 1994 and Planning Policy Guidance Note 16: Archaeology and Planning (PPG16) published in 1990). National and Local Development Plans also contain policies relating to archaeology and development. Some sites have statutory protection as Scheduled Monuments under the Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. There are about 190 Scheduled Monuments in Surrey.
