21st July 2010, 09:52 AM
Quote:
when curators are so hamstrung
the predetermination system is also hamstrung by a lack of transparency. The so called benefits of early engagement in pre-application discussions which is where developers are directed towards evaluations do not lead to open competition for the work. It seems to me and I am trying to put this as mildly as possible if a curator recommends that a development requires a field evaluation if I was the developer I would probably want to hire the last company who had been acceptable to the curator. Yes there are hundreds of exceptions where other evaluators were hired, most notably are where developers already have a relationship with an evaluator. But the current (pps5) system is not that open to competition, unlike the post determination situation where the landowner and agents will probably get five or more speculative tenders through the post using the address supplied on the Decision Notices.
It seems to me that if the early engagement in pre-application discussion leads to a evaluation brief that that brief should be made a public document before any archaeologists are appointed