KAS Conference on 'Linear Archaeology' held at Wye

This day conference took place on Saturday, 7th October 1995 at Wye College. Members were welcomed by the President, Mr. K. Gravett who then introduced the first speaker - Dr. John Williams.

Dr. Williams' paper was entitled 'Planning for Linear Archaeology' and was a concise explanation of all the procedures necessary for decision making to do with planning applications including constraints, proposals, legal requirements, and recommendations. He highlighted some of the 'plus' points of PPG16 which has now been in place for some five years, emphasizing that it is not law but government guidance designed for the protection of archaeological sites. He continued with explanations of which authority was responsible for granting planning authority for different types of sites and stated that most of the utility industries were very helpful and cooperative. Dr. Williams illustrated his talk with slides of recent developments.

The second talk of the morning was given by Dr. George Lambrick from the Oxford Archaeological Unit and was a fitting subject in confirming what Dr. Williams had already stated. The main issue concerned the Channel Tunnel Rail Link and its implications in connection with archaeological and environmental considerations. In answer to several questions, he emphasized the importance of bringing in local groups with their great knowledge of their particular area.

After lunch, Paul Bennett of the Canterbury Archaeological Trust treated us to his usual erudite illustrated discussion of excavations - this time along the route of the A259 in Thanet. This proved to be a prime example of the exceptional collaboration between the contractors and the archaeologists. He gave great credit to Dr. Williams' decision in stripping the entire route which revealed many sites and helped to prioritize those which were of greatest importance.

The last speaker was Keith Parfitt, also of the Canterbury Archaeological Trust, who spoke primarily on the Bronze Age Dover Boat. This was a fascinating insight into the work of archaeologists keeping a watch on a major road improvement scheme before the implementation of PPG16. There had been great cooperation with the contractors which was of paramount importance in the discovery of the boat under such incredibly difficult conditions.

After some discussion, Mr. Gravett closed the proceedings after making various comments including emphasizing the fact that although PPG16 is not perfect, it is a considerable improvement on what went on before. This proved to be an extremely interesting and thought-provoking day, but what a shame these four excellent speakers had such a small audience.

Sheila Broomfield.