Testun llawn:
Thank you for consulting us on these documents, as advisors to the Unitary Authorities in Wales regarding archaeology and the historic environment for planning,
pre-planning and heritage management matters.
As we have noted in responses to the consultations earlier in the Plan process, archaeology and the historic environment form an important part of the heritage of
this area.
By including Policies and Objectives via the RLDP system, this ensures change to archaeology and the historic environment is sustainably managed, understood, and protected within the planning context.
With SP4 Placemaking, DNP4 Historic Environment, Objective 6 Embracing Culture
and Heritage, and a Key Theme Embracing Culture and Heritage, the Deposit Plan ensures that archaeology and the historic environment are protected and due consideration given when considering change. The provisions directly involve awareness and management of change that may impact physical remains, and considers the longer term impacts of change, including to setting, both positive and negative.
It should be noted that archaeology and the historic environment contribute to other Policies, Objectives and Themes. Climate Change impacts directly on archaeological features and sites, as well as the interaction of people and archaeological sites. Interaction and engagement with archaeology and the historic
environment on walks, events, etc can foster and benefit physical and mental well being, involvement in community with shared experience and heritage, and inspire and support tourism.
As noted in the Plan, archaeology and the historic and built environment includes a wide range of both statutorily designated historic assets as well as non-designated
historic assets: areas of land, structures, artefacts, and buried archaeological remains. As time periods, the range of sites includes artefacts, buried and upstanding remains from the prehistoric to modern. It can encompass industrial and military, be large scale representation of minerals and metals extraction, transportation and land
and water management, as well as prehistoric upland settlement patterns and information on isolated finds of all periods, all of which contribute to the region’s
distinctive heritage and current form.
The remit of responsibility for statutorily protected sites falls to Cadw, and the nondesignated sites falls to Heneb: The Trust for Welsh Archaeology (formed by the merger of the four former Welsh Archaeological Trusts in 2024). We note the importance of the Historic Environment Record (HER) curated by Heneb, forms part of the Plan. The number of statutorily designated sites is noted in the Plan, but it is important to relay that the number of sites recorded within the HER is 14,434, many more than the statutorily designated sites.
The references to the Glamorgan Gwent Archaeological Trust should now read Heneb: The Trust for Welsh Archaeology, Glamorgan Gwent Archaeology, or Heneb GGA. The Historic Environment (Wales) Act 2023, and the resulting cascade of Policy, Advice and Best Practice Guidance provides a framework for the inclusion in Development Plans at a strategic level for managing change.
The constraints map includes some of the statutorily protected sites such as Scheduled Monuments, Listed Buildings and Registered Parks and Gardens, but
does not appear to include the Registered Landscapes (in the Vale’s case, all of Llancarfan, Cadw reference HLW (SG)1, and part of Merthyr Mawr Kenfig and Margam Burrows, Cadw reference HLW (MGl)1).
At the key site and infrastructure levels, we have commented on Candidate Sites and proposed large scale developments and given advice for appropriate mitigation
measures; these are listed in the Plan with our advice.
Archaeology and the Historic Environment should not be seen as any constraint to development on any scale but as noted, viewed with the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act, contributes substantially to the well-being goals relating to culture and community, and by understanding and enhancement to the remaining
goals.
We note the inclusion of the proposal to develop Supplementary Planning Guidance for Archaeology and the Historic Environment, and will continue to assist and support your Authority by collaborating with you on this.
