I’ve heard of something called a “watching brief” – what is this and is it appropriate to cover every site?
A watching brief involves an archaeological contractor being present on-site during construction. The archaeologist is there to observe and record any finds or features of interest uncovered by the work. We rarely use this technique on larger developments as it can hold up the construction phase of the work considerably unless it can be properly keyed in to the building schedule. Also when a site becomes an active construction zone it is hard to control the passage of heavy plant and vehicles across it which will destroy archaeological remains. It is in the best interest of all parties if the archaeological work is carried out prior to the construction phase and the site given a clean bill of health for development before building commences.
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