Olympic Games 2012: Archaeologists

Lord Luke
asked Her Majesty's Government:

When the Museum of London Archaeological Services will gain access to the Olympic site; what their role will be; and what powers they will have regarding Olympic facilities. [HL2895]

Lord Davies of Oldham
The Museum of London Archaeological Service and Pre-Construct Archaeology (MoLAS-PCA) has worked in partnership to provide archaeological services to the London Development Agency (LDA) regarding the Olympic Park since 2003, and continues to do so for the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), which has now taken over the role of developer.

As a part of the planning application process it is incumbent upon the developer to fund an archaeological assessment of the proposed development site, and to undertake measures to either preserve in situ or record any archaeological remains found within the designated footprint.

MoLAS-PCA has already undertaken some archaeological field evaluation and has been monitoring geotechnical investigations across the site since 2005. In addition it has prepared detailed desk assessment and written schemes of investigation for archaeological work, which will allow fieldwork to commence as soon as relevant parts of the site become available for assessment. Furthermore, MoLAS-PCA is in regular contact with English Heritage’s Greater London Archaeological Advisory Service (GLAAS), which also provides advice to the five host boroughs and the ODA Planning Decisions Team.