The Housing and Planning Act 2016 received royal assent in April and is set to bring forward a range of new provisions which have the primary aim of contributing to Government's productivity plan to meet the nation's need for more houses. While CIfA strongly supports this objective, the Institute has been lobbying government over a number of provisions in the Act which threaten to weaken or undermine archaeological protections in the planning system. Secondary legislation and guidance is currently being produced by government and it will be at this level that much of the important operational detail will be contained which will inform exactly how provisions will work. CIfA is seeking meetings with the Department of Communities and Local Government to ensure that archaeological issues are considered in these documents.
A briefing sheet has been produced to explain CIfA's policy position. You can download the briefing by clicking the link below:
