Hawk Heritage provide the following services for its clients

Buying a new site for development often requires analysing the site’s constraints. Archaeological remains, and listed buildings and their settings can sometimes be overlooked and these can occasionally not just be a constraint but an impediment to redevelopment. Early advice from Hawk Heritage can assess the heritage risks to see whether the purchaser wishes to proceed and, if so, what account needs to be taken of the heritage implications.

Sometimes, heritage can be a constraint on new development but early and effective engagement with heritage can turn a problem into a benefit by careful design. Hawk Heritage works with many clients to find appropriate ways to design around sensitive archaeological sites and to enhance the settings of listed buildings. Engagement with a design team to produce a scheme that meets the client’s aspirations and secures planning permission is one of the most rewarding parts of the job.

Local authorities are central to the delivery of new developments in this country and, from a heritage perspective, Historic England are the most important stator consultee. It is essential that whoever represents a client in discussions with these groups and their staff, is considered to have professional experience, knowledge and integrity if their views are to be considered. Chris Thomas has more than 35 years of working with these bodies and their talented staff and is widely recognised as having being both robust and having a high degree of professional integrity.

Archaeological desk-based assessments are a key document in any planning application where archaeological remains might be affected. The most important aspect of any report will be a properly considered and argued statement of significance. Hawk Heritage has very extensive experience of writing archaeological assessments and of producing evidence-based assessments of significance. The archaeological assessment should always be supporting a scheme that has been designed well.

Heritage statements are an important element in a planning application where buildings, conservation areas or their settings might be impacted. The most important aspect of any report will be a properly considered and argued statement of significance. Hawk Heritage produces heritage statements where listed structures and their settings might be impacted. Any heritage statement should always be supporting a scheme that has been designed well.

Public consultation events can often be confrontational and difficult as many schemes are seen by local people and local groups as being detrimental. It is often the case that heritage benefits, particularly those that some to light from archaeological excavations, are viewed much more positively by local communities. Chris Thomas has extensive experience of attending public consultation meetings and exhibitions and showing to local groups the positive benefits that can be delivered from redevelopment.

There are a surprising number of planning applications that are turned down owing to ‘heritage concerns’ whether they be impacts on archaeological remains or listed buildings or conservation areas. The director of Hawk Heritage, Chris Thomas, has appeared at many appeal hearings to argue that the refusal of a planning application on heritage grounds was not merited, with much success. He has also worked on lands tribunals where the case was centred upon the loss of value in a property and how much account heritage should be taken in that loss.

Clients often need advice as to who they should engage to carry out their projects. Not all archaeological contractors are the same and the right contractor for one job may not be the right one for another. Hawk Heritage can help select tenderers, assess the archaeological and financial elements of a tender and advice the client on who would be most appropriate in each case.

Fieldwork projects can range in complexity, programme and cost. Clients are not professional archaeologists and benefit from having an expert manage their archaeological contractor. Hawk Heritage can provide reassurance to the client that the works will be carried out efficiently and cost-effectively.

Analysing the results of archaeological fieldwork and disseminating the results are essential parts of any excavation project. Making that work properly focussed and cost-effective are vitally important. Chris Thomas, the Director of Hawk Heritage, has decades of experience of designing, writing and producing some of the UK’s most important archaeological reports. This experience allows Chris to understand what is of value and what is significant, which focusses the client’s spend on what matters and what is important and delivers the answers to the key questions and avoids wasting resources on that which is either unnecessary or of low value.

Hawk Heritage can help a land promoter in getting their site onto a local authority’s new local plan. Heritage is sometimes an issue for planning inspectors when they are assessing the soundness of a new plan and strong and professional advocacy can help an inspector understand the heritage issues and how they can be managed if a plan is adopted.