Archaeological Sites
7.1 Basic protection for ancient monuments is provided
under the General Environmental Conditions of the Scheme
(see below), but active management to enhance, improve or
further protect an area of archaeological or historical
interest may be carried out under the Archaeological
management prescription.
- Maintain existing grass or heather cover. When
re-seeding, avoid ploughing or other soil
disturbance.
- Maintain grazing, but avoid erosion. Do not feed
animals on ancient monuments.
- Do not plant trees or encourage regeneration within
20 metres of an ancient monument and avoid panbusting
and subsoiling. Where an unploughed monument is
isolated within an arable field, do not plough it.
Leave an unploughed buffer zone of 5 metres around
it.
- Do not carry out new drainage on or near an ancient
monument. Take great care when maintaining existing
drains, to avoid new disturbance.
- Where rabbit control is carried out, avoid ground
disturbance.
- Do not permit peat cutting, quarrying, dumping or
storing of any material to occur on the site of an
ancient monument.
- Do not erect fences or other structures or create
access tracks within 10 metres of an ancient monument.
Avoid the use of wheeled or tracked vehicles on or near
ancient monuments.
- Do not allow the use of metal detectors on ancient
monuments or remove any archaeological finds. Report
any finds or new features to Historic Scotland, the
local authority archaeologist or the local museum.
ALL sites of archaeological or historic interest must
be identified on the Environmental Audit and therefore
the location of any new 'finds' must be marked on the
Descriptive Map and a description of the site entered
in the Environmental Audit. A copy of the updated Audit
should then be submitted to the local SEERAD
office.
- Where archaeological sites are of a more complex
nature, the applicant should be advised to contact
Historic Scotland for Scheduled Ancient Monuments
(SAMs) or local authority archaeologists for non-SAMs
to confirm if the General Environmental Conditions are
sufficient, or whether there is scope for the site to
be specifically managed under the RSS Management
Option.
- Historic Scotland must be contacted if any works
are proposed on or in the vicinity of a SAM.
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