Joint Humber Archaeology Partnership Board
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Please ask for: Louise Hawkins Telephone: 01482 613410 Fax: 01482 614804 Email: [email protected] Text phone: 01482 300349 Date: Thursday, 14 January 2021 Dear Sir/Madam, Joint Humber Archaeology Partnership Board The next meeting of the Joint Humber Archaeology Partnership Board will be held at 14:00 on Friday, 22 January 2021 in Remote meeting . The Agenda for the meeting is attached and reports are enclosed where relevant. Please Note: It is likely that the public, (including the Press) will be excluded from the meeting during discussions of exempt items since they involve the possible disclosure of exempt information as describe in Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972. Yours faithfully, Democratic Services Officer for the Town Clerk Town Clerk Services, Hull City Council, The Guildhall, Alfred Gelder Street, Hull, HU1 2AA www.hullcc.gov.uk Tel: 01482 300300 Page 1 of 26 Humber Archaeology Partnership Board To: Membership: Councillor Hale, Hull City Council Councillor Chaytor, Hull City Council Councillor Whitehead, East Riding of Yorkshire Council Councillor West, East Riding of Yorkshire Council Officers: John Craig, Head of Planning, Hull City Council Steve Devey, Planning and Development Control Customer Services, East Riding of Yorkshire Council Andy Wainwright, Planning and Development Control Services, East Riding of Yorkshire Council Richard Newman, Principal Archaeologist, Hull City Council Shaun Robertson, Senior Finance Officer, Hull City Council Louise Hawkins, Democratic Services Officer, Hull City Council (x2) Page 2 of 26 Joint Humber Archaeology Partnership Board 14:00 on Friday, 22 January 2021 Remote meeting A G E N D A STANDARD ITEMS 1 Apologies To receive apologies for those Members who are unable to attend the meeting. 2 Declarations of Interest To remind Members of the need to record the existence and nature of any Personal and Discloseable Pecuniary interest in items on the agenda, in accordance with the Member Code of Conduct. (Members Code of Conduct - Part D1 of the Constitution) 3 Minutes of the meeting held on 14 July 2020 5 - 8 To approve the minutes as a true and correct record. NON-EXEMPT ITEMS 4 Report on the Humber Archaeology Partnership’s Response to 9 - 10 Covid-19 To inform the Board of HAP’s responses to Covid-19 during the period April – November 2020. 5 Report on the Humber Archaeology Partnership’s Performance 11 - 22 Statistics Q1 and Q2 To inform the Board of HAP’s performance during Qs 1 and 2 and to provide an assessment of the statistics given. 6 Report on the Progress of the A63 (Hull) DCO Scheme’s 23 - 24 Historic Environment Response To inform the Board of the progress of the historic environment response for the Highways Agency’s A63 road improvement scheme. Most archaeological work has been concentrated on the area of the former Trinity Burial Ground. Page 3 of 26 7 Report on the Humber Archaeology Partnership’s Budget 2020- 25 - 26 21 To inform the Board of recent changes to HAP’s budget provision and to discuss its implications. EXEMPT ITEMS 8 No Exempt Items THERE ARE NO EXEMPT ITEMS ON THIS AGENDA Page 4 of 26 HUMBER ARCHAEOLOGY PARTNERSHIP JOINT BOARD 14 th July, 2020 The Council Chamber, the Guildhall, Hull PRESENT: Councillors Chaytor (Hull City Council) and West (East Riding of Yorkshire Council). IN ATTENDANCE: A. Codd (Hull City Council). R. Newman (Principal Archaeologist). P. Rawcliffe (Senior Democratic Services Officer, Hull City Council). APOLOGIES: Councillors Hale (Hull City Council) and Whitehead (East Riding of Yorkshire Council). Minute Business No. 543 ELECTION OF CHAIR FOR THE MEETING Agreed - That Councillor Chaytor be appointed as Chair for the duration of the meeting. 544 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST No declarations of interest were made in respect of the items that follow below. 545 MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 25 TH JUL Y, 2019 Agreed - That the minutes of the meeting of the Joint Board, held on 25 th July, 2019, having been printed and circulated, be taken as read and correctly recorded and be signed by the Chair. 546 HUMBER ARCHAEOLOGY PARTNERSHIP – PERFORMANCE - APRIL, 2019, TO MARCH, 2020 The Assistant Director Economic Development and Regeneration submitted a report which updated the Joint Board on the performance of the Humber Archaeology Partnership for the period 1st April, 2019, to 31 st March, 2020. The report provided statistics covering Historic Environment 1 Page 5 of 26 Minute Business No. Record enquiries; work on backlog data logging, and development control casework. Discussion took place around the development of a business plan for the Humber Archaeology Partnership; current and future location of the Service; the few visitors that attended the Service’s office; the need to concentrate on working towards full digital access to the Service; the modification of the Service’s digital record; timescales for the digitisation, and how the progress of the digitisation could be measured and monitored. Agreed – a) That the report be noted; b) that the creation of a temporary post, to deal with the reduction of the paper backlog in the first instance, and then to progress the inputting of the backlog of digital data, be approved; c) that a percentage of the records to be digitised be allocated to three month periods to allow for the progress of the project to be monitored, and d) that the Humber Archaeology Partnership’s Business Plan be revised, to include new targets for backlog reduction and the impact of Covid-19, and submitted to the next meeting of the Joint Board. 547 HUMBER ARCHAEOLOGY PARTNERSHIP – PERFORMANCE – APRIL TO JUNE, 2020, AND THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 The Assistant Director Economic Development and Regeneration submitted a report which updated the Joint Board on the performance of the Humber Archaeology Partnership for the first quarter of the 2020/21 Financial Year, 1 st April, to 30 th June, 2020, through provisional statistics. The report also gave an assessment of the impact of Covid-19 on the performance of the Humber Archaeology Partnership’s core tasks. Discussion took place around the declining number of members of the public visiting the Service’s office; the arrangements for the staff working from home during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the staff rota that was now in place at the Service’s office. Agreed – a) That the report be noted, and 2 Page 6 of 26 Minute Business No. b) that the Humber Archaeology Partnership’s web presence be developed, to improve the information available through it for the public; c) that public access to the Historic Environment Record database be developed, and d) that the Business Plan be updated to include the backlog of data entry caused by Covid-19. 548 NEW DEVELOPMENT CONSENT ORDER SCHEMES IN HULL AND THE EAST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE The Assistant Director Economic Development and Regeneration submitted a report which updated the Joint Board on the Humber Archaeology Partnership’s involvement with two Development Consent Order schemes. Namely, the A63 road improvements in Hull, and the Dogger Bank Windfarm onshore works in the East Riding of Yorkshire. The A63 main phase of works, especially the excavation of the Trinity Burial Ground, had yet to begin. However, this was to involve considerable time resources from the Humber Archaeology Partnership throughout the late summer, 2020, and beyond. Weekly updates were being provided by the Highways Agency through their consultants Balfour Beattie. The Dogger Bank Windfarm onshore works primarily comprised the excavation of a cable trench with ancillary works such as compound and haul road construction. The construction project was being undertaken by Jones Bros. on behalf of the Scottish and South Eastern power company. Weekly monitoring visits were being made by the Humber Archaeology Partnership, and archaeological work was likely to last into the autumn. Discussion took place around the details of the archaeological works relating to A63 and Dogger Bank Windfarm schemes. Agreed – a) That the report be noted; b) that weekly monitoring be instituted as soon as the main works start on the A63 road improvements scheme; c) that it be noted that the Highways Agency is to issue a press release with regard to the significant structure that was to be 3 Page 7 of 26 Minute Business No. erected to allow the archaeology to be dealt with safely on the A63 scheme, and d) that a map, detailing the proposed archaeological works on the A63 scheme, be circulated to Elected Members. 4 Page 8 of 26 Report on the Humber Archaeology Partnership’s response to Covid-19 Briefing Paper on behalf of Alex Codd, Assistant Director of Economic Development & Regeneration Purpose of paper and summary To inform the Board of HAP’s responses to Covid-19 during the period April – November 2020. Background The Covid-19 pandemic has caused all work places and organisations to adjust their working arrangements. The Humber Archaeology Partnership has responded to Hull City Council and East Riding of Yorkshire Council guidance as it has evolved, accommodating where necessary differences in the guidance on home-based working as issued by the two authorities. Issues of consideration At no point during the pandemic has HAP ceased to operate. All staff have continued to work throughout the period even when in self-isolation. No staff have been furloughed. No staff have had Covid-19, as far is known. Where site visits have been essential, as with the two DCO schemes for the Dogger Bank onshore works and the A63, they have been undertaken. For the most part the office has been staffed on a daily basis and the Northumberland Avenue building has been staffed throughout. Public access, however, has not been allowed. During the lockdown of April and May staff were discouraged from coming into work unless absolutely essential in order to fulfil tasks.