South Yorkshire Archaeology Service
The South Yorkshire Archaeology Service (SYAS) provides advice regarding the archaeology of South Yorkshire to members of the public, Doncaster, Rotherham, Barnsley and Sheffield councils, as well as to developers, landowners, the Forestry Commission, and DEFRA, amongst others.
The advice given by SYAS is based on information held in the 
Sites and Monuments Record. This resource holds data on all the known archaeological sites in South Yorkshire and is open to the public by appointment.
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SYAS Contacts
Assistant Archaeologist,
South Yorkshire Archaeology Service,
Development Services,
Howden House,
1 Union Street, Sheffield S1 2SH
Tel.: 0114 273 6428
Fax.: 0114 273 5002
Email: syorks.archservice@sheffield.gov.uk
SYAS Web Site
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Archaeology in the Planning Process
The Council promotes the protection of the historic environment and the conservation of historic sites, including advising on planning proposals for new developments where the development may impact on archaeological sites and monuments. Applicants should be aware of the advice in Rotherham's UDP Policy ENV2 "Conserving the Environment". You can find the UDP on 
Rotherham's UDP page.
If you are planning a development, it pays to seek archaeological advice from the Council as early as possible before submitting a planning application. This can save time and money and it will avoid problems later.
An initial consultation will show whether there are any known, or likely, archaeological remains within or adjacent to a proposed development. Should there be archaeological implications, applicants are strongly advised to contact the SYAS to see what additional records may be held by the Sites & Monuments Record (SMR) and what additional advice may be offered.
Following this preliminary appraisal, it may be necessary to commission a fuller archaeological assessment or evaluation by a professionally qualified archaeological contractor; SYAS will be able to advise further on this and provide a list of suitably qualified and experienced contractors. An archaeological report on this work should accompany the planning application, and include an archaeological mitigation strategy to mitigate the effects of the development including measures proposed to reduce it's impact.
The local planning authority may defer a planning decision until this information is available. Development on Scheduled Ancient Monuments (SAMs) will be determined by English Heritage. In addition applicants should refer to Rotherham UDP Policy ENV2.1 which states that "Development or changes-of-use which would adversely affect the interest, fabric or setting of a statutorily protected site will not be permitted".
Where an archaeological site is affected by a proposed development, applicants should consider the advice contained in paragraphs 6.4.32 and 6.4.33 of Policy ENV2. If development is permitted at all the first priority is the preservation of significant archaeological remains in situ. To achieve this, the archaeological impact of the development should be minimised by, for example, sympathetic foundation design or amendments to the layout. If this is not feasible, then detailed excavation, recording and publication is the second best option.
Archaeological implications will be a material consideration for the local planning authority when making a planning decision. If further archaeological work is necessary this can be secured, either by the use of a planning condition, or by a legal agreement under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.
In other cases, particularly small-scale development, recording of archaeological remains during development may be advised. This is known as a "watching brief" and will normally be secured by a planning condition.
Archaeology in Practice
Archaeological work, before and during development, can take a number of forms :
- desk-based assessment:a detailed appraisal of available information about a site before a planning application is submitted or approved.
- field evaluation:a survey or trial excavation designed to assess the nature of archaeological remains within a proposed development area before a planning application is submitted or approved. Techniques may include field-walking, geophysical survey and trial trenching.
- excavation and recording:a controlled programme of fieldwork to provide a lasting record of archaeological evidence unavoidably destroyed by development
- watching brief: the recording of archaeological evidence coming to light during the course of development
It is national and local practice that the costs of archaeological work made necessary by development will be borne by the developer.
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