Society calls for supporters to speak up for archaeology over investment zone plans

The Sussex Archaeological Society backs the Council for British Archaeology (CBA) in expressing deep concern at the government’s plans to deregulate environmental and planning protections.

The recently-appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer announced the plans to create 38 new “Investment Zones” across the country last week as part of a mini-budget.

Responding to the news, the CBA said it is “deeply concerned” at the announcement, adding the plans “pose a direct challenge to the way the historic environment is managed and cared for today”.

Leanne O’Boyle, the Society’s Executive Director, said: “The Sussex Archaeological Society shares the CBA’s concerns on the proposed deregulation and ‘Investment Zones’. We have a collective responsibility to safeguard the heritage and natural environment and it’s great to see the joined-up approach of the CBA with key partners. The Society has a long history of protecting sites of extraordinary environmental and archaeological importance and firmly believes in the need for legal protections to preserve that legacy for future generations.

“We each have the power to be advocates for the past, and so we are urging our members and supporters to consider writing personally to their MP. By continuing to speak up for heritage and archaeology, currently at risk by the further deregulation of environmental protection, we can all play a part in saving the past in our county, and beyond.” 

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