Historic England (HE) is helping the Crown Estate to revise the list of underwater activities that require its new Seabed Survey Licence (SSL).
HE had been concerned that as its provisions stand the licence could affect the non-commercial wreck and archaeological surveys and other underwater activities that it regulates.
The Crown Estate says its new underwater work permit is designed for activities that physically affect the seabed it manages within 12 nautical miles of the UK coast for a period of less than 12 months.
Potentially this could include activities carried out by scuba-divers or ROVs, such as wreck or archaeological surveys or retrieval of artefacts; marine-life sampling; and deployment of monitoring devices such as cameras or microphones.
The impact would be both in the form of bureaucratic delay and financial. The standard fee for each SSL is £500, although the Crown Estate states that a concessionary £100 rate applies for non-commercial archaeological/wreck investigators, or independent academic researchers.
Holding an SSL does not necessarily remove the need for other permissions, such as from the Marine Management Organisation or Environment Agency. Applications are likely to take around four weeks to process, and to take longer between May and September.
Alison James of HE has told wreck licensees and nominated archaeologists that the Crown Estate had now confirmed to her that SSLs are “largely aimed at the commercial marine sector, rather than not-for-profit / independent research”.
She also said it had confirmed that archaeological survey or small actions such as hand-fanning were not licensable activities.
“The recovery of archaeological objects (except where there is an impact on the surrounding seabed) is also not a licensable activity, though we are seeking clarification on archaeological excavation,” she stated.
The current requirements are set here
