ABSTRACT
The title of this paper seems incongruous to present at the fourth conference designed to discuss how we can endeavour to preserve rather than excavate archaeological remains. However, in the light of recent change to English planning guidance the phrase ‘preservation in situ’ has been made redundant. With the introduction of new planning guidance for archaeology and development (Planning Policy Statement 5,
usually referred to as PPS5) in March 2010 the terminology is now ‘conservation of heritage assets’, and, although this may seem a question of semantics, it actually raises some fundamental truths exposed starkly by the experience of the examples outlined here at Nantwich and Must Farm.
