Archaeology in Birmingham
Shortcut to this page www.birmingham.gov.uk/archaeology
Birmingham's archaeological remains are recognised for their national importance and we work to protect them through the planning process. This work has changed our view of Birmingham's past and uncovered new information about the origins of the city.
When dealing with proposals for development which may affect archaeological remains, the Council considers:
· Existing archaeological information on the Historic Environment Record
· National policies and government guidance on the protection of archaeological remains
· The City Council's own policies which are more specific to Birmingham
· The City Council's Archaeology Strategy which gives more guidance
· Requirements for assessing archaeological implications of a development and for the protection and recording of archaeological remains
The locations of sites in the Historic Environment Record are now available on our LocalView mapping system. Follow the link and type your post code into the search box in the top left corner.
Please note that you will require more detailed information than the site locations if your enquiry is related to proposed development
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Information about archaeological sites and finds in Birmingham is held in the Historic Environment Record.
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A Scheduled Ancient Monument is an archaeological site that is considered to be nationally important and is included on a list of sites compiled by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.
Scheduled Ancient Monuments are protected by law and nothing can be done to them without the Secretary of State's permission.
There are currently 13 Scheduled Ancient Monuments in the city. -
Birmingham has a wealth of archaeological remains of its past. These consist of structures and objects ranging from 500,000 years-old stone axes to 20th century buildings. Find out more in our Introduction to Birmingham's Archaeology.
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Developers have to assess any archaeological implications of their development proposals. We then consider the results of the assessment before making a decision on the planning application. This approach follows government advice and policies in the Council’s Unitary Development Plan.
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If your application is in or near a known area of archaeological interest, we may ask you to submit an archaeological assessment with your planning application. Conditions may also be attached to the planning permission requiring further work. Find out more at Archaeology and Planning Policy.
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See the Historic Environment Record.
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See our New Discoveries section for information about what has been found in recent excavations in the city.
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You can find out more about how Birmingham's archaeology relates to the rest of the West Midlands in the West Midlands Archaeological Research Framework.
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Find out more about historic buildings and conservation areas in our Conservation of the Historic Environment section.
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If you haven't been able to find the information that you need then the link below will take you to a form that you can use to ask us further questions.
Service Specific Enquiry
Archaeology Strategy 
