7693 Review of the Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey (RCZAS) Programme

Historic England (HE) wishes to commission a Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey (RCZAS) Review to assess the availability and uses of RCZAS data and reports (see Annex A) and to obtain recommendations on improving access and applicability.

The RCZAS reports have relevance to eight main areas of work in the Historic Environment:

1. For use by Local Authority Historic Environment Managers, and archaeologists and other officers based at the Environment Agency, for mitigation during Coastal Management schemes;

2. For use by Local Authority Historic Environment Managers during commercial Development control, including the writing of Briefs for mitigation by evaluation and excavation;

3. For use by coastal landowners in management of coastal assets;

4. For use by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) for developing Marine Plans and assessing permissions and licenses related to Marine Planning;

5. For academic research;

6. For use internally within HE, for example to inform initiatives such as Designation programmes and Heritage at Risk Registers;

7. For the English Heritage Trust in the development of management plans for coastal Properties;

8. For providing base-line data to underpin volunteer surveys (eg CITiZAN, see www.citizan.org.uk), and public interpretation and enjoyment of the historic environment (eg as part of Natural England's England Coast Path initiative, see www.goc.uk/government/news/worlds-longest-coastal-footpath-one-step-closer), thereby helping community involvement.

The project will involve compilation and analysis of data from web analytics services (eg Google) and the use of questionnaires and other contacts with users to provide data, both quantitative and qualitative, to inform HE's ongoing RCZAS programme. The contractor will be required to visit key users for personal interview, in order to encourage responses.

Unlike many HE Projects this will be about data collection involving a customer survey with a variety of agencies and individuals, and with no means of enforcing involvement - just hoping that they will offer information generously. The outcome of this project depends on the contributions of users, many of whom are hard-pressed for time and resources, so a key point from the beginning must be establishment of good will and friendly collaboration. Personal visits to selected users are essential, and the proposed Project Budget allows for an element of time and travel to achieve this.