In the City at least, I think there are a number of procedures in place for this. In order to get planning permission, developers need to do a historical/archa

In the City at least, I think there are a number of procedures in place for this. In order to get planning permission, developers need to do a historical/archaeological evaluation [0]. Occasionally I've seen notices to contractors at sites that warn work is to be halted if bones/pottery are found. I'm sure the nearby universities get involved with this as well. [0]: https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/services/environment-and-planning/planning/planning-applications/submitting-planning-applications/Documents/planning-advice-note-3-archaeology-in-the-city-of-london.pdf https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/services/environment-and-pla...