Mr Chivers is perplexed by my comments about the Lay Wood Roman villa (letters, October 17). I am happy to explain.

The discovery of the villa is indeed exciting, but anyone who has watched Time Team will know how geophysical surveys reveal much of the story of a site and ‘keyhole’ excavation can add vital evidence.

This is the approach that we took in the summer when 600 people took part in the Dig Devizes project where we attempted to find the Roman villa that must lie near to the Green. The museum knows all about inspiring children and sharing the excitement of archaeology.

However, the idea of a large-scale excavation of a villa and creating a ‘heritage park’ is something else entirely.

Mr Chivers is right in saying that “in Pompeii nearly the whole city is left exposed to the elements”. Last year two houses collapsed and an £88m restoration programme has just begun. Chedworth villa has just seen a £3m revamp to halt its serious deterioration. Every Roman villa site I know of in England costs far more to maintain than is made in income from visitors.

There is also a huge national problem over the storage of finds. At the museum we have some 3,000 boxes of finds, including several hundred from four major Roman villas in Wiltshire. Only a tiny proportion of these finds can ever be displayed, the rest are vital for archaeological research.

In the planning system, property developers have to pay the cost of archaeological excavations before they can start building. The developers are not required to pay for the long-term storage of the finds made during the excavations.

The museum is a cash-strapped independent charity. We are not part of the council and we are not funded by government. We cannot continue to subsidise property developers by storing these finds while they make large profits. Wiltshire Council has backed our position in its Core Strategy and we look forward to property developers paying the full costs involved.

I would like to invite Mr Chivers to see for himself behind the scenes at museum. I hope that he will no longer be perplexed.

David Dawson BA, AMA, FSA, Director, Wiltshire Museum.