"and promise no quick decision on scheduling."

As far as I understand it, and I don't very well, the above may be the crux, and rather significant.

If something is scheduled one can't build a road over it. Anyone know if that's true?

By contrast, if something isn't then the way it is treated is solely down to the County Archaeologist, based upon his interpretation of PPG16.

Ergo, if a County Archaeologist chooses to build a road over it and then EH schedules it AFTERWARDS, then that's OK??

Further, the County Archaeologist is then free to bid for E.H. funds to explore the archaeology in full once the road has been built.... and to discover the ribbon is priceless, and stretches from a sacred hill to a river for maybe a mile, and is a super thing, marred only by the fact a road goes over it.

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/ConWebDoc.11434