2001:017 - TOOME CANAL, Toome, Antrim

The proposed development, along the south-east banks of Toome Canal c. 0.5km to the south-west of Toome village, is to extend downstream from Carlisle Bridge to where the canal flows into Lough Neagh. It entails the construction of a cycle route alongside the existing towpath, and the development of a park area consisting of landscaped features within a 100m-wide corridor along the canal. The desk-based survey revealed two known sites of archaeological interest within the boundary of the proposed development site, while the field survey confirmed the existence of at least one of these. A number of archaeological sites are known within a 2km area, suggesting that it has been an area of activity in the past. It was therefore suggested that the impact of the proposed groundworks would have implications for any subsurface archaeological features that may have survived within the areas highlighted. However, archaeological monitoring of the topsoil-strip revealed that over much of the development area the ground consisted of upcast from previous dredgings of the canal basin, and, as the development only involved the construction of pathways, potential impacts were negligible. Away from the canal the paths were cut through ground liable to episodes of flooding; construction here consisted of engineering matting covered with gravel and, although some compaction could occur, levels of traffic will be very light. The development of the viewing platform at the south end of the park was also examined, and here too the ground was noted to consist of lake sands and silts thrown up as a result of dredging in the nearby canal.

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