2010:062 - Drumcoote, Armagh

This evaluation relates to a proposed residential development on lands at, and adjacent to, No. 49 Navan Fort Road on the west outskirts of the city of Armagh. It currently consists of two areas: a developed area including a dwelling, outbuildings and yard at No. 49 Navan Fort Road, and an area incorporating part of a field to the immediate north-east. This area of field is subrectangular and measures approximately 160m west to east by approximately 125m. The proposed development will consist of the erection of a house and garage towards the south-east corner of the field with access provided through the current No. 49 Navan Fort Road. The existing property at No. 49 will be retained under the development proposals and will not be affected.
The proposed development is located within an archaeologically sensitive area with 10 recorded archaeological sites within a 1km radius although none of these sites are located within the site boundaries. The sites within the vicinity include Navan Fort (ARM012–015), which is located approximately 560m to the west of the proposed development, and the votive site at Loughnashade (ARM012–034), which is located to the north-west. These sites, with several other sites further to the west outside the 1km search perimeter, form the Navan complex.
Archaeological investigations relating to the Navan Complex have revealed that it was in use during the late Bronze Age/Iron Age. On the basis of this complex and other sites in the area, an area of significant archaeological interest has been defined as part of the Armagh Area Plan 2004. This area of significant archaeological interest includes the property at No. 49 Navan Fort Road but does not extend to the field where the proposed new dwelling will be built.
This limited and targeted excavation took the form of five trenches excavated across the footprint of the proposed dwelling and its associated access driveway. Nothing of archaeological significance was noted during the evaluation.