2022:202 - Ashley Gardens, Armagh City, Armagh

The proposed development is located some 1.2km to the south-east of Armagh City centre (centered at 288433 344448), and consists of the erection of a residential housing development consisting of 38 dwellings, associated site works and landscaping with access from Ashley Gardens.
The grant of planning permission conditioned an archaeological evaluation of the site, prior to construction commencing. HED noted that the application site was beside an archaeological enclosure (ARM 012:018). Traces of this monument were evident in the curving north-east boundary of the site. This was a monument of local importance and Policy BH2 of PPS6 applied. This application site is just under two hectares in size. HED’s experience has been that large development sites such as this are rarely archaeologically sterile, and given the known archaeology within the immediate area there was a potential for previously unrecorded below ground archaeological remains to be found during ground
works for the proposal.
Sixteen machine-dug archaeological test trenches were opened up over the entire footprint of the proposed development on 28 April 2022. Evidence for agricultural activity was noted at the south end of the southern field and more recent construction works, in the form of a sewage pipeline, were uncovered running
parallel to the eastern boundary.
Only one feature of archaeological interest was uncovered, the remains of a small isolated fire pit or hearth was uncovered in the southern half of the northern field. This was fully investigated and recorded with a 20m by 20m area around further investigated to ensure that the feature was indeed isolated. There was insufficient charcoal from the feature to obtain a radiocarbon date.

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