The Coventry Telegraph has reported that experts will be carrying out archaeological works ahead of the first phase of a £450m regeneration project set to transform Coventry. Works will be taking place over the coming months as part of City Centre South.
Works will ensure the heritage of the site is understood, recorded, and preserved prior to any buildings being constructed. Housebuilders The Hill Group and Shearer Property Group (SGP) said they will be looking to ‘protect any historical findings.’
Archaeologists from Cotswold Archaeology have begun a survey of the site with trenches taking place in various locations, starting in the Barracks Car Park before moving to the Bull Yard and Shelton Square. Works are estimated to take seven to eight weeks and are likely to be completed by June.
It will include the excavation of 23 trial trenches of varying sizes and depths, seeking to locate the line of the historic city wall as well as identify any other archaeological remains, The Hill Group said. Items found during the works will be logged, protected, and covered for further investigation until the site has been cleared.
The Hill Group and SGP are also working closely with Coventry City Council and West Midlands Police to ensure that emergency protocols are in place should the trenching unearth any unexploded ordnance that remains as a result of the city being bombed during the Second World War.
Almost a thousand homes have been given the green light in this first phase of City Centre South, including 200 affordable homes, along with space for shops, businesses and a public open space, The Hill Group said. Construction is set to begin later this year with the first homes expected to be built by 2027.
Andy Fancy, Managing Director at The Hill Group, said: “We are committed to carrying out the archaeological investigation works at City Centre South both safely and sensitively to protect any historical findings before the start of construction.”