York Historic Environment Record

Various road improvements are proposed to the roundabout at the A1237 Clifton Moor junction, on the York Northern Outer Ring Road (NGR SE 58620 55499 centred). This roundabout lies towards the north-west end of the Clifton Moor Retail Park. A previous Scoping Study recommended that a Cultural Heritage ‘Simple Assessment’ should be carried out to identify the known and potential archaeological resource at the road junction, and to assess the implications of the proposed scheme on that resource. The methodology for the Simple Assessment followed that established for road schemes by the Highways Agency in their 2007 Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB), and a study area measuring 200m from the centre line of the existing A1237 alignment was identified, extending for 600m to the east and west of the junction. A total of nine non-designated archaeological sites or assets were identified within the defined study area. Three of these assets are records of ridge and furrow, seen as cropmarks or earthworks on aerial photographs but which have now been destroyed, either by development or agriculture. Two of the assets are records of previous archaeological excavations. Three other assets relate to a large Clifton Moor civilian and military airfield which has largely been destroyed by post-war development, although some remains survive within the study area to the north of the A1237. The final asset is a small extant post-medieval farm complex. Two of the assets are considered to be of Medium Value, three assets are of Low Value, and four assets are of Negligible Value. The scheme as currently proposed will have negative impacts on four identified archaeological assets. Three of these assets are associated with the former airfield, which lies on the north side of the A1237; the sites represent the remains of runways and taxi-ways (Site 1), well-preserved but densely vegetated ruins forming a combined aircraft canon testing butts and machine gun range (Site 8), and a partially demolished bulk petrol installation (Site 9). The other affected site (Site 6) represents buried remains associated with Romano-British field systems and settlements, already proven by previous trial trenching to lie on the north side of the A1237. The overall significance of effects is considered to be Slight adverse on Sites 1 and 6, and Moderate adverse on Sites 8 and 9. For the other five affected sites, the overall significance of effects is neutral. These adverse effects can be mitigated through a programme of archaeological recording and investigation. The above ground remains of Site 9 (the bulk petrol installation) have been recorded by non-intrusive survey, but further work is required to finalise recording in advance of or during scheme construction. Sites 1 (the remains of the airfield) and 8 (the aircraft canon testing butts and machine gun range) will also require detailed pre-construction recording, after extensive vegetation clearance. Finally, the full extent of the scheme corridor to the north of the A1237 should be subject to a preconstruction archaeological excavation, through a programme of “strip, map and record”; it is expected that the more significant results will be obtained to the east of the former airfield. It is important that this work is done well in advance of scheme construction, so that there is sufficient time allowed to record identified features and to ensure no delay to the overall construction programme. The scale, scope and methodology of the recommended mitigation work will need to be agreed with the City of York Council’s Archaeological Officer.