Chester Northgate Redevelopment: Phase 1 Post-Excavation Assessment Report

This report presents the results of a post-excavation assessment of the data recovered from investigations to mitigate the impact of Phase 1 on Northgate’s buried archaeology. In view of the status of the site, which lay wholly within Chester’s legally-protected Area of
Archaeological Importance (AAI), the key mitigation strategy adopted was one of in situ preservation. In the limited areas where disturbance was unavoidable, strategies of
archaeological excavation, strip-and-record, and watching brief were adopted, the response in any particular area being dependent on the nature of the proposed below-ground
construction works, which included the excavation of pile caps, lift pits and service runs, and the stripping/breaking out of modern topsoil/overburden, as well as the significance and level of preservation of the archaeological deposits affected. The fieldwork was undertaken on the
Phase 1 redevelopment between 3rd February 2020 and 28th January 2021, commencing with the service-diversion works.