Application lodged for major regeneration of historic city location

A planning application has been submitted for the The Roman Quarter project on Rougier Street, in York City Centre.

The proposals are designed to regenerate this key gateway into the city centre. They include a two-year archaeological dig and a world class Roman visitor attraction.

An economic report submitted as part of the application, has stated the project will create an extra £252m for the York economy over the next 30 years and create over 450 jobs.

Submitted jointly by York-based North Star and York Archaeological Trust, the scheme includes apartments, retail, office space, leisure space and the attraction.

Three buildings on Rougier Street – Northern House, Rougier House and Society Bar – will be replaced with a new property that will use cutting edge sustainable technology and features.

Through the consultation, the proposals have been amended following feedback and these include creating a more active street frontage on Rougier Street, amending the mass of the building and increasing the landscaping and public realm around the site.

Plans include the visitor attraction, 290 apartments, retail and leisure space and offices.

As part of the plans, the former Roman road which runs behind the buildings will be reinstated to reinvigorate this part of the city. It will connect Tanner Street with Tanner’s Moat.

York Archaeological Trust, which developed the JORVIK Viking Centre following the Coppergate dig in the late 1970s and early 1980s, will conduct a two-year dig of the site, prior to building work starting.

The dig will be one of the largest of its kind in the UK, and is expected to be especially significant given the waterlogged ground conditions which preserved so much organic matter at Coppergate.

With artefacts expected to date from 2,000 years ago, and trial pits revealing the potential for major discoveries, significant Roman finds will be displayed in the basement visitor attraction.

The once-in-a-generation dig itself will have significant public benefit, with an ambition for every school child in the city participating across the two years, and visitors able to tour the dig site. The archaeology alone is expected to provide a significant positive impact for the local economy, driving national and international tourism, and providing global exposure for the city.

It will continue when the completed attraction – which will be double the size of JORVIK Viking Centre – opens.  Early predictions suggest it will receive around half a million visitors per year, adding £20m to York’s economy.

David Jennings, CEO York Archaeological Trust, said: “Before the Coppergate dig, York was known predominantly as a Roman city, but JORVIK Viking Centre changed that perception, and we’re now better known for our Viking heritage.

“This dig is the most significant single Roman excavation ever undertaken in York, and we have the skills and expertise to explore, preserve and interpret everything we find to add more depth and colour to our understanding of Roman York, and the unique soil conditions here which preserve organic matter will give us more insight than ever before into how Roman citizens lived here – what they ate, how they cooked and even what illnesses were rife during this period.

“The potential for discovery is enormous, and it is highly unusual for us to be able to plan a brand new, state-of-the-art visitor attraction to display our finds even as they are coming out of the ground.”

A spokesman for North Star said: “We have been very encouraged with the public response to the proposals since we launched them earlier this year.

“People recognise the many benefits that this vision will bring and we firmly believe these plans will massively improve this part of the city centre and act as a catalyst for wider improvements. The aim is to create an iconic building that the city can be proud of.

“If we secure planning for these plans, the economic benefits to the city will be huge, as well as enhancing York’s cultural offer through a unique world class visitor attraction.”

Paul Whiting, head of marketing and communications for Visit York, added: “Using York’s history as a catalyst for innovation has ensured the city continues to be one of the most popular visitor destinations in the UK.

“With unrivalled heritage credentials stretching right back past the time of Emperor Constantine, York is well-placed for a new landmark attraction to join the world-leading offer we already enjoy.

“We are all excited to uncover the long-lost stories that will be unearthed during the archaeological dig, helping residents and visitors alike to have a even better understanding of how the people of the Roman period onwards have helped shape the York we know today.”