Hull City Council is carrying out preliminary archaeological excavations on Colonial Street as an important precursor for the site’s planned redevelopment.
The land to the rear of St Stephen’s Shopping Centre is currently under examination to establish the history of the site and whether it retains any archaeological interest.
The Colonial Street site is allocated for housing development in the Local Plan and is owned by the council.
In July 2023, Cabinet approved plans to seek to bring forward around 200 properties on the site.
The exploratory work is being undertaken by the council’s Humber Field Archaeology team and will help to inform the development approach and improve availability of site information, ahead of redevelopment.
If the site is found to be of archaeological interest, further investigations may be undertaken, with a community activity a possibility later in the year.
Cllr Paul Drake-Davis, the council’s portfolio holder for regeneration and housing, said: “It is exciting that the council has made a start on the Colonial Street site, on the back of doing likewise at the former Clarence Mill site for the East Bank Urban Village.
“These developments are key to recognising the council’s need for city centre living, whilst regenerating previously unused land.”
Excavation is expected to be completed next week.
