Hopes high for history repeating as visitor attraction development goes in front of York’s planning committee

“Major new development including a state-of-the-art tourist attraction approved by planners on the second submission of plans” – that was the headline over 40 years ago when plans for the Coppergate Centre – including an innovative Viking-themed visitor attraction

“Major new development including a state-of-the-art tourist attraction approved by planners on the second submission of plans” – that was the headline over 40 years ago when plans for the Coppergate Centre – including an innovative Viking-themed visitor attraction - were approved by York Councillors. Developers hope that the same headlines will be run after the planning meeting on 8 September 2022, when the proposals for the new Roman Quarter building, including a new Roman-themed visitor attraction, are considered.

Like the original Coppergate plans, York Archaeological Trust is a partner in the development, and will be taking a 50 year lease on part of the ground floor and basement to host a major new visitor attraction, EBORACUM, which it is hoped will emulate and even eclipse the success of JORVIK Viking Centre, telling the story of the Romans in York. 

One major difference with this application is that archaeology forms a key part of the development process – at Coppergate, the scale and quality of the preserved Viking remains took everyone by surprise, whereas much more is known about what they would expect to unearth at the Rougier Street site, the Dig for Eboracum.

“Making archaeology accessible to the public was very much in its infancy in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but Coppergate made it exciting.  With the Dig for Eboracum, we not only have a clear picture of what we expect to find based on other smaller excavations nearby and core samples on the site itself, but also 40 years of knowledge and experience in using this archaeology for the good of the community itself: working with schools; hosting tours; bringing in local communities; offering Archaeology on Prescription programmes; curating arts initiatives inspired by the site and much more,” comments York Archaeological Trust’s Chief Executive, David Jennings. 

“Add to this interest in the project from major international broadcasters keen to follow the dig from start to finish and this project could put Roman York firmly onto the international map as a destination in its own right, and that benefits way more than just the new attraction. Every other part of Roman heritage that the city has to offer, from the Multangular Tower and York Museums Trust’s Roman collections to the Roman Baths and Roman Festival will experience a surge in interest if this development is permitted,” adds David.

Architects for the site’s owner and principal developer, Rougier Street Developments, have worked hard to change the plans to make them more sympathetic to York’s streetscene and skyline, and are viewing this building as a long-term commitment to the city centre, unlike more common build-and-sell projects seen around the city.

“This genuinely is a once in a lifetime opportunity for York, where the developer is funding a project that will ultimately generate millions of visits and tens of millions of pounds of income for the city.  At the last meeting, based on the original building design, Councillors were asked to consider if they wanted to be known as the people who said ‘yes’ to the next Stonebow House; this time, they should consider whether they want to be the people who said ‘no’ to the next JORVIK Viking Centre,” asserts David.

Although the Council for British Archaeology and Heritage England have voiced concerns about the intrusive nature of the archaeology planned for the site, a host of world-renowned archaeology academics have voiced their support for both the approach and the project, including Professor Richard Hodges OBE of the American University of Rome, Professor Nicky Milner of the University of York, David Miles, former chief archaeologist for English Heritage, and Professor Soren Sindbaek, director of archaeology at Aarhus University in Denmark.

The full planning application can be viewed online at the York Planning Portal and the planning committee meeting can we viewed via City of York Council’s YouTube channel on Thursday 8 September 2022 from 4.30pm.