Archaeological study to check for remains of medieval castle before housing development built

An archaeological study will have to be carried out on a field to check for remains of a medieval castle before a new housing development can be built.

Bradford Council has this month granted planning permission for the construction of a 94-house residential development on Coolgardie Farm in Crossflatts – a site once earmarked for a £30m business park.

But one condition of the approval is that developers Avant Homes Yorkshire will need to employ an archaeologist to study the site to see if there is any evidence that a castle once stood on the land.

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The applicants first revealed their plans for the site in Summer 2023, saying the development would “provide much needed housing within this locality, in a range of house types and sizes alongside significant public open space.”

Coolgardie SiteCoolgardie Site
Coolgardie Site

The site is off Keighley Road, and near Bingley Grammar School.

In the 00s, Coolgardie Farm was proposed to be home to Bingley Technology Park, a development that would have brought 1,500 jobs to the area.

It was due to be an integral part of the Airedale Masterplan to create a thriving corridor of hi-tech industries along the Aire valley.

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But the project collapsed in 2008 due to the global financial crisis, with hundreds of thousands of pounds having already been spent on the plans.

The land has remained empty until the new housing application was submitted last year.

There had been 22 objections to the housing plans, with objectors raising issues from the loss of green land to already stretched services such as schools.

One claimed new homes were not needed in the Bingley area, and another said the houses will put added strain on the local rail network.

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Numerous different public bodies have since commented on the proposals since the application was submitted.

One of these responses came from the West Yorkshire Archaeology Advisory Service.

The group said evidence suggests there may have once been a castle in this area, possibly dating back to the Medieval period.

Centuries-old maps of the area refer to a “Bailey Hill” (a bailey is the outer courtyard of a castle) near the site of the planned homes.

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And the land to the North and North West of Coolgardie Farm has long been known as “Castle Fields.”

Although no evidence of a castle is visible, the Archaeology Advisory Service wants to rule out any possibility that the housing development could involve concreting over a potentially historically significant site.

The response from the group says: “These references suggest that there was once a castle or similar feature in this area. The exact location is uncertain, as was its extent. This would probably have been a medieval castle but this has not been confirmed.

“If there was a castle here it is likely that there was a village or town associated with this, and its location and extent is also unknown but either the castle or the associated settlement may have extended into the proposed development site.

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“There have never been any known archaeological investigations of the proposed development site. Based on the currently available information it is not possible to assess the impact of the proposed development on potential archaeological remains that may be on the proposed development site.”

The archaeological service suggested that if plans were approved, the developers should be required to carry out a study of the site and its potential archealogical significance.

When the plans were approved by Bradford Council earlier this month, one condition was that “development shall not commence until the applicant has secured the implementation of a programme of archaeological recording.

“This recording must be carried out by an appropriately qualified and experienced archaeological organisation or consultant.”

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The developers have agreed that 20 per cent of the homes in the development are classed as “affordable.”

Referring to the previous employment plans for the site, planning officers said: “The site’s prospects for employment use is doubtful, and the site represents a sustainable and appropriate location for a residential use, well served by public transport, within a short distance of local amenities and compatible with surrounding land uses.

“The addition of 92 dwellings will make an important contribution to the housing targets within this area.”

Other conditions are that the developer pays £26,000 to improve nearby bus shelters, and £191,000 to boost biodiversity.

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